THIS year’s Curragh Racing Awards are coming up fast on Tuesday, October 17th and for the first time they will include two categories to be voted on by the public.

These categories include the leading training performance and leading riding performance with five nominees in each category. The nominees for the trainers are: Gordon Elliott for Group 2 winner and twice Group 1 runner-up Beckford, Aidan O’Brien for winning four out of five Irish classics, Joe Murphy for three-time Curragh winner Silverkode and stakes winner Only Mine, Denis Hogan for two-time Curragh Premier Handicap winner Tithonus and John Gosden for superstar Enable winner of the Darley Irish Oaks.

The riding performances are: Seamie Heffernan for Capri in the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby, Kevin Manning for Clongowes in the Silken Thomas & Locke 13 Handicap, Donnacha O’Brien for Happily in the Moyglare Stud Stakes, Pat Smullen for Shamreen in the Moyglare ‘Jewels’ Blandford Stakes and Chris Hayes for My Silver Nails in the Paddy Power Onside App Nursery.

Voting can be done online via the link http://bit.ly/CurraghVote and closes on Friday, October 13th. Contact Kate O’Sullivan kosullivan@curragh.ie or 045 441205.