WALTER SWINBURN capped his year when he was given a special "Personality of the Year Award" at the Daily Star awards luncheon in London yesterday.

Swinburn, who was seriously injured in a fall in Hong Kong in February but who returned to race ending in August and won the Breeders' Cup Turf on Pilsudski in Toronto last week, was a unanimous choice in a poll of the tabloid paper's readers for the "personality" award.

But Swinburn, who endured six months of convalescence following his fall, was unable to receive his award in person.

In his absence his father Wally, twice champion jockey in Ireland, accepted the award.

Swinburn Snr said: "It's been a very up and down year but it has ended in triumph and it is ironic that Walter could not be here himself as he went down with "flu over the weekend."

William Haggas, whose Derby winner Shaamit had to be retired following a leg injury in the Prix de l'Arc Triomphe, received the award as Flat trainer of the year.