Norton trainer Julie Camacho wins top awards for her work with Group One-winning sprinter Shaquille

Royal winner: Jockey Oisin Murphy rides Shaquille, left, to victory over Ryan Moore on Little Big Bear in the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot - a first Group 1 and Royal meeting winner for the horse and trainer, Norton's Julie Camacho.
(Photo by HENRY NICHOLLS / AFP) — Royal winner: Jockey Oisin Murphy rides Shaquille, left, to victory over Ryan Moore on Little Big Bear in the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot - a first Group 1 and Royal meeting winner for the horse and trainer, Norton's Julie Camacho. (Photo by HENRY NICHOLLS / AFP)

Norton trainer Julie Camacho has been named Flat Trainer of the Year by the Horse Race Writers and Photographers Association (HWPA) for her work with dual Group One-winning sprinter Shaquille.

Camacho, who trains alongside husband and assistant Steve Brown, saw the three-year-old – now retired to stud – win both the Commonweath Cup at Royal Ascot and Newmarket’s July Cup.

A bid to land a hat-trick of top level wins ended in disappointment when the horse finished last in the Betfair Sprint Cup and after connections decided not to run him on Champions Day he wasn’t seen again.

After seeing off the challenge of top handlers Ralph Beckett, John and Thady Gosden and Aidan O’Brien, Camacho’s X account tweeted: “We were honoured to even be nominated amongst such incredible trainers and never expected to win it!

“We are not really sure what to say other than thank you so much.”

Recently retired former Champion Flat Jockey Paul Hanaghan, who rode for many years for Malton trainer Richard Fahey, was given the HWPA George Ennor Trophy for Outstanding Achievement.

Camacho has also been awarded Best Training Performance of the Season for Shaquille, who won connections over £780,000 and helped he become the first woman to win £1m in a season, at the Northern Racing Awards.

In addition, Shaquille's owners, Hughes, Rawlings, O’Shaughnessy, got the Flat Owners Special Achievement of the Season for the July Cup success.

Sherriff Hutton’s Mark Walford won the Jumps equivalent for Into Overdrive’s victory in the Rowland Meyrick Chase at Wetherby on Boxing Day.

Other local winners included, Paul Mulrennan, Professional Flat Ride of the Year on Azure Blue in the 1895 Duke of York Clipper Stakes at York and Sean Kirrane for the apprentice equivalent on Live the Dream in the Group 1 Coolmore Nunthorpe, also on the Knavesmire.

Conditional Jumps ride went to Emma Smith-Chaston for her ride on Ballynagran in the Conditional Jockeys’ Stakes at Wetherby in January, with the horse trained by The Yorkshire Post’s Country Post columnist Jo Foster.

The Stud/Breeder Suiccess Story went to Yvonne and David Blunt after the Karl Burke-trained Poptronic won the Group One British Champions Fillies and Mares Stakes on Champions Day at Ascot in October.

A nomination to star colt Paddington was sold for 72,000 guineas at Tattersalls on Monday to raise funds on behalf of injured jockey Graham Lee.

The Grand National and Ascot Gold Cup-winning rider remains in hospital after suffering serious neck and spinal injuries in a fall at Newcastle last month.

The winning bid was made by Lady Lloyd Webber of Watership Down Stud.

Two more National Hunt meetings fell to the weather, with yesterday’s fixture at Southwell and Thursday’s Leicester card both abandoned.

However, all-weather Flat racing at Lingfield and Wolverhampton went ahead, with the British Horseracing Authority scheduling an additional all-weather meeting at Southwell for that afternoon.