Champion jockey Colin Keane with the 2020 Meath Sportsperson-of-the-Year award trophy designed specifically for the Meath Sports Awards by woodturner and craftsman Seamus Cassidy from Beauparc. PHOTO: GERRY SHANAHAN / WWW.QUIRKE.IE

Colin Keane is 2020 Meath Sportsperson of the Year

Published: Fri 12 Mar 2021, 8:55 PM

Last updated: Fri 12 Mar 2021, 9:51 PM

Trim man Colin Keane was this evening crowned 2020 Meath Sportsperson-of-the-Year at the 14th annual Meath Chronicle awards ceremony that this year was a virtual ceremony due to the ongoing Covid-19 restrictions.

Colin was the champion flat jockey for 2020 when he recorded 100 winners to claim the title ahead of his friend and great rival Shane Foley.

It was a third time for the Trim man to ride 100 winners or more in a season and it was his second title after an inaugural success in 2017.

Trainer Ger Lyons provided the majority of the winners with the brilliant Siskin surely the hightlight.

Siskin was a first Classic success in the Tattersalls Irish 2,000 Guineas and another success was Even So, winner of the Juddmonte Irish Oaks.

However, in July Colin was sidelined for 14 days in quarantine after riding Siskin into third place in the Sussex Stakes following a thriller that was won by a late surging Mohaather for trainer Marcus Tregoning.

There was some consolation for Keane in the form of a win in a five-furlong Group 3 for trainer Michael O'Callaghan with Steel Bull.

After two weeks on the sideline Colin returned to action in mid-August on 33 winners in the race for the jockeys' title, 16 behind leader Shane Foley who was on 49.

Colin then hit a rich vein of form through September and October and added a further 67 winners to his tally to claim the title and one success was the Group 1 Coolmore Matron Stakes on Longines Irish Champions Weekend at Leopardstown in September.

He headed to the USA in November after he hit the 100-winner mark at in the last race on the card at the Curragh on the Sarah Dawson-trained Pretty Boy Floyd.

At the Breeders' Cup he partnered the Ger Lyons-trained Siskin in the Breeders' Cup Mile and then picked up a spare ride for Irish trainer Dermot Weld.

He deputised for Covid-19-sidelined Christophe Soumillon on the Weld-trained Tarnawa to record a Breeders’ Cup victory

"This is the icing on the cake after a brilliant year. It's just lovely to get this victory to take home," he said of that victory.

There was also a HRI award for the Trim man in December and in March 2021 the Meath Sportsperson-of-Year award was a fitting accolade for a hugely talented young jockey.

A special word of thanks to Ger Lyons, Kerri Lyons and the team at Glenburnie in KIltale for facilitating the presentation of the award in a socially-distanced manner and the disruption to the daily schedule of a top class racing stable.

Trainer Ger Lyons (left) with Meath 2020 Sportsperson-of-the-Year Award winnerColin Keane. Photo by Gerry Shanahan

Central to the presentation of the awards is the contribution and support from sponsors Meath County Council, Devenish Nutrition, Knightsbrook Hotel Spa & Golf Resort, Ecomm Merchant Solutions and Utmost International.

OVERALL SPORTSPERSON OF THE YEAR

ROLL OF HONOUR

2020 - Colin Keane

2019 - Gordon Elliott

2018 - Gordon Elliott

2017 - Robbie Power

2016 - Natalya Coyle

2015 - Gary Rogers

2014 - Devin Toner

2013 - Barry Geraghty

2012 - Cian O’Connor

2011 - Nina Carberry