Shortlisted Finalists Announced For 2021 Lycetts Leadership & Lycetts Team Champions Awards
- Outstanding submissions across the award categories
- Diverse and inspiring working practices highlighted in British training yards
- Incredible team ethos and leadership demonstrated over such a challenging period
The National Trainers Federation (NTF) is delighted to announce the shortlists for the 2021 Lycetts Leadership Award, the Lycetts Team Champions Award and the Farm & Stable Award for Innovation & Wellbeing.
Following another challenging year where trainers and staff have had to constantly adapt their working practices, adopt new protocols and continue to operate to the highest standards, we have been so impressed by the standard of entries this year.
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Lycetts Team Champions Award
This year, the award provided an opportunity for racing staff to tell us about their team and how they support each other. The Lycetts Team Champions Award is designed to celebrate the best teams on racehorse training yards, regardless of the size of the yard and from the staff’s perspective.
The shortlisted teams are from the following training yards (in alphabetical order by last name) are:
- Ruth Carr Racing
- Kubler Racing
- Jamie Osborne
- Richard Phillips Racing
A £4000 prize awaits the winning team and will be announced next month.
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Lycetts Leadership and Excellence Awards
The Lycetts Leadership Award comprises four sections, each of which carries an Excellence Award in its own right. The Excellence Awards are kindly sponsored by George Smith Horseboxes.
These sections are based on The Winning Approach, a set of industry standards in management and employment practices. Their aim is to share best practice and highlight exceptional leadership qualities within racing yards. It provides another benchmarking tool for trainers to promote their businesses to owners, staff and sponsors. Trainers entered just one or multiple sections.
The shortlisted Trainers in the Excellence Awards are (in alphabetical order by last name) are:
Excellence Award for:
Inclusive Recruitment & Effective Induction Systems
- Andrew Balding
- Ruth Carr
- Martin Keighley
- Dan Skelton
- Bryan Smart
Ensuring a Safe Working Environment
- Andrew Balding
- Susan Corbett
- Dan and Claire Kubler
- Rebecca Menzies
- Dan Skelton
Development & Training
- Nick Alexander
- Andrew Balding
- Dan and Claire Kubler
- Suzy Smith
Reward & Recognition
- Nick Alexander
- Andrew Balding
- Dan and Claire Kubler
- Marcus Tregoning
A £500 prize awaits the winning Trainer for their yard in each Excellence Award. Six trainers, chosen on the strength of their submission for the Excellence Awards will now go through to the overall Leadership Award. Judges will conduct yard visits to each yard to determine the overall winner of the Lycetts Leadership Award. The winner will be announced in August and will win £4000.
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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.
The shortlisted teams are from the following training yards are:
- Ruth Carr Racing
- Girsonfield Stud & Racing (Susan Corbett)
- Eve Johnson Houghton
- Kingsclere Park House Stables (Andrew Balding)
- Kubler Racing
- Jedd O’Keeffe Racing
- Jamie Osborne
- Richard Phillips Racing
- Bryan Smart Racing
The winning Trainer & their team will be announced next month and will win £2,000 of products from the range at Farm & Stable.
Prize Giving
The official Prize Giving will be held on Wednesday 15 September 2021 at Sandown Park Racecourse, where the winners will be invited to enjoy hospitality and receive their prizes.
Accreditation
A full list of accredited yards will be up on the Racing Groom and NTF websites shortly. This will include all yards that have maintained their accreditation from the previous year of the award.
Speaking on behalf of the NTF, Chief Executive Rupert Arnold said, “We would like to thank all the yards who took part in the Awards this year, especially under the pressures and challenges of operating during a pandemic. It has been hugely inspiring to learn how our trainers and staff have collaborated, adapted and persevered to maintain such standards in leadership, management and team ethos.”
