Nominees announced for HRI awards

The nominees for the 2009 Horse Racing Ireland Awards have been announced with Sea The Stars topping the list of nominees for the 2009 Horse of the Year Award.

Also nominated along with Jim Bolger's multiple Group 1 winner are Mastercraftsman, Rip Van Winkle and Yeats, while unbeaten hurdler Mikael D'Haguenet and leading chaser Notre Pere complete the list of contenders.

In the National Hunt sphere, the main talking point of 2009 was the unstoppable team of Willie Mullins and Ruby Walsh. At the conclusion of another highly successful season, Willie Mullins enjoyed a sensational Punchestown Festival with an unprecedented twelve winners and overall he earned twice as much prize money as his nearest rival in taking his fourth National Hunt Champion Trainers' Title.

Ruby Walsh had ten winners at Punchestown, following on from his record haul of seven at the Cheltenham Festival. He finished the season with 122 wins, 40 clear of his nearest opponent Davy Russell and so wrapped up his seventh Champion Jockeys' Title and his fifth in a row.

Brian Kavanagh, Chief Executive of Horse Racing Ireland, said:

'Irish horses, trainers and jockeys once again achieved tremendous results in 2009, triumphing in many of the major races on both the domestic and international fronts, thereby re-enforcing Ireland's pre-eminent position in the thoroughbred racing and breeding world.

We look forward to honouring the winners of the 2009 Horse Racing Ireland Awards, which will be announced at a reception to be held in the Leopardstown Pavilion on Monday 14 December.'

The list of nominees for the awards are as follows:-

Horse of the Year: Mastercraftsman, Mikael D'Haguenet, Notre Pere, Rip Van Winkle, Sea The Stars, Yeats

National Hunt: Jim Dreaper, Barry Geraghty, Willie Mullins, Ruby Walsh

Flat: Michael Kinane, Johnny Murtagh, Aidan O' Brien, John Oxx

Point-To-Point: Derek O' Connor, Robert Tyner, MJ (Mikey) O' Connor, Jamie Codd

Outstanding Achievement: Gary Carroll, Colm McBratney, Patrick Mullins, Kevin Prendergast, Paul Townend, David Wachman