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Paddy Trainor Named Employee of the Year at the GSSSA

Johnston Racing's Patrick 'Paddy' Trainor was named the Employee of the Year at the Godolphin Stud & Stable Staff Awards on Monday. Hosted by Oli Bell, the ceremony was held virtually and broadcast live on Racing TV. The awards were organised by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) in conjunction with media partners Racing Post and Racing TV.

Trainor will receive £10,000, with the same amount shared with his colleagues at Johnston Racing, as well as the Godolphin Trophy. Earlier in the night, Trainor, who has worked for Johnston Racing for 23 years, won the Rider/Groom Award and £5,000, with an equivalent amount once again split between Johnston Racing employees. An Industry Coach, Trainor works with less experienced members of the Johnston team to develop their skills and improve their knowledge of horse welfare.

The full list of winners are as follows:

Employee of the Year & Rider/Groom: Paddy Trainor – Johnston Racing Ltd.

David Nicholson Newcomer: Elouise O'Hart – Ed Walker

Leadership: Tom Messenger – Dan Skelton

Stud Staff: Dulcie West – North Farm Stud

Dedication: Alyson West – James Ferguson

Community (In recognition of the wonderful work Rory

MacDonald achieved at The British Racing School):

Freedom Zampaladus – Urban Equestrian Academy

Julie Harrington, Chief Executive of the BHA, said, “Everybody nominated tonight has done their bit to make horse racing a better sport and for that we are all extremely grateful. Measures have remained in place on racecourses throughout the last 12 months to reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19 and, as has been the case throughout the pandemic, those impacted have adapted their working style admirably and ensured that our sport has continued uninterrupted since its resumption in June 2020.

“My heartfelt congratulations go to all of tonight's winners and nominees, in particular Paddy Trainor, and my thanks go to our sponsor Godolphin and the judging panel for their hard work.”

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Shortlists For UK GSSS Awards Announced

The shortlists for six awards of the upcoming 2022 Godolphin Stud & Stable Staff Awards were revealed on Monday. Sponsored by Godolphin and run by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) in association with the Racing Post and Racing TV, the awards recognise and reward the outstanding skills, commitment and contribution of over 10,000 stud and stable staff in England, Scotland and Wales. The 2022 awards will carry total prizemony of £128,500, with as much as £30,000 available to a single yard or stud. The finalists will be announced early next year, with the judging day for the finalists scheduled for Feb. 21, 2022 and the winners announced during a ceremony later that day. The shortlisted nominees and their employers are as follows:

David Nicholson Newcomer

Walter Fisher-Barnett – Paul Nicholls Racing
Ella Garland – Nick Gifford Racing
Jessica Barraclough – Jedd O'Keeffe Racing Ltd
Casey Finlay – Katie Scott
Lena Roccor – Hazelwood Bloodstock Ltd
Lorena Walsh – Lucinda Russell
Gina Gibson – Gary Moore
Jade Stewart – Nicholas Alexander
Elouise O'Hart – Ed Walker
Debbie Brodie – Godolphin Management Co Ltd

Leadership

Timothy Hogg – Jedd O'Keeffe Racing Ltd
Mark Billingham – Johnston Racing Ltd
Dave Kent – Brian Meehan
Aideen Marshall – James Ferguson
Kevin Brown – Fergal O'Brien/O'Brien McPherson Racing
Tom Ashley – John Gosden Ltd
Charlie Morlock – Nicky Henderson
Tom Messenger – Dan Skelton
Rebecca Struve – North Farm Stud
Jack Steels – Ed Walker

Rider/Groom

Paddy Trainor – Johnston Racing Ltd
Christina Berry – Grace Harris
Emma Tully – Susan Corbett – Girsonfield Stud & Racing
John Nicholson – Johnston Racing Ltd
Will Hodkinson – Kim Bailey Racing
Riyaz Patel – Stuart Williams
Benario (Ben) Goncalves de Paiva – John Gosden Racing Ltd
Emma Dunkley – Rose Dobbin
Callum Pittendreigh – Richard Fahey Racing
Wieslaw Filipowicz – Ed Walker

Stud Staff

Jack Conroy – Chasemore Farm
Noel Challinor – Northmore Stud
Rhiannon Firman – Aislabie Stud
Balazs Karoly Sipos – Hascombe And Valiant Stud
Fiona McGlone – Hascombe And Valiant Stud
Lucy Steel – Culworth Grounds Farm
Dianne Best – Cobhall Court Stud
Philippa Reynolds – Salcey Forest Stud
Dulcie West – North Farm Stud
Richard Heaynes-Corrick – Chapel Stud

Dedication

Sarah Peacock – Tom George
Volodtmyr Stepanyuk – Nick Gifford Racing
Joanna Cody-Boutcher – Philip Hobbs
Simon White – Henry Daly
Nicola (Nikki) Hazell – Jedd O'Keeffe Racing Ltd
Harvey Ewart – Johnston Racing Ltd
Karen Latchford – Simon Dow
Alyson West – James Ferguson
Simon Olley – Philip Kirby
Katrina Stanhope-White – Emma Lavelle Racing

Community (In recognition of the wonderful work Rory MacDonald achieved at The British Racing School)

Rosie Margarson – European Bloodstock News
Helen Wilson – Racing Welfare
Andrew Braithwaite – British Racing School
Clare Hill – Injured Jockeys Fund
Freedom Zampaladus – Urban Equestrian Academy
Margo Walsh – The Jockey Club
Jennifer Gates – Racing Welfare
Tallulah Lewis – UK Tote Group
Kevin and Pam Atkinson – New Beginnings
Carrie Ford – Racing To School

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Returning Gordon Elliott Reflects On His Suspension, Regrets After Controversial Photo

Gordon Elliott returns to training Thursday, six months after he was suspended for conduct unbecoming to the sport after a photo of Elliott astride a dead horse surfaced earlier this year.

The trainer spoke to the Racing Post about what he thought was the lowest point throughout this controversy: the loss of stars like Sir Gerhard and Quilixios from his barn.

As he watched those horses move on to other barns and then win at the Cheltenham Festival, Elliott reflected on his regrets about losing those horses.

“I had worked very hard to source those horses, and then they were gone,” he told Racing Post. “Just like that. When Envoi Allen was here, there wasn't a night I didn't lie in bed thinking about him. And now that he is gone, there still isn't a night I don't lie in bed thinking about him.”

In all, the trainer lost about a dozen horses from his yard in the course of his suspension, but the relationships with those owners remain cordial despite the controversy.

“I have never had a cross word with any of the owners who left,” he said. “I still speak to them all and the gate is always open. I understand completely why they had to go.”

Photo Finish Images Shows Two Different Results, Sparking Controversy At Sandown

Before the advent of the photo finish camera, close finishes like the one in the ironically-named 'Beaten By a Length' Handicap at Sandown Saturday would have been called by three judges standing by the finish line, a practice understandably fraught with opportunities for the human eye to get it wrong. In the late 1930s, reliable photos finish technology became part of a racetrack's set-up, the solution to the proverbial question of just who got a bare whisker or flared nostril in front. Nevertheless, however, the human element of the photo finish still remains a potential point of controversy, according to The Racing Post.

At Sandown Park in Surrey, U.K., Hurricane Ivor and Phoenix Star dueled through the final yards of the five-furlong handicap, flashing by that photo finish camera at the wire in what appears to be perfect synchronicity. The replay shows the two horses so close that a winner is difficult to discern. From the resulting photo, Sandown judge Jane Green declared Phoenix Star, the horse on the outside, the winner over Hurricane Ivor on the rail. The mirror image of the same photo showed a different result. Upon examination of both photos, the Sandown stewards nullified Green's ruling and declared the race a dead heat.

How is it possible that the photo finish camera could have captured what appears to be two different images in literally the same instant? The answer lies in the mirror.

“The issue is the mirror image, which is out of alignment. That's something that happens very rarely. You can see from the picture that the third and fourth don't line up on the line on the mirror image, either” Shawn Parker, head of the British Horseracing Authority's stewards, told the Racing Post. “We had to discard the mirror image and we couldn't separate the two horses on the normal image, the actual photo, so it's a dead-heat. We now need to hold an inquiry to determine why it happened.”

While RaceTech, the company responsible for photo finishes, attests to the proper alignment of the mirror and camera after an earlier inspection, it is possible that the mirror may have been knocked out of alignment afterwards. Bookmakers and bettors were frustrated with the miscalled photo finish, citing other issues with photo finishes at Sandown and other courses.