Honeysuckle and St Mark's Basilica in mix to be crowned HRI horse of the year

Honeysuckle and St Mark's Basilica are in the running to be crowned horse of the year at the 2021 Horse Racing Ireland Awards, for which nominations for the various categories were revealed this week.

Cheltenham Gold Cup hero Minella Indo, top two-mile chaser Chacun Pour Soi and Stayers' Hurdle winner Flooring Porter also feature on the final shortlist, as well as star miler Poetic Flare and dual Classic heroine Snowfall.

Henry de Bromhead, Willie Mullins, Paul Townend and Darragh O'Keeffe have been nominated for the National Hunt Award category, while Colin Keane, Jessica Harrington, Aidan O'Brien, Johnny Murtagh and Joseph O'Brien are among the contenders for the Flat equivalent.

Eight have been nominated for the National Hunt Achievement Award, including Dermot McLoughlin for his Irish Grand National success with Freewheelin Dylan and Gavin Cromwell for his Grade 1 double at the Cheltenham Festival. Jack Kennedy is also in the running for his Gold Cup triumph on Minella Indo, as is Shark Hanlon for his remarkable season with £600 bargain buy Skyace.

Dermot McLoughlin (right): sent out Freewheelin Dylan to record a 150-1 shock victory in the Irish Grand NationalCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

Peter Fahey, who struck at the Cheltenham and Aintree festivals with Belfast Banter is also on the shortlist, as is Paul Hennessy for his exploits with Heaven Help Us and the Flynn family for their superb season with Colreevy.

Record-breaking amateur rider Patrick Mullins, who rode four Grade 1 winners last season and plundered the Guinness Galway Hurdle for the third time in four years this summer, is also among the nominees.

Ado McGuinness features alongside six contenders for the Flat Achievement Award thanks to his breakthrough Group 1 win in the Prix de l’Abbaye with A Case Of You.

Irish St Leger and Ebor-winning rider Ben Coen is also nominated, as is Eddie Lynam for his Group 1 Flying Five Stakes success with Romantic Proposal.

Noel Meade could lift the prize after registering his first top-level win on the Flat with Helvic Dream in the Tattersalls Gold Cup, while Paddy Twomey, who operated at an impressive 30 per cent strike-rate last season, is shortlisted too.

Poetic Flare: top-class three-year-old miler shone bright for the Bolger family in 2021Credit: Edward Whitaker

Jim and Jackie Bolger have been nominated for the honour following top-level triumphs with Poetic Flare and Mac Swiney, as is Rory Cleary, who partnered the latter to victory in the Irish 2,000 Guineas.

The Point-to-Point Award nominations go to leading horsemen Colin Bowe, Barry O’Neill, John Nallen and Pat Doyle, while the nominees for the Emerging Talent Award are all riders: Jordan Gainford, Shane Fitzgerald, Dylan Browne McMonagle, Mikey Sheehy and Sam Ewing.

A public vote will decide the outcome of the 2021 ride of the year. The contenders, as chosen by Fran Berry and Davy Russell, will be announced shortly.

Rachael Blackmore has already been named the Irish Racing Hero for her unprecedented 2020-21 season. All other categories will be decided by a ballot of the Irish racing media before the awards ceremony on December 7.

New HRI chief executive Suzanne Eade said: "The number of nominations is a true reflection of the success enjoyed by Irish owners, trainers and jockeys in 2021. There were so many great days at home and abroad and these terrific achievements deserve to be honoured."

A full list of the nominees can be viewed here.

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