While the Curragh racecourse is a new venue for the Flat finale on Sunday, there is a more familiar look to the season’s roll of honour with Colin Keane, Aidan O'Brien and Mrs Sue Magnier all retaining their respective titles with County Kildare’s Jamie Powell an overwhelming favourite to join the trio on the podium as champion apprentice.
The highlight of Jamie’s season was his success on the Fozzy Stack-trained Aussie Girl in the Dubai Duty Free Summer Fillies Handicap at the Curragh on Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby weekend. Powell also captured the valuable Irish Stallion Farms EBF 'Habitat' Handicap on James McAuley’s Tawaazon at his local racecourse on Tattersalls Irish Guineas weekend and struck up a rewarding partnership with the Mick Mulvany-trained Fratas, winning races at the Galway festival, Leopardstown and Tramore.
Jamie had finished third behind Dylan Browne McMonagle in the 2022 apprentice title race and his tally of 28 winners ahead of the fixtures at Dundalk tomorrow and the Curragh on Sunday sees him head into the final weekend with a lead of four over County Meath jockey Adam Caffrey, with County Donegal’s Luke McAteer and County Wexford’s Conor Stone-Walsh both on the 23-winner mark.
Group 1 success might have eluded Colin Keane during the year but he comfortably retains the title of champion jockey, gaining a stranglehold on the championship in late August and powering home for his fourth successive title and his fifth in all. Keane shared Group 2 success with Ger Lyons as Zarinsk won the Romanised Minstrel Stakes at Leopardstown in July having won a Group 3 with the same horse on two occasions earlier in the season.
Keane also rode Group 3 winners for Aidan O'Brien, Michael O'Callaghan, Willie Mullins, Henry de Bromhead and Noel Meade and partnered the Richard Fahey-trained Native American to win the valuable Tattersalls Ireland Super Auction Sale Stakes at the Curragh at Irish Champions Festival in September. Colin rode six winners for his dad Gerry during the season and among them were Laughifuwant at the Galway festival and the Wear A Pink Ribbon Syndicate-owned Crystal Black in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF 'Northfields' Handicap, another at the Curragh at Irish Champions Festival.
For the second year running, Billy Lee is the championship runner-up with Dylan Browne McMonagle, the champion apprentice for the past two seasons, on course to take third place. His current total of 57 winners is already a personal best. With tallies of 54, 53, 51 and 47 winners, Ben Coen, Gary Carroll, Ryan Moore and Ronan Whelan respectively have also bettered their previous best this term.
For the 26th time, Aidan O'Brien is Ireland’s champion trainer. A multiple Group 1 winner once again, Aidan won at the highest level in Ireland with Auguste Rodin taking both the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby and the Kingdom Of Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes. Paddington won the Tattersalls Irish 2,000 Guineas while also at the Curragh, Savethelastdance won the Juddmonte Irish Oaks, Luxembourg captured the Tattersalls Gold Cup with the Goffs Vincent O'Brien National Stakes going the way of Henry Longfellow.
Mrs Sue Magnier is Ireland’s champion owner once again. Mrs Magnier narrowly gets the better of her fellow Coolmore partners Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith and Georg von Opel’s Westerberg Ireland to retain the title.
Suzanne Eade, CEO of Horse Racing Ireland, commented: “Our horses campaigning competitively on the international stage reflects so well on our racing and breeding industry and on Ireland itself. In the coming days, the Breeders’ Cup and Melbourne Cup present the opportunity for Irish-trained horses to shine once again and as we count down to those meetings, I congratulate our 2023 champions and thank everyone who contributed to another wonderful season.”
