DYLAN GIBBONS “COOL” RESULT TO WIN BILL WADE MEDAL

DYLAN Gibbons says it’s “cool” to win Newcastle’s Bill Wade Medal for the first time.

And it will be even cooler if he can also clinch a unique double by winning his first Newcastle Gold Cup at September’s spring carnival, when the various awards for the 2025-26 racing season will be presented.

Gibbons, 24, is looking forward to continuing a successful association with his recent Caloundra Cup winner Thebudgiesmugla in the $300,000 Group 3 Gold Cup (2300m) on September 18 en route to hopefully a tilt at the $10m Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington on November 3.

The born and bred Novocastrian, now based in Sydney, cut his riding teeth at Broadmeadow when apprenticed to leading trainer Kris Lees, who has added another local premiership to his burgeoning CV.

The Bill Wade Medal and Max Lees Medal – introduced many years ago by Newcastle Jockey Club to honour two local legends – are awarded annually to the jockey and trainer with the best strike rates at Newcastle course proper meetings during the season (provided each has had had a minimum 40 rides or starters).

Gibbons rode 13 winners from 53 rides during the season for a winning strike rate of 4.08.

Newcastle’s Nathan Doyle also for the first time landed the Max Lees Medal; training 11 winners from 47 starters for a strike rate of 4.27.

Provincial king Keagan Latham (22 wins) is Newcastle’s premier rider for the season just concluded, whilst Lees’ apprentice Will Stanley won the apprentices’ premiership with 11 wins.

Lees’ Group 1 Sydney Cup winner Changingoftheguard is Newcastle’s Horse Of The Year, and Doyle’s apprentice Shannen Llewellyn, who is having a brilliant breakout season, wins the Rising Star award.

The presentations to the various winners will take place at the Gold Cup meeting on Friday, September 18.

Gibbons was thrilled when he learnt yesterday he had won the Bill Wade Medal, especially having begun his now 502-win (89 so far this season) career at home.

“I wasn’t aware of being in the running to win the medal, and it’s cool to do it,” he said.

“Hopefully I can also win the Newcastle Gold Cup on Thebudgiesmugla.

“The beauty about him is that he is adept on all types of ground (currently seven wins from 13 starts).”

Whilst the Newcastle Cup and Group 1 The Metropolitan (2400m) at Royal Randwick on October 3 are the former New Zealand’s early spring goals, Gibbons says the chance to go even further and win the Melbourne Cup on the talented stayer (last year’s Caloundra Cup winner Half Yours then won the Melbourne Cup ) would be very special indeed.

The young jockey’s first ride as a 4kg claimer was on Star Raider at Taree on July 28, 2020 and soon afterwards on August 8 posted his first winner (Ocean Ruler) at Coffs Harbour.

Gibbons’ maiden Group 1 winner was Explosive Jack in the 2023 Sydney Cup (3200m) at Royal Randwick (pictured above) , and he claimed a second on Kalapour for Lees in the Tancred Stakes (2400m) at Rosehill Gardens the following year.

Along with Zac Lloyd, he also was one of the first two apprentices in 2023 to ride in the world’s richest race on turf, Randwick’s $20m The Everest (1200m).

Gibbons is living his dream. He was obsessed with having a career in the saddle, following in the footsteps of his father Andrew, who coincidentally rode a treble to land the NSW riding premiership (with 124 wins defeating Blaike McDougall by one and a half wins) the same day his son had his first ride at Taree.

During the final term of his school life at St Mary’s Maitland in 2018, he was allowed to begin getting accustomed to his chosen profession, courtesy of a workplace arrangement.

He was given Wednesdays off to go to the track at Broadmeadow in the morning, and back to Kris Lees’ stables in the afternoon.

He would also go to the track on Saturday mornings.

That served to further fuel his desire to ride, and he started helping out at the stables on a regular basis, progressed to riding pacework as well as strapping horses at race meetings before becoming apprenticed to Lees in 2019.

He rode 86 winners in his first full season in 2020-21, then 116 and 113 respectively in the next two seasons.

STORY JOHN CURTIS, JULY 22, 2026 - BRADLEY PHOTOS