Over 150 trainers and stud farms have nominated employees for the £50,000 Stable Staff of the Year Awards, which will for the first time give official recognition to the endeavours of a key workforce within British Racing.
Nominations have been received for just under 250 individuals in the five different categories in the Awards, which are sponsored by Godolphin and run by the British Horseracing Board in association with the Racing Post. One overall winner at the Awards lunch in central London on 5th April will be presented with a cheque for £10,000, with the same amount also going to his or her yard.
The individual category winners, from which the overall winner will be chosen, will each receive £2,500, with their yards collecting £1,000, and two runners-up in each category will be awarded £1,000. The number of nominations in each category is as follows:
Newcomer – 28
Senior Staff – 92
Rider/Groom – 53
Stud Staff – 27
Special Merit/Hero – 46
The respective judge of each category will assess the submissions, and award marks according to the quality of the nominator’s and the nominee’s answers to the two questions which were included on the Nomination Form. . A longlist of ten in each category will then be announced in the first week of March, after which three shortlisted candidates will be interviewed at BHB’s offices in London. All shortlisted candidates will be invited to the Awards lunch, to join a specially invited audience of senior industry figures and the media.
The judge in each category will be as follows:
Newcomer – Gill Lovell, Executive Director, British Horseracing Education and
Standards Trust
Senior Staff – David Nicholson, BHB Bloodstock Representative
Rider/Groom – John Francome, Channel 4 Racing broadcaster
Stud Staff – Stephen Hadley, Showjumper
Special Merit/Hero – Dr Peter Webbon, Jockey Club Director of Veterinary Science and Welfare
BHB Chief Executive Greg Nichols said: “The resounding response to the Awards exemplifies the regard with which trainers and stud farms hold their staff. The quality and quantity of the entry, as expected, has been extremely high, and the judging process will be particularly difficult. I look forward to the Awards in April, which will be a celebration of a dedicated and deserving workforce.”
