RACING and breeding are not short on awards nights but surely there are none more important than the Godolphin Stud & Stable Staff Awards.

Staged in Kilkenny’s Newpark Hotel on Tuesday evening, the 2017 awards boasted prize money of €80,000 spread across nine winners and the ceremony again highlighted a host of unsung heroes who have shown incredible dedication in their roles.

The big winner on the night was Owen Smyth, head stallion man at Kildangan Stud. Owen first received €5,000 when named winner of the Leads By Example Award. This award is for an individual in a supervisory or managerial role.

Owen was one of seven award winners on the night who were in contention for the Irish Racing Excellence Award and, when special guest Brian Cody revealed that Owen as the winner, the Kildangan Stud employee picked up another €5,000 for himself and a further €5,000 to be shared among his colleagues.

Originally from Crumlin in Dublin city, Owen started in racing in 1982 as a trainee jockey at RACE. He never rode in a race and joined Kildangan in 1988 – almost 30 years ago – as a stud groom. “This means everything to me,” he told MC Richard Forristal, before dedicating his award to his wife Lorraine “and all the husbands and wives out there who let us [stud and stable staff] play with horses every day.”

STANDING OVATION

The full house rose to its feet as Tommy Woods from Paul Nolan’s yard made his way to the stage to accept the Dedication to Racing & Breeding Award.

Now 75, Tommy has been working at Toberona Stables in Enniscorthy for 26 years and still rides out along with his travelling head lad duties. “I’ve worshipped horses all my life,” he said, adding that the Nolans were “the best family I have ever had anything to do with.”

Like Tommy, trainer Jim Bolger does not drink or smoke and his assistant Adrian Taylor was voted winner of the In The Saddle Award. This award is for an individual who has shown exceptional horsemanship and skill in the saddle when breaking horses or riding out.

Adrian is regarded as the most senior horseman at Coolcullen, having started there 33 years ago after arriving from South Africa. “I had only intended staying for three months before going to work for Vincent O’Brien,” he said. “Jim said ‘I’ll tell you when you are ready to go’ and I’m still waiting! Jim has been a huge influence on my life and I don’t think I need to go anywhere else.”

Patrick ‘Whacker’ O’Brien is a very well-known face at the races and was a highly popular winner of the Travelling Head Person Award. Having started as an apprentice with Mick O’Toole, Whacker travelled horses for the late Dessie Hughes for 17 years before joining Dermot Weld’s team 20 years ago. “I learned so much from Dessie and from the late Joe Malone,” he said.

Elaine O’Donovan was a local winner of the Horse Care Award. She is head girl for trainer Eoin Griffin and is typically the first to arrive and the last to leave the yard every day. “The horses come first,” is her motto and she never misses an opportunity to improve her knowledge and pass on the benefits to the yard.

Elaine comes from a non-racing background, as does Catherine McAvinney, winner of the Administration Award. Catherine joined the Anglesey Lodge Equine Hospital on the Curragh after leaving school 37 years ago. Now manager of the practice, she was hired by the late Ned Gowing and has seen the business grown from two veterinary surgeons to a staff of 26. She dedicated her award to Ned, the Anglesey Lodge team and her husband Michael who has facilitated her long hours at work.

The Newcomer Award is confined to those working in the industry for five years or less. This year’s winner was Sarah McCrory who is head girl at Ted Walsh’s stables. Yet another winner who hails from a non-racing background, Sarah’s first taste of thoroughbreds came during her transition year work experience placement in the Walsh yard and she has been a full-time employee since 2014.

The evening began with the Racecourse Award which went to Punchestown based on a survey taken by the Irish Stablestaff Association. The €2,500 prize is to be spent on upgrading facilities for stable staff and the track’s marketing manager Shona Dreaper would welcome suggestions.

Moments later farrier Jim Flanagan supplied what was possibly the best line of the night as he accepted the Racing and Breeding Support Services Award. After more than 40 years shoeing horses for Shona’s father Jim and grandfather Tom, Jim quipped: “It’s a long time since the Dreapers had a double and I didn’t expect it to happen tonight!”

Among the special guests at the awards was Sir Hugh Robertson, Chairman of the British Olympic Association and former British Minister for Sport and the Olympics, responsible for the delivery of London 2012. He spoke on behalf of sponsors Godolphin and reiterated how keen Shiekh Mohammed was on developing the charitable arm of his global racing organisation.

Joe Osborne, managing director of Godolphin Ireland, Brian Kavanagh, CEO of Horse Racing Ireland, and Bernard Caldwell, chairman of the Irish Stablestaff Association, were also present.

Chaired by former HRI marketing director Michael O’Rourke, the judging committee consists of Ray Bergin (Turf Club), Michael Grassick (Irish Racehorse Trainers’ Association), Carol Nolan and Barbara White (HRI), Shane O’Dwyer (Irish Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association), former Excellence Award winners Jim ‘Slim’ O’Neill and Pat O’Donovan, plus Bernard Caldwell, Ger Flynn and Shane Lyons of the Irish Stablestaff Association.

The trophies, by Kilkenny-based sculptor Ani Mollereau, are a contemporary design of a thoroughbred horse representing the spirit of the horse racing industry.

Irish Racing Excellence Award: OWEN SMYTH, Head Stallion Man, Kildangan Stud

Administration Award: CATHERINE McAVINNEY, Practice Manager, Anglesey Lodge Equine Hospital

Runners-up: Tom Gallagher, Stud Office Manager, Kildangan Stud; Zoe Winston, Racing Secretary with Gordon Elliott

Newcomer Award: SARAH McCRORY, Head Girl with Ted Walsh Racing

Runners-up: Mark Byrne, Marketing and Nominations, Ballylinch Stud; Patrick Murray, Stable Groom with Dermot Weld

Horse Care Award: ELAINE O’DONOVAN, Head Girl with Eoin Griffin

Runners-up: Ashley Hussey, Stable Girl with Jessica Harrington; Joe Behan, Groom, Derrinstown Stud

In The Saddle Award: ADRIAN TAYLOR, Assistant Trainer with Jim Bolger

Runners-up: Brendan Hoare, Stud Groom, Coolmore Stud; Derek McCormack, Work Rider/Assistant Head Man at Dermot Weld’s Rathbride Yard

Travelling Head Person Award: PATRICK O’BRIEN, Travelling Head Man for Dermot Weld

Runners-up: Camilla Sharples, Travelling Head Girl with Gordon Elliott; Hazel Wallace, Travelling Head Person with Tracey Collins

Leads by Example Award: OWEN SMYTH, Head Stallion Man, Kildangan Stud

Runners-up: Joseph Mulholland, Head Man at Dermot Weld’s Rathbride Yard; Robert Hennessy, Head Man with Sandra Hughes

Dedication to Racing and Breeding Award: TOMMY WOODS, Travelling Head Lad with Paul Nolan

Runners up: Robert Gallagher, Head Man with Michael Halford; Tony Coyle, Stud Manager, Yeomanstown Lodge

Racing and Breeding Support Services Award: JAMES FLANAGAN, Farrier to Jim Dreaper

Racecourse Award: PUNCHESTOWN