Meath-based yards among winners in best-turned-out league

Each of the winning yards will receive €3000 to be split amongst the staff.

Staff from the racing yards of Gavin Cromwell, Gordon Elliott and Noel Meade have topped HRI's 2024 Irish Thoroughbred Welfare Council best-turned-out league.

The best-turned-out league was established in 2021 to recognise and celebrate the exceptionally high standards of care provided to racehorses by the dedicated staff in racing yards across the country. These staff consistently go above and beyond for the horses they look after.

There are three categories for Flat and National Hunt yards and are based on the number of runners each yard had during the year. Each of the winning yards receives €3,000 to be divided among staff.

On the Flat Gavin Cromwell’s team, operating from Balrath in Co Meath, won category A for the first time with 67 best turned-out prizes from 301 runners.

Noel Meade and Carlow-based trainer, Jim Bolger’s staff shared category B on the Flat with 71 best-turned-out horses from 250 and 233 runners respectively.

The National Hunt category was also very competitive with Gordon Elliott’s staff winning category A for the fourth year in a row. Gordon’s team, based in Longwood, Co Meath produced 152 best-turned-out horses from 1,187 runners.

Equine Welfare & Bloodstock Director at HRI, John Osborne said “Once again the Best-Turned-Out League has highlighted the incredibly high standard of care which is afforded to our racehorses, day by day. 289 individual yards won a BTO somewhere in Ireland in 2024, so we salute the hard work of so many people in all the yards big and small."