Nominees for 2008 HRI Awards The nominees for the 2008 Horse Racing Ireland Awards were announced today (Tuesday 4th November). This is the sixth year of the awards which are voted on by the Irish Racing Media to recognise excellence in the sport of horse racing. The winners will be announced at a reception in the Shelbourne Hotel on Monday 8th December. 2008 was a remarkable season for Irish Flat racing, with Irish horses winning 29 of the 44 Group 1 races in Britain and Ireland, this is reflected in the Horse of the Year category where all the nominees emanate from the Flat and are multiple Group 1 winners. Irish trainers and jockeys continued to excel at all levels, with Aidan O'Brien becoming champion trainer in both Britain and Ireland, recording 22 Group 1's to date internationally. Jim Bolger has also been a dominant force on both the domestic and international Group 1 scene, recording 7 victories at the highest level, while David Wachman also made a notable impact at Group 1 level, with three 2yo triumphs. On the jockey front, Johnny Murtagh and his Ballydoyle understudy Seamie Heffernan enjoyed career-best seasons on the back of the astounding success of Aidan O'Brien, while Kevin Manning also enjoyed many top-level successes including the Epsom Derby. In the National Hunt sphere, trainer Willie Mullins was on fire at the end of season Punchestown Festival, with eight winners bringing his seasonal total to 111. The ?2.23 million prize money he earned was enough to give him a third Champion Trainers' Championship while for the sixth time, Ruby Walsh was crowned Champion National Hunt Jockey with 131 winners to Davy Russell's gallant 125. The list of nominees for the awards are as follows:- Horse of the Year Duke of Marmalade, Halfway to Heaven, Henrythenavigator, Lush Lashes, New Approach, Yeats National Hunt Willie Mullins, Ruby Walsh, Davy Russell, John Queally, Barry Geraghty Flat Jim Bolger, Kevin Manning, Johnny Murtagh, Aidan O'Brien, Seamus Heffernan Outstanding Achievement Ger Lyons, Patrick Mullins, Paddy Flood, David Wachman, Henry De Bromhead Point-To-Point Derek O'Connor, Clare McMahon, JT McNamara, Eugene O'Sullivan Contribution to the Industry A special award which will be announced on the day of the awards (previous winners were Tony Sweeney, Galway Race Committee, Con Collins & Kevin Prendergast). Brian Kavanagh, Chief Executive of Horse Racing Ireland said: - "2008 was another very successful year for Irish racing, both over the jumps and particularly on the flat and I would like to congratulate each of the nominees for the HRI awards. These awards have rapidly become a highlight of the racing year, giving due recognition to the wealth of talent we have in the Irish horse racing industry. Special thanks are due to the Irish racing media who have diligently recorded and publicised the achievements of our heroes of the turf."
