Many congratulations to our stallion man David Porter-Mackrell who was named the Employee of the Year yesterday at the 2024 Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards, sponsored by Godolphin. David also won the Stud Staff category at the 20th anniversary of the awards held at Ascot Racecourse, which was attended by Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal and hosted by ITV Racing’s Ed Chamberlin.

David has been a key member of the team at Newsells Park Stud for the last 15 years having looked after the stallions Mount Nelson and Equiano during his time here, and currently his charges are Nathaniel, Without Parole and A’Ali. Nominated by Newsells Park Stud’s general manager, Julian Dollar, David has always shown great dedication and expertise in his role, and his win is thoroughly deserved.

The awards are a celebration of the skill, passion and commitment of people working across British racing and breeding.

Chair of the judging panel, Nick Luck, said: “David is a richly deserving recipient of the Employee of the Year Award and we are all delighted that somebody with such talent and passion has won. The judges were blown away by David during their interviews with him and were left in no doubt that he is an exceptional horseman with a gift for ensuring the stallions at Newsells Park Stud are in the best condition possible, both physically and mentally.”

He added: “It is also wonderful to see a member of stud staff win the top prize this evening. Our breeding industry is vital to the overall success of the sport we love and I hope that David’s success will encourage more studs to nominate their employees for the 2025 awards.”

An almost speechless David Porter-Mackrell said: “It means an awful lot, I don’t know what to say. It’s the culmination of a lot of hard work, and help and support from a lot of other people, particularly my wife. Everything has to click into place and work to give you the platform to do this, you need the right circumstances and mentors along the way. It’s an awful lot to think about and a lot of people to be thankful to. It’s a real team effort.”