Sarah Guest wins Employee of the Year Award at the 2023 Thoroughbred Industry Awards, sponsored by Godolphin.

Sarah Guest, yard manager for trainer John O’Shea, was named Employee of the Year at this week’s Thoroughbred Industry Awards Ceremony, held at York Racecourse.

The awards were taking place in person for the first time since 2020 and were presented by Francesca Cumani of ITV Racing, bringing key figures together to celebrate the brilliant people working tirelessly within both the racing and breeding industries.

Nominated by John O’Shea, for whom she has worked since 2005, Sarah not only takes great pride in the love and care she has for the horses but also she plays a key role in the welfare of the other members of staff in the yard. She has undertaken specialist training in order to be able to cater not just for the staff’s physical health but also mental health within their workforce. Her ability to work within a team but also take great responsibility was evident during the three months when John was taken ill, a period of time where Sarah had to ensure that the operation was still able to function successfully despite the challenges.

Thanks to the generous support of Godolphin, Sarah took home a combined total of £30,000 split equally between herself and the yard as a result of winning both the Employee of the Year Award and, earlier in the evening, the Leadership Award. This was part of the total £128,500 of prize money on offer.

Nick Luck, Chair of the Judging Panel, said: “Sarah is a richly deserving winner of this prestigious award and, despite the high quality of the finalists brought forward to this evening’s ceremony, she was a stand-out selection to be named the Employee of the Year.

“It is particularly pleasing to name an Employee of the Year from outside the nation’s most powerful yards. I hope this encourages all employers, no matter their size, to nominate their staff for recognition in 2024.”

Joe Saumarez Smith, Chair of the BHA, said: “All of those nominated throughout the process of this year’s Awards should feel rightly proud. They are a credit to themselves and I speak for all in British racing when I say a heartfelt thank you for all they do in being brilliant ambassadors for our sport.”