HRI AWARDS

Leading owner JP McManus and the recently retired Kevin Manning were among those honoured at the annual Horse Racing Ireland Awards 2022 last December. 

Winner of the Contribution to the Industry Award, JP McManus is a 19-time champion National Hunt owner in Ireland. He has been associated with many of the top jumps’ horses for over 40 years, enjoying well in excess of 4,000 winners, a list that includes Mister Donavan, Jack Of Trumps and Deep Gale, big early winners in the famous green and gold hoops. The legendary Istabraq was a three-time winner of the Champion Hurdle, a race JP McManus also won on five other occasions, while the Cheltenham Gold Cup went his way with Synchronised and there was Aintree Grand National glory with Don’t Push It and Minella Times.

Kevin Manning brought the curtain down on a truly terrific career that spanned 40 years with a farewell winner for his great ally Jim Bolger at Galway in October and he wins the Irish Racing Hero Award. Kevin was champion apprentice in 1984 and again in 1987 and his career would yield 36 Group 1 winners that included Epsom Derby success on New Approach in 2008. Kevin also won the Irish Derby on Trading Leather and enjoyed multiple Classic success along with a famous win in the 2004 Hong Kong Cup on Alexander Goldrun.  

The Kenny Alexander-owned Honeysuckle was crowned Horse of the Year for the second consecutive year. She extended her winning run to 16 races as she remained unbeaten for a fourth season, adding the Hatton’s Grace Hurdle for a third time, winning both the Irish Champion Hurdle and the Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival for a second time before thrilling a record crowd of over 40,000 on the penultimate day of the Punchestown festival with a repeat success in the Champion Hurdle at Punchestown.

From Ballyclare, County Antrim, Sam Ewing was the winner of the Emerging Talent Award. Starting out as an apprentice on the Flat, Sam has established himself as a dual-purpose jockey, notably with no claim as a springboard for his career in the National Hunt sphere. What did help was a rather unique weekend treble in early October as he rode a Friday night winner on the all-weather at Dundalk before partnering the veteran Peregrine Run to win a valuable handicap chase at Chepstow the following afternoon and taking the Welsh Champion Hurdle on Effernock Fizz at Ffos Las 24 hours later.

The National Hunt Award went to Henry de Bromhead. He again took the Cheltenham Festival by storm becoming the first trainer to complete back-to-back Champion Hurdle and Gold Cup doubles since Hatton’s Grace and Cottage Rake won for Vincent O'Brien in 1949 and 1950. Honeysuckle was the Champion Hurdle heroine while A Plus Tard gave De Bromhead his second successive Cheltenham Gold Cup win and a second successive 1-2 in the race when beating his 2021 winner Minella Indo to the line in March.  

John ‘Shark’ Hanlon was the winner of the National Hunt Achievement Award. He scored a notable hat-trick of wins with his new stable star Hewick, the TJ McDonald-owned seven-year-old had Jordan Gainford in the saddle when landing the historic bet365 Gold Cup Handicap Chase at Sandown in April, adding the Tote Galway Plate in July and rounding off 2022 with a famous win in the American Grand National Hurdle Stakes at Far Hills in October.

Liz Lalor took the Point-To-Point Award having created history at Comea in February when she rode Read To Return to victory, the 110th winner of her career in the pointing fields, to break Helen Bryce-Smith’s long-standing record to become the winning-most female rider in point-to-point history. Liz, a nine-time ladies’ champion rider, ended the season with her career total of 114 winners.

Billy Lee won the Flat Award. He enjoyed a terrific season, pushing Colin Keane all the way in the jockeys’ championship. His season’s tally was easily the best of his career and included Group 1 wins on the Paddy Twomey-trained La Petite Coco and Pearls Galore. Rosscarbery, Rumbles Of Thunder, Treasure Trove and Teresa Mendoza were also notable winners for the Ballingarry, County Limerick jockey.  

Dual champion apprentice Dylan Browne McMonagle was crowned the Flat Achievement Award winner. The Letterkenny jockey certainly had another terrific year and he retained his champion apprentice title with a final tally of 49 winners. He hit the big time in 2022 with a breakthrough Group 1 success on the Joseph O'Brien-trained Al Riffa in the Goffs Vincent O'Brien National Stakes at the Curragh on Longines Irish Champions Weekend and also scored notable success in France, winning a Group 2 on Brostaigh and a Group 3 on Tranquil Lady.

For his last-gasp success on Waterville in the Friends Of The Curragh Irish Cesarewitch, Wayne Lordan landed the 2022 Ride of the Year Award. Davy Russell and Fran Berry were tasked with nominating six rides to be put to a public vote and Wayne’s winning effort saw him top the poll.

2022 Winner - Honeysuckle

The Kenny Alexander-owned Honeysuckle was crowned Horse of the Year for the second consecutive year. She extended her winning run to 16 races as she remained unbeaten for a fourth season, adding the Hatton’s Grace Hurdle for a third time, winning both the Irish Champion Hurdle and the Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival for a second time before thrilling a record crowd of over 40,000 on the penultimate day of the Punchestown festival with a repeat success in the Champion Hurdle at Punchestown.

2019 Winner - Jessica Harrington

In a wonderful season, Jessica posted her best tally of winners highlighted by the remarkable success of her juvenile fillies. The exciting Albigna landed the Group 2 Airlie Stud Stakes at the Curragh on Derby weekend before winning the prestigious Group 1 Prix Marcel Boussac at Longchamp on Arc day. There was also top-level success for the stable when Millisle won the Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes at Newmarket. 

2019 Winner - Wayne Lordan

The Cork man had a terrific time of things in 2019, beginning the season with success on the Aidan O'Brien-trained Hermosa in the 1,000 Guineas at Newmarket and rounding off the year with a first Breeders’ Cup win on Iridessa, adding to their wins in the Pretty Polly Stakes at the Curragh and the Coolmore Fastnet Rock Matron Stakes at Leopardstown on Longines Irish Champions Weekend. 

2019 Winner- Rachael Blackmore

Rachael has cemented her position as one of the leading jockeys in the country with a second-place finish in last season’s jockeys’ championship and a string of big race victories throughout the season. She rode her first winners at the Cheltenham Festival in March on A Plus Tard and Minella Indo. Rachael brought that form to the Fairyhouse and Punchestown festivals where she was a Grade 1 winner on Honeysuckle and Minella Indo and landed the Kerry National at Listowel on Poker Party. 

Gavin continues to go from strength to strength and enjoyed a terrific 12 months with the undoubted highlight being by his first winner at the Cheltenham Festival in March with Espoir D’Allen which recorded a record breaking 15-length success in the Champion Hurdle. Domestically, Gavin enjoyed his best season in 2018/2019 with 33 winners, a tally he already surpassed in the current term.

Retired jockeys Pat Smullen and Ruby Walsh were joint recipients of the Irish Racing Hero Award at the Horse Racing Ireland Awards. The two champion jockeys, who retired within days of each other in May this year, were honoured with the award on the night.

2018 Winner - Barry O' Neill

The Point-to-Point Award goes to County Wexford for the second year running as Barry O’Neill adds to his 2017 success.  The 2017/18 season saw Barry defend the national riders’ title thanks to a total of 59 winners on 53 different horses with an impressive strike rate of 22%. Barry rode four trebles at Oldcastle, Monksgrange, Loughrea and Borris House which helped him not only retain his eastern rider’s title but also claim a first title in the northern region. On the track, O’Neill teamed up with point-to-point recruit Commander Of Fleet to win the Goffs Land Rover Bumper at the Punchestown Festival.

2022 Winner - JP McManus

JP McManus is a 19-time champion National Hunt owner in Ireland. He has been associated with many of the top jumps’ horses for over 40 years, enjoying well in excess of 4,000 winners, a list that includes Mister Donavan, Jack Of Trumps and Deep Gale, big early winners in the famous green and gold hoops. The legendary Istabraq was a three-time winner of the Champion Hurdle, a race JP McManus also won on five other occasions, while the Cheltenham Gold Cup went his way with Synchronised and there was Aintree Grand National glory with Don’t Push It and Minella Times.