Murray Recipient of Toby Balding Award

[Wandering Eyes]

Assistant trainer Sean Murray has been selected as the 2019 recipient of the annual Toby Balding Award, the National Trainers Federation announced on Tuesday. The award, worth £4,000, allows ambitious employees in British racing yards to widen their knowledge and train to acquire new skills. Murray will be presented with the award at the Lycetts Team Champion Award presentation at the Institute of Directors in London on Thursday, Feb. 28. Originally created to award racing staff in memory of the late Toby Balding, the award is funded by the National Trainers Federation Charitable Trust (NTFCT) from a donation made by the Adrian Swire Charitable Trust in memory of Balding.

Murray’s career began with weekend work for Peter Beaumont while still at school, before a stint as first cohort of staff when David O’Meara was beginning his training career, eventually rising to head lad. He is now the assistant trainer to Roger Fell at Arthington Barn.

“I have gained a vast amount of racing and equine knowledge working alongside many talented horsemen and women,” said Murray. “I would like to use funds from this bursary to invest in more training such as Introduction to Management for the Racing Industry course and Level One NCFE Award in Mentoring. I am so grateful to the NTF Charitable Trust for enabling me to gain more training to further my career.”

Added Fell, “Sean is a key member of the training team here at Arthington Barn and has put in the hard yards working as a positive role model, putting in long hours to ensure we achieve the best results. This bursary has come at an important time in Sean’s career as it will allow him to fund his ongoing development, and will help him to achieve his ambition to become a licensed trainer.”

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