Brave Inca, winner of the Smurfit Kappa Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, became the first recipient of the Anglo-Irish Horse of the Year Award at a new joint awards ceremony held by the British Horseracing Board and the Irish Turf Club in central London today.
The Anglo-Irish Jump Racing Awards were based on and coincided with the publication of the Anglo-Irish National Hunt Classifications. Brave Inca was also recognised as Champion Two-Mile Hurdler, while War Of Attrition was named as Champion Three-Mile Chaser, after wins in the totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup and the Punchestown Guinness Gold Cup.
Leading owners, trainers, jockeys, industry figures and media from Britain and Ireland formed a specially invited audience of over 230 at the Awards, which were presented by BHB Chairman Martin Broughton and Senior Steward of the Irish National Hunt Steeplechase Committee William Flood.
BHB also awarded trophies to the leading British conditional jockey, jockey, trainer and owner in the 2005/06 season.
The full list of Award winners was as follows:
Champion Novice Hurdler – Black Jack Ketchum
Champion Novice Chaser – Foreman
Champion Two-Mile Hurdler – Brave Inca
Champion Two-Mile Chaser – Newmill
Champion Two-and-a-Half-Mile + Hurdler – Mighty Man
Champion Two-and-a-Half-Mile Chaser – Hi Cloy
Champion Three-Mile Chaser – War Of Attrition
British Champion Conditional – Keith Mercer
British Champion Jockey – A P McCoy
British Champion Trainer – Paul Nicholls
British Champion Owner – J P McManus
Horse of the Year – Brave Inca
Formal presentations of the season’s Order of Merit also took place at the Awards. John Webb, owner of Overall Winner and Top Hurdler Royal Shakespeare received a cheque for £250,000 from Andrea and Graham Wylie, owners of last year’s inaugural winner Inglis Drever. The Top Chaser prize was collected by Philip Hobbs on behalf of Monkerhostin’s owner Martin St Quinton. 75% of the prize money goes to the owner, 12.5% to the trainer and the remaining 12.5% to the stable team of each horse.
BHB Marketing Director Chris John said: “It has been a positive step forward to jointly host the Anglo-Irish Jump Racing Awards with the Turf Club and through doing so it allows us to recognise the leading figures across the whole of National Hunt racing. In Brave Inca we have a worthy Horse of the Year. The connection between the horse and his jockey, A P McCoy, is as great an illustration of the determination of two champions as you are ever likely to see.”
INHS Committee Senior Steward William Flood said: “The Stewards of the Irish National Hunt Steeplechase Committee at the Turf Club are really pleased to be involved in such a prestigious event as the Anglo Irish Jump Racing Awards and look forward to building an even stronger relationship between the BHB and the INHS Committee in the future, which can only result in a strengthening of ties between the two countries in the wonderful sport that is National Hunt Racing.”
