The Willie Stephenson Memorial Trophy commemorates the co-founder and first Chairman of DBS, now Goffs UK, and is awarded annually to the person or persons whom the Goffs UK Board feel have made the biggest contribution to the success of the company during that year.
The unanimous choice for 2022 was Lucinda Russell.
A leading trainer and a long-time supporter of sales at Doncaster, Lucinda has enjoyed some wonderful moments on the track and became one of the few trainers to saddle two Grand National winners this year when Goffs UK graduate Corach Rambler won the world-famous event with a performance for the ages. Lucinda also featured in last year’s Aintree Festival with another Goffs UK graduate, Ahoy Senor, who claimed the Grade 1 Betway Mildmay Novices' Chase.
Goffs Group Chief Executive Henry Beeby presented the award to Lucinda in his position as the latest Goffs UK Chairman at the Doncaster Spring Sale and commented:
“It’s a real pleasure to award Lucinda with the Willie Stephenson Memorial Trophy, as she has been a big supporter of ours for so long now and what she has achieved on the track, highlighted by her two Grand National winners, is something very special.
“It was in the depths of the pandemic in November 2020 that Lucinda travelled down to Yorton in Wales to attend our November PTP Sale and she left with two horses that would go on to become household names. The first, lot 9 in the sale, was an English pointer called Ahoy Senor, and the second was a six-year-old Irish pointer, Corach Rambler, who was secured for just £17,000.
“Corach Rambler claimed the first of his consecutive Grade 3 Ultima Handicap Chases at last year’s Cheltenham Festival while Ahoy Senor starred a few weeks later at Aintree with his Grade 1 victory. It’s a wonderful story and it has continued this year with Grand National glory and we all eagerly await the next instalment next season.
“We wish to congratulate Lucinda on all she has achieved thus far, thank her for her ongoing support, and wish her all the very best for the exciting times that lie ahead.”
Willie Stephenson was the only Englishman in the 20th century to train a Derby and Grand National winner (a distinction shared by the Irish legend, Vincent O’Brien) and founded DBS in 1962 with fellow trainer Kenneth Oliver. He was succeeded as Chairman by Harry Beeby in 1988 who was followed in turn by Henry Beeby in 2016.