THE nominees for the 2025 HRI Awards have been revealed, with 44 nominees in seven of the 10 awards categories.
In an open-looking Horse of the Year category, reigning champion Galopin Des Champs is up against Cheltenham Gold Cup hero Inothewayurthinkin and dual Champion Chase winner Marine Nationale, while Minnie Hauk, Delacroix and Ethical Diamond bring the very best flat form to the reckoning.
The Flat Award will be decided between champion trainer Aidan O’Brien, champion jockey Dylan Browne-McMonagle with trainers Joseph O’Brien, Johnny Murtagh, Paddy Twomey and multiple champion jockey Colin Keane listed.
The Flat Achievement Award features trainer Joseph Murphy for winning the Group 1 Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot; trainer Adrian Murray is recognised for a steady flow of Pattern victories, while Epsom Derby winner Wayne Lordan and Ronan Whelan have recorded multiple Group 1 successes apiece.
The Breeders’ Cup in California revealed the final candidates - Donnacha O’Brien who saddled Balantina to land the Juvenile Fillies Turf and the unforgettable heist by Ethical Diamond for trainer Willie Mullins in the Breeders’ Cup Turf.
The National Hunt Award will rest between champion Trainer Willie Mullins, Gavin Cromwell, Barry Connell and Gordon Elliott from the training ranks while champion Jockey Paul Townend is also nominated alongside his weighroom colleagues Mark Walsh and Sam Ewing.
The nominees for the National Hunt Achievement Award are Cian Collins (for Jazzy Matty’s win at Cheltenham in March), while that horse’s rider, Danny Gilligan, is also shortlisted for other feature victories.
Gaining due recognition is Patrick Mullins, who rode into the history books aboard Nick Rockett in the Aintree Grand National.
Completing the list are Eoin McCarthy for winning six races at Listowel’s Harvest Festival, Keith Donoghue for his brilliant ride on Gavin Cromwell’s Stumptown in the Velka Paradubicka, and Tiernan Power Roche, who ended 2024/’25 as champion conditional rider.
The Emerging Talent Award sees champion apprentice on the flat Wayne Hassett joined by his closest pursuers for that title, Robert Whearty and Jack Cleary.
Arguably the brightest new riding talent seen in 2025, Nicola Burns, is also in contention. Just over a year since being granted his training licence, Stephen Thorne takes his place alongside NH handler Ian Donoghue with rider David Doyle also saluted for making a successful transition from the points sphere to NH rules.
The Point-To-Point Award itself features last year’s winner David Christie against the current champion rider, Barry O’Neill, who was recipient of this award in 2023. Sam Curling, Pat Doyle, Richie O’Keeffe and Champion Trainer Colin Bowe are also in the running.
Racegoers and racing fans will be asked to help select the winners of the Racecourse of the Year Award and the Ride of the Year Award, and the nominees for those will be announced in the coming weeks.
The winners of the awards in the categories of National Hunt, National Hunt Achievement, Flat, Flat Achievement, Point-to-Point, Emerging Talent and Horse of the Year will be decided by a ballot of the HRI Awards committee, made up of members of the various sections of the Irish racing media and announced at a ceremony in Dublin on December 8th.
2025 HRI AWARDS NOMINEES
Horse of the Year Award
Delacroix
Ethical Diamond
Galopin Des Champs
Inothewayurthinkin
Marine Nationale
Minnie Hauk
Flat Award
Dylan Browne McMonagle
Colin Keane
Johnny Murtagh
Aidan O’Brien
Joseph O’Brien
Paddy Twomey
Flat Achievement Award
Wayne Lordan
Willie Mullins
Joseph Murray
Adrian Murray
Donnacha O’Brien
Ronan Whelan
National Hunt Award
Barry Connell
Gavin Cromwell
Gordon Elliott
Sam Ewing
Willie Mullins
Paul Townend
Mark Walsh
National Hunt Achievement Award
Cian Collins
Keith Donoghue
Danny Gilligan
Eoin McCarthy
Patrick Mullins
Tiernan Power Roche
Emerging Talent Award
Nicola Burns
Jack Cleary
Ian Donoghue
David Doyle
Wayne Hassett
Stephen Thorne
Robert Whearty
Point-to-Point Award
Colin Bowe
David Christie
Sam Curling
Pat Doyle
Richie O’Keeffe
Barry O’Neill