Anglo-Irish Jump Racing Awards to Celebrate the Sport’s Champions


The British Horseracing Board is joining forces with the Irish Turf Club to honour the leading performers in Jump Racing at a new joint awards ceremony in central London on 23rd May.

The Anglo-Irish Jump Racing Awards 2006 will be based on and coincide with the publication of the Anglo-Irish National Hunt Classifications, and officially recognise the stars of the 2005/06 season.  Each equine award will be won by the highest-rated horse in the respective Classification category.

The Horse of the Year Award will be judged by a panel of representatives from both BHB and the Turf Club, and be awarded to the horse that, while achieving an outstanding level of racecourse achievement, did the most to raise the profile of Jump Racing over the season.  The awards will be presented by BHB Chairman Martin Broughton and the Senior Steward of the Irish National Hunt Steeplechase Committee William Flood.

The categories will be as follows:

•    Champion Novice Hurdler
•    Champion Novice Chaser
•    Champion Two-Mile Hurdler
•    Champion Two-Mile Chaser
•    Champion Two-and-a-Half Mile + Hurdler
•    Champion Two-and-a-Half Mile Chaser
•    Champion Three-Mile Chaser    
•    Horse of the Year

The ceremony will be preceded by the formal presentation of the Top Hurdler, Top Chaser and Overall Winner prizes in the 2005/06 Order of Merit, totalling £300,000. BHB will also honour the Champion Conditional, Jockey, Trainer and Owner in Britain.

BHB Marketing Director Chris John said: “I am delighted that we will be working with the Turf Club to broaden and strengthen these awards to include all British and Irish-trained horses. This is a logical step in the development of the Awards, as the British Awards, which were first launched in 2003 have always been based on the Anglo-Irish Classifications.”  

William Flood added: “We are very pleased to be co-hosting this very important Awards Ceremony which acknowledges the best performances of the top horses in both countries in the past season.”