Leading jockey for 2019 at Dundalk - Colin Keane

Meath Sports Awards - AUGUST winner COLIN KEANE

The countdown is on for the Meath Chronicle Sportsperson of the Year awards with the 13th annual ceremony scheduled for its traditional home at Knightsbrook Hotel, Trim next Friday evening.

TICKETS
You can still buy tickets as there is limited availability - If you wish to attend contact Linda Cahill in the Meath Chronicle by Wednesday - linda.cahill@meathchronicle.ie or the Ticketline at (046) 9079654 - 10am - 2pm - Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday.

The overall 2019 Sportsperson of the Year will be selected from the monthly winners who will each be honoured on the night in recognition of their specific achievements during 2019.

The 2019 Sportsperson of the Year awards will be hosted by RTE’s Evanne Ni Chuilinn.

The list of contenders is listed at the end of this article and in this piece the focus is on August winner - top Trim jockey Colin Keane.

COLIN KEANE

Trim man Colin Keane continued to reel in the winners at home and abroad in 2019 with Kiltale-based Ger Lyons providing most of the ammunition and he finished with 103 winners to his credit.

A Group 1 success at the Curragh in the prestigious Phoenix Stakes with the highly-rated two-year-old Siskin saw Colin at his best.

SISKING AND COLIN KEANE WINNING AT THE CURRAGH

There was also a big win in the valuable Ebor Handicap at York where he partnered the Lyons-trained Mustajeer to a thrilling victory and won the  £1,000,000 edition of the Sky Bet Ebor.

Colin also headed the race for the jockeys’ title and as the season headed towards its November conclusion he was still in contention for honours on that front before narrowly missing out to Donnacha O'Brien.

Colin brought up a century of winners for the season with a double at Navan in October and he also claimed the leading rider at Dundalk for the season on the all-weather.

MONTHLY WINNERS

January - Gavin Kennedy (Ashbourne RFC); February - Shane Aston (Trim AC); March - Ger Lyons (horseracing), Andy McEntee (GAA); Keith Donoghue (horseracing), Gavin Cromwell (horseracing), April - Ray Moloney (Navan RFC), Gordon Elliott (horseracing); May - Eamonn Murray (GAA); June - Nick Fitzgerald (GAA); July - Donal Keogan (GAA); August - Colin Keane (horseracing); September - Brian Carroll & Gary McConnell (handball); October - Cian Carey (motorsport); November - Mary Watters (athletics); December - Alan Murphy (Trim Celtic).

OTHER AWARDS 
Other awards that will be presented include

Team of the Year - Na Fianna Camogie (voted by Meath Chronicle readers)
Outstanding Achievement Male - Jack Regan (voted by Meath Chronicle readers)
Outstanding Achievement Female - Natalya Coyle (voted by Meath Chronicle readers)
Young Sportsperson of the Year - TBA on the night (selected by Meath Chronicle)

There will be some Facebook live from the Knightsbrook next Friday night.