January award for Joanna Morgan

Meath racehorse trainer Joanna Morgan has been nominated as the recipient of the January award for the Meath Chronicle / Cusack Hotels Sports Personality-of-the-year. The Ballivor-based trainer was sidelined with a broken leg during January, but that did not prevent her from sending out a winner at the prestigious Dubai Carnival. She sent Miss Gorica to win the €50,000 seven-furlong Muhtathir Stakes. She had previously enjoyed success at Dubai with the versatile sprinter, One Won One back in 2001. This is the third annual / Cusack Hotels Sports Personality-of-the-year awards. Each of the monthly winners during 2009 will go forward to the annual banquet which will take place at Knightsbrook Hotel, Trim on Monday 8th February next year where the overall winner will be announced. Local artist Seamus Cassidy will once again produce the monthly awards and the overall awards in the main category and the subsidiary categories which will include outstanding achievement, young sportsperson and hall of fame. The monthly awards will be presented at informal functions during this year. Roll of Honour: 2007 - Gordon Elliott (Aintree Grand national-winning trainer with Silver Birch); 2008 - Darren Sutherland (Olympic boxing bronze medal winner).