Flat season comes to a close at Leopardstown

The Flat season came to a close at Leopardstown this afternoon with Aidan O’Brien, Joseph O’Brien, Ronan Whelan and Derrick Smith taking the honours for 2012.

Following a closely fought battle with 6-time winner Pat Smullen, Joseph O’Brien was crowned Champion Jockey just one year after winning the Champion Apprentice title – a feat that hasn’t been achieved in over 60 years.

Additionally, a father and son combination winning Champion Trainer and Champion Jockey titles in the same year was last recorded in 1916.

Aidan O’Brien remains unrivalled on the Flat in Ireland, having held the Champion Trainer title continuously since 1998. Since the start of the 1997 season he has sent out some 46 Classic winners between Ireland and England, his latest being Camelot in the Irish Derby in June.

Derrick Smith, takes the Champion Owner crown once again. Smith has become a very well-known owner in the last number of years, primarily being involved with runners from Ballydoyle and usually in partnership with Mrs John Magnier and Michael Tabor. St Nicholas Abbey and Camelot are the most high-profile wearers of Smith’s colours.

Ronan Whelan was crowned Champion Apprentice Jockey after an excellent season in 2012 which finished with him recording a double at Leopardstown this afternoon including riding his first Listed winner aboard Lady Wingshot for his boss Jim Bolger in the Knockaire Stakes.

The talented 19-year old apprentice jockey from Monasterevin had twelve winners to spare over nearest rival Sam James. No stranger to success, Ronan (19) was crowned champion rider in the pony racing circuit in 2008 and has been riding at racecourses for three years, steadily improving and picking up more winners.

Ronan has ridden winners this season for 13 different stables which has seen his claim reduce to 3lbs in recent times. His tally for this season got to 30 wins out of 249 rides.

Trainer Jim Bolger presented the Champion Apprentice trophy to his young protégé. The custom-made perpetual Irish silver trophy designed on behalf of Horse Racing Ireland for the Champion has been made by master craftsmen from Alwright & Marshall, Fade Street, Dublin. The trophy is set on a mahogany base and engraved with the names of the champion apprentices since 1950.

Whelan also received a hand-made silver tankard with a solid silver horse’s head as its handle to keep as a memento of his achievements.

Presentations will be made to the Champion Trainer, Champion Jockey and Champion Owner at the HRI Awards, as they are participating in this evenings Breeders’ Cup meeting in Santa Anita.

Brian Kavanagh, Chief Executive, Horse Racing Ireland said:- “2012 has proved to be another excellent year for Irish Flat Trainers and Jockeys both at home and abroad, with an impressive tally of eight Irish winners at Royal Ascot and four of the five major races falling to Irish raiders on British Champions Day. Irish two-year-olds have dominated Group 1 races abroad, which augurs well for another successful flat season in 2013.

"Congratulations to Champion Trainer Aidan O’Brien, who almost completed a clean sweep of the British Classics and recorded his seventh consecutive success, and tenth in all, in the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby; to Aidan’s son Joseph, who will be crowned Champion Jockey for the first time at the age of just 19, this being the first time that a father and son have won these titles since 1916; to Champion Apprentice Ronan Whelan, also 19, who is the latest in a long line of talented jockeys to have come from Jim Bolger’s yard; and to Champion Owner Derrick Smith who of course enjoyed a fantastic year headlined by the success of Camelot and Excelebration."