The nominees for the 2020 Horse Racing Ireland Awards have been revealed ahead of what will be a virtual awards ceremony early next month owing to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The four nominees for the point-to-point award this year feature three riders and one handler, with Colin Bowe, last year’s award winner leading the nominees for this year.
The Milestone Stables operator won yet another leading handler’s prize in the pointing fields, whilst his yard’s graduates enjoyed a memorable Cheltenham Festival, with Envoi Allen, Samcro and Ferny Hollow all claiming Grade 1 prizes.
His principal rider Barry O’Neill has twice previously been presented with a HRI Award in 2017 and 2018, and last season he claimed a fourth straight leading rider title.
Fellow Wexford native Rob James is also nominated after recording his first Cheltenham Festival success following the victory of Milan Native for Gordon Elliott in the Kim Muir Chase, in a season which also saw him as the leading rider in the western region.
The final nominee is the recently retired Mark O’Hare who achieved a notable feat last February with a winner at Farmaclaffley ensuring that he rode a winner across four different decades.
There is also point-to-point representation in the National Achievement category with Eugene and Maxine O’Sullivan nominated alongside Patrick Mullins who counted Grade 1 winners Sharjah and Faugheen among his haul as he was crowned champion amateur for a record 12th time; Charles Byrnes who won the Ladbrokes Hurdle at the Dublin Racing Festival for the third year running and Darragh O'Keeffe who set a record of 45 winners when taking the 2019/2020 conditional jockeys’ championship.
The father and daughter team combined to record a memorable victory with It Came To Pass in the Foxhunters at the Cheltenham Festival in March.
Following the announcement of the nominees, Brian Kavanagh, CEO of Horse Racing Ireland, said: “2020 has been a difficult year for so many but racing can be extremely proud of the how the industry has faced up to the challenges presented by the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Despite the challenges of the year, it remains important to honour the many tremendous achievements that show our industry in such a good light, both at home and abroad, and I congratulate all those nominated.”
