Glittering night for Zoe and Camilla at annual awards

Zoe Winston and Camilla Sharples, who work for top trainer Gordon Elliott, were both nominees for separate awards tonight at annual Stud and Stable Staff awards at the Newpark Hotel, Kilkenny.

The glittering occasion, sponsored by Godolphin, featured 10 award categories with an overall Irish Racing Excellence Award recognising an exceptional contribution to the industry.

Each award winner received a specially commissioned trophy and there was also an overall prizefund of €80,000 spread across the categories. 

While Zoe and Camilla didn't wn in either of their nominated categories, it was widely acknowledged that making the last three in each category was a marvellous achievement for all the nominees.

Both women outlined how enthusiastic they were about their respective roles within the Gordon Elliott racing operation and there was also a tribute from the man himself (on screen) Gordon Elliott who highlighted the important role of staff.

Those sentiments were echoed by other trainers of the calibre of Jim Bolger, Dermot Weld and Ted Walsh.

The event was streamed live and the awards were presented by Brian Cody.