2024 HRI Award Winners:



Contribution to the Industry: HH The Aga Khan

Horse of the Year: Galopin Des Champs

Emerging Talent: James Ryan

National Hunt Award: Willie Mullins

National Hunt Achievement: Tom Gibney

Point-to-Point Award: David Christie

Flat Award: Aidan O'Brien

Flat Achievement Award: Gerry Keane

Ride of the Year winner: JJ Slevin

Racecourse of the Year: Fairyhouse

Champion trainers Aidan O'Brien and Willie Mullins, and champion apprentice jockey James Ryan, were also among those honoured. 

Announcing His Highness the Aga Khan as the recipient of the Horse Racing Ireland Contribution to the Industry Award, HRI Chairman Nicky Hartery, said: “With these awards, we celebrate something more profound than achievements and investments. His Highness the Aga Khan is not just a valued partner of the Irish racing community; he is one of us. We feel that he is part of the very fabric of our industry, and we have claimed him as one of our own.

“We are forever grateful for all His Highness has done for Irish horse racing. His vision, dedication, and generosity has enriched our sport and strengthened our community in ways that will endure for generations.”

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.

Recently crowned champion apprentice, James Ryan was a fitting winner of the Emerging Talent Award. James 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, County Dublin native was associated with during the year.

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 2023/2024 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 County Meath venue.

County 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.

On the back of another fine year, 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 tenth 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 Xin Gin 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.  

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. 

A public vote alone determined the winner of the Ride of the Year and the award went to JJ Slevin for his effort on Nurburgring in the Guinness Galway Hurdle. Davy Russell and Fran Berry nominated six rides and JJ came out on top in an online poll of over 4,200 votes. 

Suzanne Eade, Chief Executive of Horse Racing Ireland, said: “It was an honour to celebrate Irish racing and breeding this evening and give due recognition to those who make our industry the incredible success it is. We owe His Highness the Aga Khan so much and I hope that tonight’s recognition goes some way towards acknowledging his immense contribution, wonderful generosity and an unwavering support of our industry.”

The 10 winners at the 22nd Horse Racing Ireland Awards were:

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: JJ Slevin

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.

Jessica Harrington received award in 2019

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. 

Wayne Lordan wins the Pretty Polly Stakes in 2019

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. 

Rachael Blackmore receives award in 2019

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.

Gavin Cromwell smiles with winning award
Pat Smullen and Ruby Walsh smile together for camera

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.

Barry O'Neill receives HRI award

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.