A bumper number of entries have been received for the annual Godolphin Stud and Stable Staff Awards, with over 200 entries being submitted for the 2015 Awards.
Nominations for the Awards, which take place on Monday 23 February 2015 in London, flooded in from yards and studs of all sizes around the country with trainers, stud managers, owners and colleagues eager to recognise the outstanding work and dedication of stud and stable staff employees.
Brough Scott, Chairman of the Judging Panel, said:
“It’s fantastic news that we have received such a high number of nominations. The awards are celebrating their 11th year and the event is now firmly established in the calendar. We thank all the trainers, managers, owners and colleagues who took the time to nominate a member of staff they believe deserves the recognition for the hard work they put in every day of the year.”
The winners and runners-up will be announced at an evening ceremony, hosted by Clare Balding and with guest presenter Ryan Moore at the Jumeirah Carlton Towers hotel.
All the 200-plus nominations have been verified and the 12-strong Judging Panel are now assessing the nominations. This year the panel has been expanded to include last year’s Employee of the Year, Leanne Masterton, along with Peter Scudamore, Dale Gibson, and Mark Bradburne amongst others. A shortlist of 10 names in each category will be announced in the New Year. All nominees will be sent a certificate to acknowledge the recognition they have received.
The Panel increased from six to 12 in order to provide a greater range of backgrounds, experience and locations. Also on the Panel are Chief Executive of the Northern Racing College Dawn Goodfellow, Matt Mancini, Director of The Racing Centre and Sally Aston, Owner and Manager of Goldford Stud. Former trainer Ian Balding plus Dinah Nicholson, whose late husband David has the Newcomer category named in his honour, remain on the panel with George McGrath, Chief Executive of the National Association of Stable Staff, and Judith Allen, Executive Director of the British Horseracing Education and Standards Trust. Brough Scott also continues in his role as Chairman of the Judging Panel
Based on the written applications and phone conversations with the nominees, the 10 shortlisted candidates will be narrowed down to three finalists per category.
The three finalists in each category will then be invited to meet with the judges in London on Monday 23 February when the winners to be decided. The Employee of the Year will be selected from the winners of the Leadership Award; Dedication to Racing Award; Stud Staff Award; and Rider/Groom and will receive £15,000 in prize money, with the same amount awarded to their yard.
Notes to editors:
1. The Awards are generously sponsored by Godolphin and run by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) with support from the Racing Post.
2. The categories are: Leadership Award; Dedication to Racing Award; Stud Staff Award; Rider/Groom Award; Administration Staff Award; and David Nicholson Newcomer Award.
The winner of each of the first five 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 the first four categories will win £2,000 each, with the same amount going to their year or stud. The winner of the Administration Staff Award will receive £5,000, with the same amount going to their yard or stud, and 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.
3. To continue to improve the Awards, this year sees revisions to the judging process. Seven new judges were added to the Panel, including Leanne Masterton, Peter Scudamore, Dale Gibson, Mark Bradburne, Dawn Goodfellow, Matt Mancini and Sally Aston. For further details see: https://www.britishhorseracing.com/press_releases/nominations-open-2015-godolphin-stud-stable-staff-awards/
4. The revised judging panel was announced previously, for details see: https://www.britishhorseracing.com/press_releases/new-judging-panel-announced-2015-godolphin-stud-stable-staff-awards/
