Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Curragh Racing Awards




Racing Ahead: 1. Johnny and Orla Murtagh; 2. Lorraine Dwyer and Tamso Doyle; 3. Maria McGovern and Evan Arkwright. (Pix. Kieran Harnett)



The elite of Ireland's racing industry were out in force at Kildare Village to celebrate the inaugural Curragh Annual Racing Awards 2011. A Tipperary Crystal awards ceremony celebrated the leading training and riding performance at The Curragh Racecourse in 2011. Each month during the seasonmembers of the racing media nominated the leading training and riding performance, with all of the monthly winners gathered to find out who took the overall prize in each category.

Jockey Joseph O’Brien (Roderic O’Connor in the Abu Dhabi Irish 2000 Guineas) and trainer Vincent Ward (Fictional Account winning The Irish Field St Leger Trial Stakes) scooping the top prizes of the overall leading riding and training performances of the year.

Glamorous guests from the racing world gathered in the stylish surroundings of L'Officina restaurant in Kildare Village. In attendance on the night were guests including Tamso Doyle of Horseracing Ireland, Declan Fearon of Tipperary Crystal with his wife Camilla, Curragh Racecourse Chairman Philip Caffrey, leading jockey Johnny Murtagh and his wife Orla and leading trainer Aidan O'Brien with his wife Anne Marie.