EVENING Press racing correspondent Tom O'Ryan has been short-listed for a prestigious award within the sport of kings, writes Tony Curtis

O'Ryan, who also writes for the Racing Post, has been named among the seven journalists in line for the Clive Graham Trophy - horse racing's journalist of the year title.

Normally only six nominees are put forward for the final ballot for the award, however, O'Ryan, who lives near Malton, has been added to the list after he gained support in the three of its four categories - national, regional and specialist.

This is the second time in four years that O'Ryan has received a nomination, having previously been short-listed in 1999.

"The nomination is a very pleasant surprise," he told the Evening Press. "What makes it particularly satisfying is that it's your fellow professionals, who have done the voting.

"I shall have to wait now until early December to find out the result, but even though I view myself as a rank outsider, if you're not in, you can't win, so fingers crossed."

The other six finalists are last year's Clive Graham Trophy winner Alan Lee of The Times, Richard Edmondson of The Independent and Jim A McGrath, winner in 1992, who writes for the Daily Telegraph, all of who won through in the National section.

John Sexton of the Wolverhampton Express & Star, won through in the Regional section, while Graham Dench, a colleague of O'Ryan's on the Racing Post, earned a nomination in the Specialist section.

The final line-up is completed by Clare Balding, the face of BBC racing, who won the Broadcasting Section.

The will be presented at the Derby Awards Lunch at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London on Monday, December 9.

Updated: 11:45 Tuesday, September 24, 2002