Horse racing awards
TWENTY-EIGHT Irish trainers, jockeys and horses have been nominated for the six prestigious 2017 Horse Racing Ireland Awards, with Wexford well represented, particularly dominating the point-to-point category with four of the five nominees.
Those in the running are reigning champion jockey Barry O’Neill (Kiltealy); Jamie Codd, beaten by one by O’Neill in an epic title battle, Cheltenham double winner and second in the Grand National; trainers Colin Bowe, reigning champion from Kiltealy, and Denis Murphy, Ballyboy, The Ballagh, who had success on the course and in the sales ring. Ladies champion, Liz Lalor, is the only non-Wexford nominee.
Of course, trainer Aidan O’Brien is nominated in the flat racing category and must be a shoo-in after breaking the world record for Group 1 winners in a year with 27, including eight of the ten classics in Britain and Ireland, and he took his 20th Irish champion trainer’s title.
His son, Joseph, is in the running for the Outstanding Achievement Award after his sensational win in the Melbourne Cup. This is voted on by the racing media and the public through the site www. goracing.ie, opening on November 14.
The winners will be named at Leopardstown Racecourse on Tuesday, December 5.