THE Aga Khan became the latest recipient of the Contribution to the Industry Award at the annual Horse Racing Ireland Awards in Dublin on Monday evening.
Represented on the night by his daughter Princess Zahra and her daughter Sarah, the Aga Khan has been synonymous with Irish racing and breeding for 60 years. His Irish operation was formerly at Ballymany Stud on the Curragh and is now centred at Gilltown Stud in Kilcullen, where Sea The Stars is at stud.
The list of top-class horses bred and raced by the Aga Khan in Ireland is far too long to include here, but Shergar, Sinndar, Harzand, Alamshar and Timarida immediately spring to mind. In more recent times, the Dermot Weld-trained Tahiyra, Tarnawa and this year’s Epsom Oaks winner Ezeliya have registered important Group 1 success for the Aga Khan.
In addition, the Aga Khan has been a driving force behind the redevelopment of the Curragh. The new grandstand bears his name in recognition of his generosity towards that project.
Accepting the award, Princess Zahra said: “Starting with my great grandfather [over 100 years ago], I believe Ireland has always been the bedrock of our breeding operation. Irish lands, the Irish farms, have always been the most wonderful place to breed horses. And my dad and his predecessors would never, ever think of not being in Ireland.”
After watching video footage of the Aga Khan enjoying some of his greatest days on the track and talking about his love of racing and breeding, Gilltown Stud manager Pat Downes said: “It shows a great commitment to Ireland and the local community. The Aga Khan Studs are a great employer, both directly and indirectly.”
Dermot Weld added: “There is no-one more deserving of this award than His Highness.” Remembering the late Pat Smullen, Weld recalled Harzand’s Epsom Derby success as a very special day and said that courage was the trademark of the Aga Khan breed.
Horse of the Year
Galopin Des Champs is the 2024 Horse Of The Year after landing back-to-back success in the Cheltenham Gold Cup for owner Audrey Turley, trainer Willie Mullins and jockey Paul Townend. Ahead of his Cheltenham Festival win, Galopin Des Champs had taken the Grade 1 Savills Chase at the Leopardstown Christmas Festival before winning the Grade 1 Paddy Power Gold Cup for a second time at the Dublin Racing Festival in February.
Champion trainer at home for the 18th time, Willie Mullins became the first Irish-based trainer to land the British National Hunt title in 70 years at the conclusion of the 2023/’24 season and he won the National Hunt Award. Willie broke through the 100-winner mark at the Cheltenham Festival when saddling nine winners, including Gold Cup hero Galopin Des Champs and Champion Hurdle winner State Man and ended the British season on a real high with success for I Am Maximus in the Aintree Grand National, Macdermott in the Scottish Grand National and Minella Cocooner in the bet365 Gold Cup at Sandown.
The National Hunt Achievement Award went to Tom Gibney, who was back in the big time when winning the BoyleSports Irish Grand National with Intense Raffles at Fairyhouse on Easter Monday. It was the trainer’s second success in the race after Lion Na Bearnai’s win in 2012. Intense Raffles remained unbeaten in three starts for Gibney last season and remarkably each of the wins came at the Co Meath venue.
Fairyhouse Racecourse was chosen as the 2024 Racecourse of the Year based on a public vote, votes from each of the 26 racecourses, and a select Horse Racing Ireland committee with a focus on sustainability. Almost 10,000 racegoers and racing fans voted in the online poll and their contribution equated to 50% of the total votes, with 25% allotted to both racecourses and the committee, who judged each racecourse on its sustainability awareness.
AHEAD of Sunday’s international raceday in Hong Kong, trainer Aidan O’Brien took the Flat Award.
With City Of Troy and Kyprios among his star performers, Aidan was crowned champion trainer in Ireland for the 27th time and was celebrated as the champion trainer in Britain for the seventh time in his most remarkable career. City Of Troy gave him a record extending 10th success in the Epsom Derby and Auguste Rodin became his 400th Group 1 or Grade 1 winner with his victory at Royal Ascot. A juvenile double saw Aidan emerge as the joint-winning most trainer at the Breeders’ Cup with 20 winners.
The Flat Achievement Award went the way of Gerry Keane, who has certainly found his horse of a lifetime in the shape of Crystal Black. Unbeaten in his last five starts, the Wear A Pink Ribbon Syndicate-owned six-year-old surely gave the Trim trainer his best day in racing, when winning the Duke Of Edinburgh Stakes at Royal Ascot in June with his son Colin in the saddle. Subsequently, Group 3 success came his way in the Ballyroan Stakes at Leopardstown in August, a win that saw Crystal Black emerge as a leading contender for the Melbourne Cup, only for injury to rule out a trip Down Under.
A public vote alone determined the winner of the Ride of the Year and the award went to J.J. Slevin for his effort on Nurburgring in the Guinness Galway Hurdle. Davy Russell and Fran Berry nominated six rides and Slevin came out on top in an online poll of over 4,200 votes.
Recently crowned champion apprentice, James Ryan was a fitting winner of the Emerging Talent Award. Ryan enjoyed a fine season and his tally of 33 winners included a first group race success, which came on the Danny Murphy-trained Ostraka at Dundalk in late October. James scored notable wins elsewhere, as he landed the Apprentice Derby at the Curragh on Irish Derby Weekend and figured among the winners at the Galway Festival. The progressive Keke was another useful sprinter that the Oldtown, Co Dublin native was associated with during the year.
Co Fermanagh-based David Christie was the winner of the Point-to-Point Award. David, once again, proved himself a master at campaigning horses within the open division, as he won no fewer than 19 races in the category throughout the 2023/24 season. Stable star Winged Leader supplied nine of those victories, which were all recorded in a winning run that stretched from Farmacaffley in February to Taylorstown in May, a run that secured Winged Leader the champion point-to-point horse crown, becoming the third different horse that his Fermanagh-based handler has secured that title with in the past five seasons.
Award Winners
Contribution to the Industry: His Highness the Aga Khan
Horse of the Year: Galopin Des Champs
Emerging Talent Award: James Ryan
National Hunt Award: Willie Mullins
National Hunt Achievement Award: Tom Gibney
Point-to-Point Award: David Christie
Flat Award: Aidan O’Brien
Flat Achievement Award: Gerry Keane
Racecourse of the Year: Fairyhouse
Ride of the Year Award: J.J. Slevin