Congratulations to Christy Holden, a finalist in the Leadership Award in Breeding category of the Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards (TIEA), presented by Godolphin. Holden has been the general manager of Maryland's Country Life Farm, including its Merryland division, since 2015 after first working at Country Life 30 years prior as a teenager. She eventually returned to Country Life in 2004, beginning in the office and working her way up to broodmare manager and finally general manager. Holden, who has also served on the board of the Maryland Horse Breeders Association (MHBA) since 2018, works closely with Country Life owners and brothers Josh and Mike Pons and calls them her mentors.
Click for the video feature on Holden done by TIEA.
Other finalists for the Leadership Award in Breeding are Wayne Clem of Claiborne Farm and Matt Lyons of Candy Meadows Farm, who will also be recognized on these pages in the coming days. The Leadership Award in Breeding is presented annually to an individual who displays exceptional leadership qualities while in a managerial or supervisory position on a Thoroughbred farm.
A total of seven award categories will be honored by TIEA for 2020. Maria Cristina Silva of New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (NYTHA) has already been announced as the winner of the Community Award, while the winners in the other categories will be announced live in a virtual ceremony hosted by Jill Bryne and streamed at the TDN homepage Thursday, Nov. 5, at 12:00 p.m. ET. All finalists will be spotlighted in TDN in the days leading up to the ceremony.
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