Nigel Bentley and Warren Sutton Horsemanship Award finalists

Written by Richard Edmunds

On September 6, the unsung heroes of the Australian thoroughbred industry will be honoured in the Godolphin Stud & Stable Staff Awards. Staged in Australia every year since 2015, the awards recognise and reward the hard work and dedication of stud and stable staff across Australia.

The finalists for the Horsemanship Award (Stud or Stable) are Nigel Bentley, from Arrowfield, and Warren Sutton, from McEvoy Mitchell Racing.

Bentley has worked at Arrowfield since 2007 and is the Assistant Operations Manager. He first learned his trade from his father Kel, a horse-breaker and trainer from Yass in New South Wales, and gained experience at Widden Stud and at Three Chimneys Farm in Kentucky.

Arrowfield proprietor John Messara praised Bentley’s extensive skill set.

“Nigel is an exceptional horseman, thoroughly reliable and amazingly versatile,” he said. “His equine skills are complemented by his ability to manage and mentor young people and to liaise effectively with other managers and stud clients.”

Bentley himself is grateful for the opportunities and education he has received throughout his career.

“Like most businesses, you have to move with the times and learn new skills,” he said. “Things have changed a lot since I started with my father, you have to be ready to acknowledge those changes and adapt.”

“I’ve had great teachers and great opportunities. Being a finalist in these awards is another opportunity, they are such a fantastic initiative. To know that a big organisation like Godolphin recognises the importance of so many parts of our industry is incredibly special.”

Sutton, meanwhile, is nominated in this category for the second time. His nomination has been strongly endorsed by trainer Tony McEvoy, who credits him as a major contributor to the stable’s racetrack successes in recent seasons.

“My 2-year-old results for the past three seasons are testament to the start these horses were given by Warren, who I believe to be one of the most accomplished horsemen in Australia,” he said.

Sutton has worked with every trainer to have operated under the Lindsay Park banner, from the legendary CS Hayes to his sons Peter and David and his grandsons Tom Dabernig and Ben Hayes.

Sutton praised the GSSSA as a means of recognising all areas of the racing and breeding industry, and for providing incentive for those who give up so much to be a part of it.

“For someone like Tony to think enough of me to put me forward for this award is fantastic,” he says. “I’m so grateful to him and to Godolphin and the organisers to be acknowledged.”