Rhode resident receives Godolphin Award

Rhode resident Martina Murphy-Dunne was among the winners at the 2016 Godolphin Stud and Stable Staff Awards in Limerick on Tuesday.

Mr Murphy-Dunne, a native of Kilcullen, Co Kildare received the Administration Award for her work as racing secretary for Curragh-based trainer Dermot Weld over the last 22 years.

A regular racegoer, Martina’s passion for the industry stretches beyond her day job and she recently organised a very successful Kube charity fundraiser in aid of Robbie McNamara, who was her guest at the awards. She received €5,000, a trophy, and €4,000 to be shared among employees in Dermot Weld’s yard.

RTÉ’s Dáithí Ó Sé, who is a long-time racing fan and regular visitor to Irish racetracks presented Martina with her trophy. Jonathan Mullin, Irish Editor of the Racing Post, acted as MC for the occasion.

Among the attendees were Brian Kavanagh, CEO of Horse Racing Ireland, John Ferguson, Godolphin’s Chief Executive and Racing Manager, champion jockeys Ruby Walsh and Pat Smullen, champion amateur jockey Patrick Mullins, BoyleSports Irish Grand National-winning jockey Ger Fox and trainers Noel Meade and John Oxx.

Chairman of the Irish Stable Staff Association Bernard Caldwell  congratulated  all of this year’s award winners. “The Irish stud and stable staff play a vital role in Irish racing and breeding yards and it’s great to see their skills and dedication rewarded. I would like to thank all of our partners and everyone who helped out organising this event,” he said.

Managing Director of Godolphin in Ireland, Joe Osborne said “the quality of nominations for this year’s event was extraordinary and each of tonight’s category winners has emerged from very strong fields. I congratulate them all and also thank their colleagues who nominated them and the judges who took on the difficult task of selecting the winners.”