Nina scoops top award
Irish Grand national-winning jockey Nina Carberry was honoured for her success at last Thusday night's well-attended Meath Chronicle / Cusack Hotel Group sportsperson-of-the-year awards when she scooped the overall accolade against quality competition. The occasion was the fifth annual awards at Knightsbrook Hotel where RTÉ Sport presenter Evanne Ni Chuillinn proved to be a popular choice also. Carberry was the second woman to have ridden the winner of the big Fairyhouse race, and the first since Ann Ferris won with Bentom Boy in 1984. Ní Chuillinn conducted interviews with all the monthly winners for the main award as well as three separate category winners and also managed to spring a surprise on Meath's 1949 All-Ireland-winning captain Brian Smyth with assistance from the 1999 captain Graham Geraghty. That turned out to be one of the most popular presentations of the night as Smyth received the Hall of Fame award while Moynalvey's Cillian O'Sullivan took the youth prize. Kildalkey hurlers and Meath ladies footballer Irene Munnelly were also the recipients of awards, all designed in wood by Seamus Cassidy who has his base at The Carthouse, Beauparc. However, the biggest cheer of the night was reserved for the Ratoath jockey who was there with her soon-to-be husband Ted Walsh junior. Easter Monday last year at Fairyhouse turned out to be another great day for the Carberry clan with Nina joining her brothers, Paul (BobbyJo) and Philip (Point Barrow) on the Irish Grand National roll of honour after she partnered Organisedconfusion, trained by her uncle (Arthur Moore) to victory in the big race. However, Nina had to share the monthly award for April with Kilmessan man Jason Maguire who won the Aintree Grand National with Ballabriggs, but she shaded the verdict on Thursday night. The Aintree Grand National-winning jockey was unable to attend the function, he rode a winner at Ludlow last Thursday, but he was represented by his parents Michael and Ann, with his mother accepting the monthly award on his behalf. Nina Carberry was also selected as the Irish Times / Irish Sports Council sportswoman-of-the-year last month and was also honoured with an award from Horse Racing Ireland at their annual celebrations before Christmas in the form of an Outstanding Achievement award. "I'm absolutely thrilled and honoured to be selected for this award," she commented. The closing stages of the race were shown on Thursday night and she recalled the events clearly to the Meath Chronicle. "Ted (my fiancé) ran over to congratulate me and Paul was there as well - he'd pulled up Backstage with a circuit to go, but had stayed on the track. "Then mam appeared with the phone next to her ear as we were walking in - it was Peter on the other end, he was on his way to a meeting in England somewhere and she wanted me to let him know I'd won."My grandmother, who wouldn't normally go on a day like that because of the crowds, made the effort, it was great," she added.