Many congratulations to Rebecca ‘Beck’ Edmunds for winning two awards at the 2021 Godolphin Stud and Stable Staff Awards. Rebecca won both the Employee of the Year award and the Leadership award which gave £15,000 to both her and her stables, Thirsk based Bryan Smart Racing.
The judges commended her for her work as a mentor and a role model. They were also impressed with her ability to think outside the box which had never been put to better use than to devise new working practices during the COVID-19 pandemic. Her empathy for horses also shone through according the judges, making her a superb ambassador not only for her yard but the sport.
Horse racing like other sports have been heavily impacted by COVID-19. It is fantastic to hear that Beck was able to make the most of challenging circumstances. I understand from the judges that she is a superb ambassador both for Bryan Smart Racing and the sport as a whole. Well done to her and her colleagues.
Nick Luck, Chair of the Judging Panel, said: “There surely cannot be many prizes as difficult to judge as the Godolphin Stud and Stable Staff Awards. Everybody nominated is so deserving of the recognition winning brings and it was a pleasure to get to know the individuals put forward by their colleagues for consideration this year. Beck is a most deserving winner of the Employee of the Year Award and all of her colleagues at Bryan Smart Racing should rightly feel very proud this evening. We know that the continuation of racing over the past few months has had a positive impact on the mental health of the sport’s fans during a most difficult year, so it is right that we acknowledge the sacrifices made by racing staff to make this possible”
Julie Harrington, Chief Executive of the BHA, said: “I have always been struck by the dedication, professionalism and passion shown by our remarkable stud and stable staff. While it is always true that those of us who love our sport and our horses owe a debt of gratitude to them, it feels even more necessary this year to say the most heartfelt “thank you. Racing was privileged to be one of the very first sports to resume last summer and our racing and stable staff played a vital role in making this happen, adapting brilliantly to significant changes in working practices, while continuing to provide a high level care to the horses entrusted to them”
The combined £30,000 claimed by Rebecca for winning the Employee of the Year and Leadership Awards was part of prize-money totalling £128,500 handed out during a free-to-air broadcast hosted by ITV Racing’s Ed Chamberlin on Racing TV.
