THE Curragh Racecourse, in association with the Irish Master Farriers’ Association (IMFA) and Worshipful Company of Farriers (WCF), will present the inaugural Best Shod Horse Award at the track next Tuesday, October 20th.

The award will be judged by a representative of the IMFA and Robin May of the Worshipful Company of Farriers.

The judges will examine each horse in the Amateur Riders Derby, taking into consideration the condition of the feet, the making (or preparation) and fitting of the shoes and the nailing and the position of clips.

The horse judged to be best shod will be awarded a rosette and an inscribed card. A brass plaque will be presented to the winning owner and a further brass plaque to the farrier responsible. This will be the first time an award has been presented at a race meeting in Ireland, although Best Shod Horse Awards are currently presented at Ascot, Aintree and Sandown.

Opportunity

Joe Osborne, chairman of Farriery Ireland said: “This award is an opportunity to highlight to racegoers the quality work of farriers practicing this ancient trade in Ireland. The shoeing of racehorses is a highly specialised skill and our industry is blessed to have talented farriers to provide that work.”

The Curragh’s racing and sponsorship manager Evan Arkwright added: “We are delighted to have the opportunity to acknowledge the hard work, dedication and skill of our farriers, who play such an important role in our industry. It is a pleasure to collaborate with both the Irish Master Farriers’ Association and the Worshipful Company of Farriers and we look forward to further extending the awards to other race days in the future.”