Irish Stud and Stable Staff Award Winners Announced

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The 11^th running of the awards and the first sponsored by Godolphin was held at the Keadeen Hotel in Newbridge on Tuesday, April 14^th. The trophies were presented by 19-time UK Champion National Hunt Jockey AP McCoy. Simon Coveney TD, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine was guest of honour for the event and Jonathan Mullin, Irish Editor of the Racing Post, was MC for the occasion.

Bernard Caldwell, of the Irish Stable Staff Association: "I'd like to congratulate all the worthy award winners and acknowledge the extremely high standard of nominations we received for the first year of Godolphin's generous sponsorship of the Irish Stud and Stable Staff Awards. I'd like to thank all of our partners and everyone who helped make the evening such a success."

The full list of winners and runners-up is as follows:

Irish Racing Excellence Award 

Pat O'Donovan, Assistant Trainer, Jim Bolger

Leadership Award 

Martin Horan, Head Lad, Ger Lyons

(Runners-up: Gerard Donaher, Senior Supervisor, Kildangan Stud and Brian O'Connor, General Manager, Jim Bolger)

Head Lad/Girl or Travelling Head Lad/Girl 

Tom Gallagher, Head Man, Dermot Weld

(Runners-up: Gerry Abbott, Head Lad, Charles O'Brien and Dermot Fagan, Head Lad, Lorna Fowler)

Rider/Groom Award 

Pat O'Donovan, Assistant Trainer, Jim Bolger

(Runners-up: John Sullivan, Rider/Groom, John Larkin and Juli Vovchok, Rider/Groom, Edward Lynam)

Stud Employee Award 

Carmel Bowden, Stud Groom, Jockey Hall Stud

(Runners-up: Lyndsey McDonnell, Stud Groom, Derrinstown Stud and Richard Springate, Box Driver, Ragusa Stud)

Administration Award 

Wendy Normile, Client Relations, Coolmore Stud

(Runners-up: Eileen Kavanagh, Office & Facilities Manager, Irish National Stud and Dorothy Patterson, Office Administrator, Racing Academy and Centre of Education (RACE))

Dedication To Racing Award 

Seamus Cregan, Stud Hand, Islanmore Stud

Lifelong Learning Award 

Michael O'Rahilly, Foaling Manager, Coolmore Stud

Ancillary Services Award 

Jim Reilly, Farrier

Racecourse Grooms Canteen Award 

Leopardstown Racecourse

The winners of the Leadership, Rider/Groom, Head Lad/Girl, Stud Employee and Administration awards received a trophy and €5,000 with an additional €4,000 for employees from the winner's yard, stud or company. The two runners-up in these categories each received €500. Winner of the Irish Racing Excellence Award, Pat O'Donovan received a second trophy and a further €5,000, with an additional €5,000 for employees from Jim Bolger's yard, where he is Assistant Trainer.

The prize for the winners of Dedication to Racing, Lifelong Learning, Ancillary Services and Racecourse Grooms Canteen was a trophy and €2,500.

The trophies, by sculptor Ani Mollereau, are a contemporary design of a thoroughbred horse representing the spirit of the horse racing industry.

In association with The Racing Post and managed by the Irish Stable Staff Association (ISSA) and Horse Racing Ireland, the Irish Stud and Stable Staff Awards, sponsored by Godolphin had a total prize-fund of €70,000.