Air of humility adds to special night as racing's hard-working heroes honoured

An awards ceremony like no other. The faces unfamiliar, the acceptance speeches spontaneous and none of the nominees expecting success, despite the field sizes being slimmed down to just three in each category. Isn't humbleness a terrific trait?

"It will be great to spend some time together when we're not all covered in horsehair and muck. We probably won’t even recognise each other," says Mary Nugent, travelling assistant to Gordon Elliott, during her promo video in the Horse Care award category. You might hear more from her later.

We are all gathered in the banquet room of the Knightsbrook Hotel in Trim for the fourth running of the Irish Godolphin Stud and Stable Staff Awards. This is the most competitive renewal yet with a record entry of more than 330 nominations.