Staff from Laois stable are among the top 2024 HRI Irish Thoroughbred Welfare Council best-turned-out league

STAFF from the racing yards of James Fahey, Jim Bolger, Charles Byrnes, Gavin Cromwell, Gordon Elliott, Noel Meade and Ross O’Sullivan have topped Horse Racing Ireland’s (HRI) 2024 Irish Thoroughbred Welfare Council best-turned out league.

The best-turned out league was established in 2021 to recognise and celebrate the exceptional high standards of care provided to racehorses by the dedicated staff in racing yards across the country, who consistently go above and beyond for the horses they look after.

There are three categories for Flat and National Hunt yards and are based on the number of runners each yard had during the year. Each of the winning yards receive €3,000 to be divided among staff.

The National Hunt category was competitive with James Fahey’s Vicarstown-based team took the spoils in category C, with an impressive 35 best-turned-out winners from 80 runners to take the €3,000 prizemoney.

Meath and Carlow-based, Noel Meade and Jim Bolger’s staff shared category B on the Flat with 71 best-turned out horses from 250 and 233 runners respectively.

On the Flat Gavin Cromwell’s team, operating from Balrath in Co Meath, won category A for the first time with 67 best turned-out prizes from 301 runners.

Ross O’Sullivan’s staff in Kill, Co Kildare took category C winning 33 best-turned out prizes from 125 horses.

The National Hunt category A went Gordon Elliott’s staff for the fourth year in a row. Gordon’s team, based in Longwood, Co Meath produced 152 best-turned-out horses from 1,187 runners.

The National Hunt category B winner went to Limerick. Charles Byrnes’ team produced 88 best-turned-out horses from their 213 runners.

John Osborne, Equine Welfare & Bloodstock Director at Horse Racing Ireland, said: “Once again the Best-Turned-Out League has highlighted the incredibly high standard of care which is afforded to our racehorses, day by day. 289 individual yards won a BTO somewhere in Ireland in 2024, so we salute the hard work of so many people in all the yards big and small.

“We see familiar faces among the category winners: repeat winners Gordon Elliott, Jim Bolger, James Fahey, and Noel Meade, joined by Charles Byrnes, Gavin Cromwell and Ross O’Sullivan.

Others to note would have to include the John Ryan yard which won a best turned out prize over 100 times from less than 300 runners. The category C National Hunt section was a tight contest between winners James Fahey and the close second, previous winners Eoin Griffin, Natalie Bradley and team.”