KERRYN Manning's trophy cabernet will shine a little brighter after taking home Harness Racing Victoria's highest individual honour, the Gordon Rothacker medal last Wednesday night.
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Manning was in attendance at the industry's gala awards dinner at Tabcorp Park purely to support her father and the work he had done throughout the harness racing season. She was shocked when the announcement was made.
"It was a surprise to win it at such a young age," Manning said.
"In the past winners have been much older and have done more. I guess when you look back though I've achieved a lot in a short amount of time."
Manning was a trailblazer for women in harness racing through the 1990's and 2000's and will now join the Gordon Rothacker honour roll alongside her father, Peter, who was a recipient of HRV's highest individual honour in 2007.
It has been easy for Manning who has come a long way since her first winning ride on May 27, 1993, at Geelong - driving Gorgeous Gambit.
Manning drove her first winner in 1993 and, when asked about her incredible success over the years in the sulky she attributed it to her good teacher, her dad.
"Dad taught me everything I needed to know," Manning said.
"He taught me work ethic and that's a good starting point. Everything falls back on that."
Included in her rich success was becoming the first woman in the world to drive a winner in both the Southern and Northern Hemispheres.
She drove Knight Pistol in Norway in 1997 which put her on the international map early in her career.
To date Manning has recorded 3,430 wins as a driver and in a much shorter period of time 670 wins as a trainer.
Manning is married to trots driver Grant Campbell who at the time of the presentation was flying from Hong Kong with horses.
“It was disappointing not to have him there, but he had already booked his flights,” Manning said.
Manning thanked her faithful owners, especially Merv Butterworth, who earlier in the night was named VHRSC Owner of the Year.
Manning’s name will forever sit proudly alongside legendary past medal recipients including Jim Barker, Ted Demmler, Bruce and Elizabeth Clarke and Graeme Lang, just to name a few.
Manning currently has 14 horses in work, which is a nice number heading into the warmer months.
Chief Executive Officer of the Stawell Harness Racing Club Lisa McIlvride had her moment of glory when she received the Angelique Club Pearl Kelly award.
McIlvride has been involved in the industry for 18 years commencing with the Stawell Harness Racing Club in January 1996.
She first worked closely with then manager/secretary Kaye Matthews.
When Kaye passed away McIlvride applied and became secretary/manager with her work ethic setting her apart from other applicants.
She took on the role in an era where there was limited involvement of women at this level in the industry.
The whole way through her busy working career she was also the caring mother of two very young children.
McIlvride has been the driving force behind a number of projects including track renovation, gaming room renovation, writing submissions to obtain grants for other projects, developing the dining area to the extent it can cater for weddings and other functions.
McIlvride is dedicated to her job, incredibly hard working and putting in the extra yards is a worthy winner of the Pearl Kelly Award for 2014.