Simone Meloni was named the 2025 Employee of the Year at the Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards, sponsored by Godolphin, which were held at York Racecourse on Monday.
The event, now in its 21st year, was hosted by broadcaster Rishi Persad and featured special guest appearances from double-Olympic gold medallist Laura Collett and dual champion jockey, William Buick.
With a background in showjumping is his native Italy, Meloni is now employed by National Hunt trainer Nicky Henderson. He took home £10,000 of prize-money for winning the Employee of the Year Award, plus a further £10,000 which will be shared among his colleagues at Seven Barrows.
Nick Luck, chair of the judging panel, said, “Deciding this year's Employee of the Year was as difficult a decision as I've known in this role. The judges deliberated long and hard, and Simone should be very proud to have come out on top in such an incredibly strong year.
“Ultimately, we felt that Simone is the perfect embodiment of what the Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards represent. Throughout his discussions with the judges, Simone could not stop talking about his horses, and we were struck by the tailored approach he brings to dealing with each as an individual, from how he sets their beds to how he rides.
“As well as being an outstanding horseman, his personality is utterly infectious. He wears a beaming smile while working and it was clear to see that his approach to his job makes a big impact, which is not insignificant at a yard where the pressure is always on.”
Earlier in the ceremony, Meloni had also won the Rider/Racing Groom Award, which itself carried a £5,000 prize along with a further £5,000 for his colleagues. All of the evening's winners received their share of a total of £128,500 of prize-money, at an event which was organised by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), in conjunction with media partners Racing Post and Racing TV.
The finalists for each category (with winners in bold) were:
Newcomer Award
Tina St. John – William Haggas
Tyla Macfarlane – Andrew Balding
Uwitonze Wenham-Beckford – Karl Burke
Leadership Award
Ivo Thomas – Tweenhills
Mark Ellwood – Nick Alexander
Rachael Lytham – Greenall Guerriero Racing
Rider / Racing Groom Award
Emma Kettlewell – Karl Burke
Sarah Macdonald – Julia Feilden
Simone Meloni – Nicky Henderson
Stud Award
Fiona McGlone – Hascombe & Valiant Stud
Kelly Stevens – Littleton Stud
Kim Skolfield – Newsells Park Stud
Dedication Award
Anthony Smith – Karl Burke
Jane Smith – John Ryan
Joe Scally – Roger Varian
Community Award
Anne Richardson – HEROS Charity
Jacqui Greet – Ascot Racecourse
Sally Lyons – Great British Racing
Brant Dunshea, acting chief executive of the BHA, said, “I would like to congratulate all of the winners this evening and in particular Simone on his magnificent achievement of being named the 2025 Employee of the Year.
“We often speak about racing being a community and people like Simone are vital to this. Not only is he clearly extremely skilled around horses but his colleagues value him so highly, meaning he is a vital cog in one of the country's most successful operations.
“We are very lucky to be able to count Simone among our number in Britain and I am absolutely delighted he has been recognised this way.”
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