Stiff competition among trainers as winner of Lycetts Leadership and Lycetts Team Champion Awards are announced

The NTF and Lycetts have announced the winners of this year’s Lycetts Leadership and Lycetts Team Champion Awards. The initiative has been running since 2017 and has grown year-on-year with Lycetts Leadership Award being added this year. The judges visited each shortlisted trainer’s yard assessing their skill and ability in order to choose the ultimate winner. Winners will be invited to a prize giving on 15th September, which will be held at Sandown Park Racecourse.

Lycetts Team Champions Award

This award is designed to celebrate the best teams on racehorse training yards.

Winner- Richard Phillips Racing

Runners-up: Ruth Carr Racing, Kubler Racing, Jamie Osborne 

Lycetts Leadership Award

This award is made up of four sections: Inclusive Recruitment & Effective Induction Systems, Ensuring a Safe Working Environment, Development & Training and Reward & Recognition. This award is kindly sponsored by George Smith Horseboxes.

Winner- Dan Skelton

Excellence award winners 

Inclusive Recruitment & Effective Induction Systems winner – Andrew Balding

Runners-up: Ruth Carr, Martin Keighley, Dan Skelton, Bryan Smart

Ensuring a Safe Working Environment winner– Dan Skelton

Runners-up: Andrew Balding, Susan Corbett, Dan and Claire Kubler, Rebecca Menzies

Development & Training winner– Dan and Claire Kubler

Runners-up: Nick Alexander, Andrew Balding, Suzy Smith

Reward & Recognition winner– Nick Alexander

Runners up- Andrew Balding, Dan and Claire Kubler, Marcus Tregoning

Farm & Stable Award for Innovation & Wellbeing

This award enabled Trainers and their teams to demonstrate how innovative approaches to management and well-being have benefited the whole yard and contributed to its success.

Winner- Eve Johnson Houghton

Runners-up: Ruth Carr Racing, Girsonfield Stud & Racing (Susan Corbett), Kingsclere Park House Stables (Andrew Badling), Kubler Racing, Jedd O’Keeffe Racing, Jamie Osborne, Richard Phillips Racing, Bryan Smart Racing

Rupert Arnold, Chief Executive, NTF commented: “In our fourth year of the awards, we were thrilled to see the diversity of stories, anecdotes and videos that emerged in the entries. Each painted such a brilliant picture of why working in our industry and with great people is so rewarding.  It’s clear from the entries how staff are nurtured and developed, how diverse skill sets are encouraged, and how yards are managed with the safety of staff and horses at the forefront. Lycetts Awards-accredited and winning yards are inspiring and progressive businesses that our industry can be proud of.

“The Lycetts Leadership Award was an important development for 2021, giving us all the opportunity to recognise the outstanding leadership skills flourishing in our industry, and under the most challenging of circumstances. 

“Thank you to our members and their staff that took part this year and gave us so much to be inspired by. Congratulations to all our runners up and winners.“

On behalf of sponsors Lycetts, Piers Plunket said: “Lycetts Insurance Brokers are delighted to be supporting these awards again and we offer our congratulations to the winners and to everyone that entered. Celebrating all the teams and the leaders makes the racing industry so wonderful to be a part of and we look forward to the prize giving on the 15^th September at Sandown.”