Jessica Fortt, Stud Manager for Dunraven Stud, was named Employee of the Year at the 2015 Godolphin Stud and Stable Staff Awards on the evening of Monday, February 23.
Jessica Fortt, Stud Manager for Dunraven Stud, was named Employee of the Year at the 2015 Godolphin Stud and Stable Staff Awards on the evening of Monday, February 23.
She was presented with the perpetual Godolphin Trophy by Clare Balding, who presided over the awards, and special guest, the three-time champion British Flat jockey Ryan Moore.
Jessica Fortt wins £40,000, of which £20,000 is shared among the staff at Dunraven Stud, Pyle, near Bridgend in Wales.
She started her career at the British Racing School in Newmarket before joining Dunraven Stud 16 years ago. A facial injury stopped a promising race riding career as an apprentice.
Jessica carries out all aspects of the work on the stud, including office administration, stallion handling, foaling throughout the season, breaking in, updating owners and even sends videos to owner of their new foals.
In the stud season, she pays continuous attention to the foaling cameras and nothing is born without her being present.
Jessica is a totally loyal, professional and committed member of staff who everybody at the stud values and respects. She never stops wanting to learn or develop in order to make things better. Always smiling, she is passionate about what she does.
Her dedication, hard work and passion typifies what the racing and bloodstock industry should be proud of in stud and stable staff.
She won the Stud Staff Award which qualified her to be considered for the main accolade, Employee of the Year. Dale Clements, stud groom at Cheveley Park and Ron Lott, stallion man at Shadwell Stud, were the other finalists for the Stud Staff Award and they received £2,000 each, with another £2,000 going to fellow staff at their studs.
All 16 finalists, including the winner of the Administration Staff Award, were praised by the judges for their talent, outstanding commitment and contribution to the racing industry.
Brough Scott, chairman of the judging panel, commented: "This year's awards have yet again produced a quite outstanding set of finalists and excellent winners.
"Despite the remarkable credentials of the winners, Jessica was a clear-cut choice for Employee of the Year in the eyes of the judging panel.
"Despite not being the typical stud staff breed; at less than five feet tall, she shows empathy with each stallion and a natural way of handling them that means her lack of physicality is not an issue.
"She has been, and still is, involved in all parts of the game, as well as stud life and is also a magnificently refreshing character."
The winners were decided at a formal judging day. The finalists were interviewed by members of the judging panel which consisted of Judith Allen, Sally Aston, Ian Balding, Mark Bradburne, Dale Gibson, Dawn Goodfellow, Matt Mancini, Leanne Masterton, George McGrath, Dinah Nicholson, Brough Scott and Peter Scudamore
The other winners were also announced at the gala evening awards' ceremony which took place at the Jumeirah Carlton Tower Hotel in London's Knightsbridge in front of a specially invited audience from across the racing and bloodstock industry to celebrate the vital role of stud and stable staff in the sport.
Sponsored by Godolphin, it was hosted by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), and partnered by the Racing Post.
The winner of the Rider/Groom Award is Simon Archer, a groom for the last 15 years with Newmarket trainer Sir Mark Prescott. He gains £5,000 and another £5,000 for the other staff at the stables.
A wonderful rider, he is a fantastic horseman who sets the highest of standards as well as being a role model for younger grooms.
He has battled back from a severe head injury in the last 18 months, returning to his job after a year out of work.
The two runners-up are also based in Newmarket, Steve Nicholson, a work rider for Ed Dunlop, and Martyn Peake, a rider/groom for Lady Cecil. They gain £2,000 each, with £2,000 also going to their fellow staff.
The Leadership Award went to Johnson White, the long-time assistant trainer to Somerset-based Philip Hobbs. His prize is £5,000, with an extra £5,000 being shared among the staff at the yard.
Johnson White, Hobbs' assistant since 1995, oversees the running of the yard, organising the work list every morning for over 100 horses and supervising 40 staff.
He sets a great example to staff and his mentoring skills are superb. Rarely taking a day off, he turns his hand to any job that needs doing, from harrowing the gallop to sorting out the tack room, and has the trainer's complete trust.
Joanne Fowles, Roger Varian's head lass, and Kevin Mooney, former jump jockey and assistant trainer to Charlie Hills, were the two other finalists. They collect £2,000 apiece, with £2,000 also going to the staff at the two yards.
The Dedication to Racing Award winner is Lesley White, travelling head lass to trainer Mick Channon.
Her reward is £5,000 and the same sum for the other Channon staff.
She has been with Channon so long that she was a babysitter for his children and became the first person he recruited before he obtained a trainer's licence in the 1990.
Lesley White has been a constant throughout her time as assistant trainer to John Baker and Ken Cunningham-Brown before moving to Lambourn, where they had to work out of three separate yards, and then finally West Ilsley.
She has done everything and now is assistant trainer in Dubai during the Dubai World Cup Carnival from January to March, riding out and overseeing the training of the horses in the trainer's absence.
During the summer, she often represents the trainer while on duty travelling the runners.
The runners-up are Clifford Marsden, Newmarket trainer Luca Cumani's head man, and Robynne Watton, senior travelling manager for Mark Johnston. They collect £2,000 each, with £2,000 also going to staff at their stables.
The David Nicholson Newcomer Award, worth £2,000, went to Tegan Clark, head girl to Olly Stevens, with the other finalists being, Charlotte Clayton, a work rider/groom for Rae Guest, and Reggie Eggleton, yard man and feed manager for Seamus Mullins, who both gain £1,000 each. Their yards receive £2,000, £1,000 and £1,000 respectively
In just two years since arriving at Steven's yard in Sussex, Tegan Clark has progressed to head girl and now rides Classic-placed filly Lightning Thunder every day.
When she first started, she was shy and had to adapt her riding style considerably but within six months was riding work with senior jockeys and developed into a very strong and confident person who now has regular contact with owners and suppliers.
Described by Stevens as an outstanding horsewoman with an epic work ethic, Tegan Clark has become an extremely valuable member of a successful team.
Peter Shoemark, racing office manager to John Gosden for eight years, is the Administration Staff winner, gaining £5,000 for himself and another £5,000 for the Gosden staff.
He began his racing career 30 years ago and has developed an in-depth knowledge of the form and programme books and is integral to identifying the best opportunities for horses around the world. His professional approach means he enjoys winning a small race as much he does a Group race.
Peter Shoemark's planning is meticulous, building three-month programmes and itemising all the best possible options for every horse. He goes out every work morning filming all the work on the gallops and his input reviewing the gallops and relaying what race each horse is eligible for is invaluable.
Described by Gosden as just about irreplaceable, Peter Shoemark's role also extends to liaising with the senior team and being in charge of all the day-to-day running of a busy racing office including organising sales, vaccinations and shipping, always setting high standards.
Chantal Wootten, who works at Fittocks Stud in Newmarket, was presented with the inaugural Retraining of Racehorses (RoR) Special Recognition award. A new addition, the award recognises the contribution made by members of stud and stable staff towards the re-training of racehorses.
The RoR Special Recognition award was presented to Chantal for her work with the former racehorse, 12-year-old Purple Moon, who won the Ebor handicap at York in 2007 and was runner-up in Australia's Melbourne Cup.
She took responsibility for Purple Moon on his retirement in 2011 and he has enjoyed much success in his second career of showing, the highlight being victory at the national RoR finals at Hickstead in 2014.
