The 2016 Champion Jump Jockey, Richard Johnson will partner ITV Racing’s Ed Chamberlin to present the awards for the six categories at the Godolphin Stud and Stable Awards 2017, taking place at the Jumeirah Carlton Tower Hotel in Knightsbridge on Monday 20 February 2017.
We are also delighted to announce that Freddy Tylicki will join us as special guest presenter and present the most prestigious award of the evening, the Employee of the Year 2017. This award will be selected from the winners of the first four categories and announced at the ceremony. The Employee of the Year will receive an additional £15,000, with the same amount will be awarded to their yard or stud.
Richard Johnson, who was runner up sixteen times behind Sir AP McCoy, was crowned Champion Jump Jockey last season and will join presenter Ed Chamberlin on stage in front of an audience that will include the finalists, their colleagues and family together with leading industry representatives, politicians and media guests.
Richard Johnson said:
“Being champion jockey is the thing I’ve always wanted to do since I was a child. It’s great to have achieved that goal, but I couldn’t have done it without all the many people who care for and prepare horses for racing. I am therefore honoured to present the Godolphin Stud and Stable Staff Awards. It is fantastic to reward and recognise all the hard work that stud and stable staff put in, mostly behind the scenes, without which no jockey could do their job. Everyone working in racing is there for the love of the horse and the level of care that racing’s staff give to their horses is unsurpassed.”
Freddy Tylicki, was born in Germany where his Polish-born father Andrzey Tylicki was three times champion jockey. Freddy started his racing career in Ireland spending three years working for Jim Bolger. He later moved to Britain and was crowned Champion Apprentice in 2009, when he also won the Lester Award for Apprentice Jockey of the Year. He won his first Group One in Deauville last August aboard Speedy Boarding. He won another Group One on Arc day and sadly later that month he had a career ending fall at Kempton Park. Freddy was paralysed from the waist down and since then has been undergoing a programme of rehabilitation at the Stanmore Spinal Injuries Unit with the support of the IJF.
“I am honoured and delighted to be the special guest presenter at the Godolphin Stud and Stable Staff Awards. It is so important to reward and recognise the hard work of the stud and stable staff and I am delighted to be part of the evening’s celebration.”
On the night the winners will be announced in the categories of Leadership, Rider Groom, Stud Staff, Dedication to Racing, David Nicholson Newcomer Award and Rory MacDonald Community Award. The judges will narrow down the shortlist of three finalists and decide on one winner during an interview process on the morning of the Awards. After the judging morning, finalists will be taken to Westminster to have lunch at the Houses of Parliament before the evening ceremony.
Speaking about the Awards, presenter, Ed Chamberlin said:
“These Awards showcase the outstanding dedication, expertise and workmanship of those individuals who are at the heart of racing. These are the people who are closest to the horses, who look after them on a daily basis and get to know each horse’s individual traits and quirks. These Awards are an opportunity for racing to recognise and applaud stud and stable staff and I’m delighted to present the awards for the first time this year and to be joined by two racing heroes in Richard Johnson and Freddy Tylicki.”
Notes to editors:
1. The Awards are generously sponsored by Godolphin and run by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) in association with the Racing Post.
2. The categories are: Leadership Award, Dedication Award, Rider/Groom Award, Stud Staff Award, Rory MacDonald Community Award, David Nicholson Newcomer Award.
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 Community 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. The winner of this award will also receive an additional prize of a 5 day Educational trip to Dubai. Return flights and accommodation in a 5* hotel included.
6. The Awards will also recognise an Employee of the Year, who will be selected from the winners of the first four categories. That winner will receive an additional prize of £15,000, with the same amount going to their yard or stud.
7. Last year saw the launch of the ‘Rory MacDonald Community Award’, which will acknowledge those who support stud and stable staff or have made an outstanding contribution to benefit the wider racing community. The Awards provide an opportunity for the racing industry to highlight and thank the hard work put in by stud and stable staff across the country, and this award in particular acknowledges people who have had a positive impact on their community.
