The finalists for the 2020 Godolphin Stud and Stable Staff Awards have been confirmed today, Tuesday 7 January.
203 nominations were whittled down to a shortlist of ten in each category in December, with the three finalists now revealed for each of the six awards.
The finalists will head to London on Monday 24 February where they will be interviewed face-to-face by the judges who will then decide the winners and runners-up.
The results will be revealed later that evening at a glittering awards ceremony at The Underglobe on London’s South Bank, hosted by ITV Racing’s Ed Chamberlin.
The shortlisted nominees and their employers listed by category are as follows:
David Nicholson Newcomer
Charlotte Cotgrave – Mark Johnston
Bradley Harris – Andrew Balding
Kevin Skelton – Bryan Smart
Leadership
Leanne Kershaw – Jedd O’Keeffe
Mat Nicholls – Kim Bailey
James Savage – Michael Stoute
Rider/Groom
Hayley Ashcroft – Tom Dascombe
Shoab Patel – Stuart Williams
Kate McCormack – Paul Nicholls
Stud Staff
James Frank – Hascombe and Valiant
Patrick Meehan – The National Stud
Keith Warburton – Shade Oak
Dedication
Seanie Mulcaire – Philp Hobbs
Andrew Stringer – John Gosden
Philip Wright – Harry Dunlop
Rory MacDonald
Eleanor Boden – Scottish Racing
Rachel (Chicky) Oaksey – Injured Jockeys Fund
Simone Sear – Racing Welfare
Notes to editors:
1. The Judging Panel for the 2020 Godolphin Stud and Stable Staff Awards is: Brough Scott (Chair), Sally Aston, Catriona Bissett, Mark Bradburne, Captain Guy Disney, Mick Fitzgerald, Dawn Goodfellow, Nick Luck, George McGrath, Ollie McPhail, Dinah Nicholson and Hazel Peplinski.
2. The categories are: Leadership Award, Dedication Award, Rider/Groom Award, Stud Staff, Rory MacDonald Award and David Nicholson Newcomer Award (n.b. the David Nicholson Newcomer Award is for people who entered racing within the last three years).
2. The ‘Rory MacDonald Award’ recognises any individual connected directly or indirectly within horseracing, including auxiliary and administrative staff who has made an outstanding contribution to either the racehorses or to the lives of those working within the industry, or on racing’s behalf, in local communities showcasing the social responsibility of our sport, for either equine, humans or both.
3. The winner of each of the first four categories will receive a prize of £5,000 with an additional £5,000 also being awarded to the winner’s yard or stud. Two runners-up in each of these categories will win £2,000 each, with the same amount going to their yard or stud.
4. The winner of the Rory MacDonald Award will receive £5,000, with the same going to a charity of their choice. The two runners-up will receive £2,000, with the same going to a charity of their choice.
5. The winner of the David Nicholson Newcomer Award will receive £2,000, with the same amount going to their yard or stud, while two runners-up will receive £1,000 each, with the same amount for their yard. There is an additional prize for the winner of the David Nicholson Newcomer Award, which includes return flights, a five-day educational tour of Dubai together with five nights’ accommodation in a five-star hotel.
6. The Awards will also recognise an Employee of the Year, who will be selected from the winners of the Leadership, Rider/Groom, Stud Staff and Dedication awards. That winner will receive an additional prize of £15,000, with the same amount going to their yard or stud.
