Superb cast of nominees announced for 2025 HRI Awards

The nominees for the 2025 HRI Awards have been announced, with 44 nominees in seven of the 10 Awards categories, recognising a diverse cast of excellence in Irish racing over the past year.

In an open-looking Horse of the Year category, reigning champion Galopin Des Champs is up against Cheltenham Gold Cup hero Inothewayurthinkin and dual Champion Chase winner Marine Nationale, while Minnie Hauk, Delacroix and Ethical Diamond bring the very best Flat form to the reckoning.

The Flat Award will be decided between Champion Trainer Aidan O’Brien, Champion Jockey Dylan Browne-McMonagle with trainers Joseph O’Brien, Johnny Murtagh, Paddy Twomey and multiple Champion Jockey Colin Keane listed.

The Flat Achievement Award features trainer Joseph Murphy for winning the Group 1 Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot; trainer Adrian Murray is recognised for a steady flow of Pattern victories, while Epsom Derby winner Wayne Lordan and Ronan Whelan have recorded multiple Group 1 successes apiece. The Breeders’ Cup in California revealed the final candidates - Donnacha O’Brien who saddled Balantina to land the Juvenile Fillies Turf and the unforgettable heist by Ethical Diamond for trainer Willie Mullins in the Breeders’ Cup Turf.

The National Hunt Award will rest between Champion Trainer Willie Mullins, Gavin Cromwell, Barry Connell and Gordon Elliott from the training ranks while Champion Jockey Paul Townend is among his weighroom colleagues Mark Walsh and Sam Ewing.

The National Hunt Achievement Award has Cian Collins present for Jazzy Matty’s win at Cheltenham in March, while that horse’s rider, Danny Gilligan, is also shortlisted for other feature victories. Gaining due attention is Patrick Mullins who rode into the history books aboard Nick Rockett in the Aintree Grand National. Completing the list are Eoin McCarthy for winning six races at Listowel’s Harvest Festival, Keith Donoghue for his brilliant ride on Gavin Cromwell’s Stumptown in the Velka Paradubicka, while Tiernan Power Roche ended 2024/25 as our Champion Conditional Rider.

The Emerging Talent Award sees Champion Apprentice on the Flat Wayne Hassett joined by his closest pursuers for that title, Robert Whearty and Jack Cleary. Arguably the brightest new riding talent seen in 2025, Nicola Burns, is also in contention. Just over a year since being granted his training licence, Stephen Thorne takes his place alongside NH handler Ian Donoghue with rider David Doyle also saluted for making a successful transition from the points sphere to NH rules.

The Point-To-Point Award itself features last year’s winner David Christie against the current Champion Rider, Barry O’Neill, who was recipient of this award in 2023. Sam Curling, Pat Doyle, Richie O’Keeffe and Champion Trainer Colin Bowe are also in the running.

Racegoers and racing fans will be asked to help select the winners of the Racecourse of the Year Award and the Ride of the Year Award, and the nominees for those will be announced in the coming weeks.

The winners of the awards in the categories of National Hunt, National Hunt Achievement, Flat, Flat Achievement, Point-to-Point, Emerging Talent and Horse of the Year will be decided by a ballot of the HRI Awards committee, made up of members of the various sections of the Irish racing media and announced at a ceremony in Dublin on December 8.

Suzanne Eade, CEO of Horse Racing Ireland, said: “It has been a vintage year for Irish racing. Our best horses, trainers and riders have excelled at home and throughout the world over the past 12 months and I am very much looking forward to celebrating their achievements and their enormous contribution to the sport in Dublin in December.” 

2025 HRI AWARDS NOMINEES 

HORSE OF THE YEAR AWARD 

DELACROIX 

ETHICAL DIAMOND 

GALOPIN DES CHAMPS 

INOTHEWAYURTHINKIN 

MARINE NATIONALE 

MINNIE HAUK 

FLAT AWARD 

DYLAN BROWNE-MCMONAGLE 

COLIN KEANE 

JOHNNY MURTAGH 

AIDAN O’BRIEN 

JOSEPH O’BRIEN 

PADDY TWOMEY 

FLAT ACHIEVEMENT AWARD 

WAYNE LORDAN 

WILLIE MULLINS 

JOSEPH MURPHY 

ADRIAN MURRAY 

DONNACHA O’BRIEN 

RONAN WHELAN 

NATIONAL HUNT AWARD 

BARRY CONNELL 

GAVIN CROMWELL 

GORDON ELLIOTT 

SAM EWING 

WILLIE MULLINS 

PAUL TOWNEND 

MARK WALSH 

NATIONAL HUNT ACHIEVEMENT AWARD 

CIAN COLLINS 

KEITH DONOGHUE 

DANNY GILLIGAN 

EOIN MCCARTHY 

PATRICK MULLINS 

TIERNAN POWER ROCHE 

EMERGING TALENT AWARD 

NICOLA BURNS 

JACK CLEARY 

IAN DONOGHUE 

DAVID DOYLE 

WAYNE HASSETT 

STEPHEN THORNE 

ROBERT WHEARTY 

POINT-TO-POINT AWARD 

COLIN BOWE 

DAVID CHRISTIE 

SAM CURLING 

PAT DOYLE 

RICHIE O’KEEFFE 

BARRY O’NEILL