Nominations are now open for the Stud and Stable Staff Awards to acknowledge the efforts of backroom staff across the country.
Established in Australia in 2015, the awards are an initiative of Thoroughbred Breeders Australia and Racing Australia and supported by Godolphin and offer ackowledgment to staff in stables, studs and offices in the racing and breeding industries.
A shining example of the value of the awards is that of Group 1 trainer Mark Newnham, the inaugural winner of the overall Thoroughbred Excellence Award.
Watch: Godolphin Stud & Stable Staff Awards
His career began as a 15-year-old strapper with trainer Bob Thomsen and then went on to work as a travelling foreman for Bart Cummings and later played a key role in the success of three G1 Golden Slipper S. winners as part of the Tulloch Lodge operation of Gai Waterhouse.
Newnham was nominated for the awards in 2015 as a stable manager for Waterhouse taking out the Dedication to Racing category and the Thoroughbred Excellence Award.
By the time the award was presented he’d been granted a trainer’s licence and he used the award prizemoney to help buy one of his first horses.
Gai Waterhouse and Mark Newnham
Newnham has now prepared 16 stakes winners, including three at Group 1 level.
“I can honestly say that the lift the Stud and Stable Staff Awards provided me and the help they gave my career make them one of the best things that has ever happened to me,” he said.
“I can honestly say that the lift the Stud and Stable Staff Awards provided me and the help they gave my career make them one of the best things that has ever happened to me." - Mark Newnham
“They were something racing badly needed and they’ve lived up to everything they set out to do.”
The Stud and Stable Staff Awards are judged in seven categories: Dedication to Racing; Dedication to Breeding; Leadership; Horsemanship; Administrative and Ancillary services; Thoroughbred Care and Welfare and a Newcomers Award.
The Awards provide prizemoney in excess of $100,000 spread over the individual categories, plus an overall Thoroughbred Excellence Award.
