ANOTHER 24 students from the Irish National Stud’s Thoroughbred Breeding Management course marked the completion of the six-month programme with a graduation ceremony last Friday week.

The event was hosted by Leo Powell, with family and friends of the graduating class among those in attendance, as well as other respected figures from the thoroughbred industry.

A number of students were recognised for their exceptional performance and contribution over the duration of the course, including:

Ava Banahan (Kildare) – Continuous Assessment Award

Sam Thompson (Australia) – Best Portfolio of Assignments

Raph McCall (UK) – Veterinary Exam Award

Luke O’Neill (Kildare) – Equine Business Award

Peter Leavy (Co. Kildare) received the Jonathan Fitzpatrick Business Internship, commencing in July at the Irish National Stud. Josefina Posada Montoya (Colombia) was awarded the Goffs Internship

Tara Carroll (Meath) was honoured with The Irish Field “Blue Hen” Award for her outstanding article, which is printed on page 23. She received a trophy and a €250 cheque.

The ceremony concluded with the awarding of the highly regarded gold and silver medals, presented annually to the top two performing students. The gold medal was awarded to Luke O’Neill from Kildare and the silver medal went to Chloe de Salvador from France.

Anne Channon, education manager at the Irish National Stud, said: “Our graduates this year have shown an extraordinary commitment to their studies and the thoroughbred breeding industry. We are incredibly proud of their accomplishments and excited to see them contribute to the future of the thoroughbred industry.”