HORSE RACING IRELAND AWARD NOMINEES
NATIONAL HUNT AWARD
HENRY DE BROMHEAD
A fine year for the yard which saw the fantastic Sizing Europe retired after a brilliant 22-winning race
career and while a horse like him will be very hard to replace, there are some very promising types in
the stable none more so than Sizing John. A Grade 1 winning novice hurdler, he landed the Paddy
Power Future Champions Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown before finishing placed behind Douvan at
the Cheltenham and Punchestown Festivals. Sizing John made a great start to his chasing career by
winning the Craddockstown Novice Chase at Punchestown in November while Three Stars looked
smart in winning The For Auction Novice Hurdle at Navan. There were a couple of fine wins in Britain
with Special Tiara taking the Grade 1 AP McCoy Celebration Chase at Sandown and The Desert
Orchid Chase at Kempton while Sizing Granite took The Maghull Novice Chase at Aintree. Back
home, Shanahan’s Turn took the Galway Plate and Sadler’s Risk won the Munster National at
Limerick with the likes of Identity Thief and Elegant Statesman also chipping in with notable wins.
GORDON ELLIOTT
An excellent year for Gordon who sent out 92 winners in Ireland in the 2014/15 season with plenty
of big race victories along the way. The undoubted star of the stable was Don Cossack who suffered
his only defeat in an eight-race campaign in the Ryanair Chase at the Cheltenham Festival and after
winning his first two races this season, he is now a leading contender for Cheltenham Gold Cup
honours next March. The Durkan Chase, The Melling Chase at Aintree and the Punchestown Gold
Cup were three Grade 1 races won by Don Cossack while Clarcam won twice at Grade 1 level (The
Racing Post Novice Chase at Leopardstown & The Manifesto Novice Chase at Aintree) and another
Cheltenham Festival success was enjoyed when Cause Of Causes landed the National Hunt Chase.
Bayan’s victory in the valuable Ladbroke Hurdle at Ascot was another highlight and with promising
horses like No More Heroes, Tycoon Prince, Death Duty, General Principle and Tombstone in the
yard, another big year is likely for the County Meath stable.
WILLIE MULLINS
The Master of Closutton enjoyed another hugely successful season with a record-breaking eight
winners at the Cheltenham Festival being the undoubted highlight. Faugheen gave him a third
Champion Hurdle while novice chasers Un De Sceaux, Don Poli and Vautour were all impressive
winners in their respective races. The Punchestown Festival saw no fewer than 10 Grade 1 races
being notched up, which meant that the 2014/2015 season ended with a remarkable 30 successes
worldwide at the highest level. The Galway Festival also proved to be a big week for the stable with
eight winners while the recent success of Nichols Canyon in the Morgiana Hurdle indicates that
stable companion Faugheen will have a fight on his hands in next year’s Champion Hurdle.
RUBY WALSH
Another tremendous year for the County Kildare-born rider who captured his 10th Irish Champion
N.H. Jockeys’ Title while his four winners at the Cheltenham Festival in March saw him crowned
leading rider there for the 9th time in the last 12 years. He partnered Faugheen to victory in the
Christmas Hurdle at Kempton while old favourite Hurricane Fly gave Ruby another Irish Champion
Hurdle success in late January. A notable gap in Ruby’s cv was filled in when Djakadam gave him a
first success in the Thyestes Chase at Gowran Park while another old favourite, Thousand Stars,
belied his advancing years with a hard fought and thrilling success in the recent Grand Prix
d’Automne Hurdle at Auteuil. Having won many Nationals over the years, Ruby was seen to great
effect when guiding Bashboy to a memorable success in the Australian Grand National at Ballarat
Racecourse in August.
MARK WALSH
Mark was unlucky not to collect his first Champion N.H. Jockeys’ Title this year having suffered an
injury in March as he only finished up four winners behind Ruby Walsh at season’s end. His 75
winners was a fine total and this very efficient and polished professional enjoyed some notable
successes with an excellent Grade 1 triumph on Jezki in the Ladbrokes World Series Hurdle at the
Punchestown Festival, one of five winners at the meeting for him which also included a tremendous
big race double on Gallant Oscar in the Palmerstown House Pat Taaffe H’cap S’chase (Grade B) and
Sort It Out in the Setanta H’cap Hurdle (Grade B) on the final day. During the season, there were also
other important wins on Kitten Rock (Red Mills Hurdle), Noble Emperor (Ten Up Novice Chase) and
Free Expression (Monksfield Novice Hurdle) while he enjoyed a particularly good time at the
Limerick Christmas Festival Meeting with five winners including Gilgamboa in the Shannon Airport
Novice Chase and in more recent times he was seen to good effect on Plinth when winning the
Istabraq Hurdle (Grade 2) at Tipperary.
FLAT AWARD
COLIN KEANE
One of Ireland’s brightest young talents, Colin can look back on 2015 with a lot of satisfaction. He
finished ahead of many seasoned professionals (Kevin Manning, Shane Foley and Fran Berry
included) by taking second place in the Jockeys Championship with a healthy 65 winners and has
really handled the pressure of being stable jockey to the Ger Lyons yard very well in the last two
seasons. At just 21 years of age, Colin has a lot to look forward to and while he has to work hard to
keep his weight in check his victories on Ainippe in the Ballyogan Stakes and the Brownstown Stakes
along with Bear Cheek’s win in the Curragh Stakes and Blue De Vega’s win in the Killavullan Stakes
brought his Group race total to four for the year. Other notable wins were gained on Promised
Money in the Excelebration Stakes, Waipu Cove in the Coolmore Canford Cliff Stakes (both at
Tipperary) and Queen Catrine in the Garnet Stakes at Naas while he was also successful on
Convergence in the Patton Stakes at Dundalk, Argentero in the Rochestown Stakes at Naas and
Tennessee Wildcat in the Glencairn Stakes at Leopardstown.
AIDAN O’BRIEN
Another fantastic year for the Master Of Ballydoyle with 15 Group 1s worldwide and while he failed
to add to his tremendous record in either of the English or Irish Derby, Aidan still managed to win
both the English 2000 Guineas (for the 7th time) with Gleneagles and the Epsom Oaks (for the 5th
time) with Qualify while Bondi Beach was unlucky not to add the St Leger. Gleneagles also took the
St James Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot while Highland Reel took the Secretariat Stakes in America and
the juveniles Minding (Fillies Mile), Air Force Blue (Dewhurst Stakes) and Ballydoyle (Prix Marcel
Boussac) all played a starring role before Found (Breeders Cup Turf) and Hit It A Bomb (Breeders Cup
Juvenile Turf) rounded off a great season. At home, Gleneagles gave him a 10th Irish 2000 Guineas
while Order Of St George ran away with the Irish St Leger and Diamondsandrubies took the Pretty
Polly Stakes. In the shape of Air Force Blue (Keeneland Phoenix Stakes & National Stakes) and
Minding (Moyglare Stud Stakes), the yard already have the two strong favourites for next year’s
English 2000 & 1000 Guineas and plenty more big race success awaits in 2016.
PAT SMULLEN
Once it became apparent that Joseph O’Brien would not be riding on as regular a basis during 2015,
it was always long odds-on that Pat would be Champion Jockey again barring accidents and he was
never in the slightest danger of defeat from early in the season. Eventually he landed his 8th
Champion Flat Jockeys’ Crown with 103 winners in another memorable year and Pat once again
showed on the international stage that he is very much a force to be reckoned with. A brilliant win
on Free Eagle in the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot was followed just three days later by
victory on Sir Michael Stoute’s Snow Sky in the Hardwicke Stakes before the Hugo Palmer trained
Covert Love gave him a first success in the Darley Irish Oaks at the Curragh in July. Covert Love gave
him another winner at the top level when this classy filly battled to a brave success in the Prix de
l’Opera at Longchamp on Arc day while there was more Group 1 glory on Fascinating Rock in the
QIPCO Champion Stakes at Ascot in late October. Other notable wins at home came on Mustajeeb in
the Greenlands Stakes, Brooch in the Lanwades Stud Stakes, Carla Bianca in the Meld Stakes and
Zannda in the Give Thanks Stakes while he also teamed up with Fascinating Rock to win the
Mooresbridge Stakes at the Curragh and the KPMG Enterprise Stakes at Leopardstown.
DAVID WACHMAN
A memorable campaign for the David Wachman stable with stable star Legatissimo winning no less
than three Group 1 races and she also finished second in another three races at the highest level.
She took the English 1000 Guineas at Newmarket, the Nassau Stakes at Goodwood and the Matron
Stakes at Leopardstown having also failed by a short head in the Epsom Oaks and by the same
margin in the Pretty Polly Stakes at the Curragh. Legatissimo was not the only filly to fly the flag for
the yard with Curvy also proving to be a real money spinner. Winner of two Navan handicaps in April
and May, she improved with every run eventually winning the Gallinule Stakes at the Curragh and
then beating the dual Group 1 winner, Pleascach, in the Ribblesdale Stakes at Royal Ascot. She
finished an honourable third in the Irish Oaks at the Curragh and was also a close up fourth in the
Yorkshire Oaks before rounding off a terrific year with victory in the Grade 1 E.P. Taylor Stakes at
Woodbine in Canada. David also enjoyed two notable big handicap wins with Hint Of A Tint in the
Topaz Mile at Galway and the Irish Cambridgeshire while Torcedor landed the Northfields Handicap
at the Curragh on Champions Weekend. Other notable wins came courtesy of Most Beautiful in the
Grangecon Stud Stakes at the Curragh and Off Limits in the Cairn Rouge Stakes at Killarney.
DERMOT WELD
Another great season for the Weld yard with 76 winners in Ireland on the Flat and more Group 1
success courtesy of Free Eagle in the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot and Fascinating Rock in
the QIPCO Champion Stakes at Ascot on Champions Day. Fascinating Rock’s win on Champions Day
means that Dermot is currently the leading trainer at that meeting with four wins since the event
began in 2011 which is a fine achievement in itself. At home, Fascinating Rock won the Heritage
Stakes and the KPMG Enterprise Stakes at Leopardstown and also the Mooresbridge Stakes at the
Curragh while Mustajeeb took the Greenlands Stakes and Tanaza was one of several promising twoyear-olds and she took the Silver Flash Stakes at Leopardstown. Brooch was a Group 2 winner in the
Lanwades Stud Stakes at the Curragh while Tested (Coolmore Fairy Bridge Stakes), Silver Concorde
(Tote November H’cap) and Zannda (Give Thanks Stakes & Trigo Stakes) all posted good wins at
Stakes level while the yard also enjoyed success at the Cheltenham Festival with Windsor Park
winning the Neptune Investment Novice Hurdle.
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT
JONATHAN BURKE
At just 19 years of age, Jonathan enjoyed an excellent season with big race victories on Sizing John in
the Paddy Power Future Champions Novice Hurdle (Grade 1) at Leopardstown while another Grade 1
victory followed on Sizing Granite in the Maghull Novices Chase at Aintree on Grand National Day.
Further big race success followed on Shanahan’s Turn in the Tote.com Galway Plate at the Galway
Festival in late July.
NINA CARBERRY
Completed a remarkable treble on the Enda Bolger-trained On The Fringe as the pair combined to
win the Cheltenham Foxhunters Chase and the Aintree Foxhunters Chase (first to complete that
particular double since 1993) and then for good measure went on to take the Punchestown
Champion Hunters Chase.
GAIL CARLISLE
The groom in charge of the history maker, Hurricane Fly, the 22-time Grade One winner over hurdles
in a remarkable career. This brilliant hurdler was a very quirky customer who was difficult to handle
at times but Gail was never far from his side and looked after him superbly for seven very successful
years.
SEAMIE HEFFERNAN
A real stalwart of the Aidan O’Brien yard who continues to deliver big race winners on a regular
basis, Seamie completed a tremendous hat-trick of Grade 1 victories in 2015 courtesy of Minding
(Moyglare Stud Stakes at the Curragh), Highland Reel (Secretariat Stakes in Arlington, America) and
Diamondsandrubies (Sea The Stars Pretty Polly Stakes also at the Curragh).
SANDRA HUGHES/KATIE WALSH
This duo completed a fairytale success by becoming the first ever female trainer and female rider
combination to win the Irish Grand National with Thunder And Roses since the race began in 1870.
Sandra took over the licence after the sad passing of her father, Dessie, the previous November and
promptly sent out Lieutenant Colonel to win 2 Grade One races (Hattons Grace Hurdle & Squared
Financial Christmas Hurdle) while Katie is no stranger to National success having partnered Your
Busy to land the Kerry National at Listowel the previous September.
CONNOR KING
Despite having to battle to keep his weight in check, Connor landed the 2015 Apprentice Champion
Crown for the second time in three years with 29 winners which included a big race win on Colour
Blue in the Dubai Duty Free Fillies Premier Handicap at the Curragh on Derby Day.
TONY MARTIN
The Guinness Galway Hurdle is the richest handicap race run in Ireland and is always fiercely
competitive. However, for the second consecutive year Tony saddled the winner of the race in the
shape of Quick Jack having sent out Thomas Edison to score 12 months previously. Indeed, Tony
could well have achieved a notable 1-2 in the race as Thomas Edison was mounting a challenge when
falling at the last while Ted Veale also ran a cracker to finish a good third.
HORSE OF THE YEAR
DON COSSACK
Enjoyed a terrific time of things in the 2014/2015 National Hunt season with only one defeat in eight
starts. Commenced his campaign with a good win at Punchestown in October before taking the
Powers Whiskey Chase at Down Royal in early November. He then recorded his first Grade 1 of the
season in the John Durkan Memorial Chase at Punchestown before taking the Kinloch Brae Chase at
Thurles in January. Sent to Cheltenham as favourite for the Ryanair Chase, a costly mistake late on in
the race meant he had to settle for third place but he rounded off the season in great style with
decisive victories in the Melling Chase at Aintree and in the Punchestown Gold Cup. This classy
performer has continued in the winning vein this season with wins in the Star Best For Racing
Coverage Chase at Punchestown and the JNWine.com Champion Chase at Down Royal and is a
leading fancy for the Cheltenham Gold Cup next March.
FAUGHEEN
Went through the season unbeaten with decisive and impressive victories in the Ascot Hurdle in
November before taking the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton on St Stephen’s Day by an easy eight
lengths. He then justified favouritism in the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham with a power packed
front running display before rounding off his campaign with another comfortable success at the
Punchestown Festival. Was surprisingly beaten by stable companion Nichols Canyon in the Morgiana
Hurdle at Punchestown in November but remains a very high-class hurdler and is the current
favourite to win back-to-back Champion Hurdles at Cheltenham next March.
GLENEAGLES
A top-class two year old in 2014 where he was first past the post on five of his six outings,
Gleneagles commenced his season with an impressive two and a quarter length success in the
English 2000 Guineas at Newmarket in early May. Three weeks later he became the first horse to
complete the English and Irish 2000 Guineas double since Henrythenavigator in 2008 when
overcoming ground softer than ideal to take the Tattersalls Irish 2000 Guineas in workmanlike
fashion before recording another impressive success in the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot in
June. Unfortunately, he was then forced to miss a number of engagements due to unsuitable ground
conditions and it was not until late October before he got a chance to race again where he finished
sixth in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot and then found the dirt surface all against him when
finishing in rear in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Keeneland.
LEGATISSIMO
A promising juvenile filly in 2014, David Wachman’s star performer enjoyed an excellent 2015 and
with a bit more luck, she may well have ended up winning five Group 1 races instead of the three
that she did win. Only fourth on her seasonal debut at Leopardstown in early April, she took a listed
race at Gowran Park two weeks later and then managed to win the English 1000 Guineas just seven
days after that before getting nabbed in the very last stride by 50/1 shot Qualify in the Epsom Oaks
having looked the most likely winner everywhere bar the line. Dropped back down to 10 furlongs,
she again met with a very narrow defeat in the Pretty Polly Stakes at the Curragh before comfortably
taking the Nassau Stakes at Goodwood in early August. She then showed her great versatility and
her undoubted class when stepping down to a mile to win the Matron Stakes at Leopardstown in
terrific style before rounding off the year with another runner-up placing in the Breeders’ Cup Fillies
and Mares Turf Race in America.
NICHOLS CANYON
A tremendous year for Nichols Canyon with his recent victory over Faugheen in the Morgiana Hurdle
at Punchestown his fifth Grade one success in a 12-month period. His jumping was far from
impressive when he took a maiden hurdle at Cork in early November but he improved considerably
when taking the Royal Bond Novice Hurdle at Fairyhouse three weeks later. A bad mistake at the
third flight resulted in him departing the scene early in the Future Champions Novice Hurdle at
Leopardstown in late December but he got back on the winning trail when making most of the
running to take the Deloitte Novice Hurdle in early February. Nichols Canyon then started favourite
for the Neptune Investment Novice Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival but had to settle for third
place behind Windsor Park but he rounded off the campaign with more two Grade 1 victories in the
Martell Mersey Novice Hurdle at Aintree and the Tattersalls Ireland Champion Novice Hurdle at
Punchestown respectively and is clearly a high-class performer.
UN DE SCEAUX
A top hurdler in the previous season, this very talented individual came into his own over fences last
term and apart from a blip on his chasing debut at Thurles in November, he was unbeaten in four
subsequent outings. A wide margin winner of a beginners event at Fairyhouse in December, he was
very impressive in the Arkle Novice Chase at Leopardstown and any fears that this highly strung sort
would boil over at Cheltenham were well wide of the mark as he justified 4/6 favouritism with an
assured display to win the Racing Post Arkle Trophy by six lengths. Punchestown was his last port of
call for the season and resulted in another comfortable success in the Ryanair Novice Chase and this
high-class performer is the current favourite for the Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham
next March.
POINT-TO-POINT
DEREK O’CONNOR
There are not many records within Point-to-Points that Derek O’Connor has not broken to date and
this season marked one of his greatest landmark moments when recording his 1,000th point-to-point
winner at Cragmore in February, a feat never previously achieved in the history of Irish point-topoint racing. When factoring in that there are only approximately 60 days of racing between the
flags each season, in a career where his first winner only came during the 2001/02 season, some 14
years ago, the magnitude of this achievement is brought into real perspective.
Not only did he reach that historic landmark, but O’Connor also re-gained the National Rider’s title
which he had lost the previous season, which marked an eleventh national title success for him,
including ten straight titles on the bounce between 2004 and 2013. One of the most talented riders
to ever grace the point-to-point fields, he also holds the record for the most winners’ achieved in a
season when accumulating 113 victories at the end of the 2009 campaign.
ENDA BOLGER
Within the modern era, only three horses, Spartan Missile (1979), Grittar (1981) and Double Silk
(1993) have completed the Cheltenham and Aintree Foxhunters double within the same year,
however last season On The Fringe went a step further by adding the Champion Hunter Chase at the
Punchestown Festival to complete his clean sweep of the three main Hunter Chases at the big Spring
Festivals. Trained by Limerick-based Enda Bolger, the ten-year-old was mightily impressive when
taking the Cheltenham Foxhunters by a massive 17 lengths, before jumping simply sublimely over
the Aintree National fences as he eased to victory in the Liverpool equivalent four weeks later. A
further gap of just three weeks was no hindering factor to further success as he completed the clean
sweep at Punchestown the following month, all under his regular partner Nina Carberry.
Bolger’s talents lie not just with preparing horses for the point-to-point, Hunter Chase and Cross
Country discipline’s which he is so often associated with, as his Gilgamboa, scooped the Grade 1
Ryanair Novices’ Chase at the Fairyhouse Irish Grand National meeting when beating The Tullow
Tank in hugely successful campaign for Bolger.
JAMIE CODD
Jamie Codd enjoyed a dream Cheltenham Festival when winning two of the three races restricted to
Qualified Riders at the showpiece event in March. Kick-starting his week with success in the Toby
Balding National Hunt Chase aboard Cause Of Causes, who is trained by Gordon Elliott, with whom
Codd has enjoyed significant success aboard his point-to-pointers in recent times, the Wexford rider
had to be at his very best aboard the JP McManus owned gelding, to guide the seven-year-old to
victory under a confidence-inspiring patient ride. Completing his dream week in the Cotswolds, Codd
brought-up his Cheltenham Festival double in the Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Chase on The Package for
David Pipe, a trainer with whom he had previously enjoyed success for in the corresponding race at
the 2011 Festival aboard Junior.
Cheltenham was not the only Festival at which Codd enjoyed success at, as he was soon in the
winners enclosure at Punchestown later in the Spring when steering Gordon Elliott’s Petit Mouchoir
to victory in the Land Rover Bumper. In addition to his big Festival successes, Codd was awarded his
tenth Eastern riders champion title following 69 point-to-point successes, a title which he has now
won every year on the bounce since 2006.
DONNCHADH DOYLE
The 2014/15 season has to be considered the year that marked the real breakthrough for
Donnchadh Doyle as a trainer in point-to-points, and what a rapid climb to the top it has been for
the Wexford man. Having only saddled his first winner during the 2010/11 term, just four years later
his season ending tally had multiplied to twenty-eight winners from a total of 131 runners which
returned an impressive 21% strike rate for the season. When it is considered that fourteen of these
winners came in ultra-competitive four-year-old maidens, the strength and quantity within his
youngster division is unrivalled with no other handler enjoying such success in the four-year-old
category.
Associated with a number very smart types including Monbeg Dude, whom he owned whilst working
at Colin Bowe’s yard before selling the Witness Box gelding to Michael Scudamore following his
Nenagh maiden success, for whom he won a Welsh National and was placed in last season’s Aintree
Grand National. In a nice touch, it was Bowe with whom he shared his first Handler’s title, with the
pair both ending the season on twenty-eight winners.
LIZ LALOR
Liz Lalor has been one of the leading ladies’ to ply her trade in Irish point-to-point scene over the last
number of years, and her name has been a near constant presence in the race to be the Champion
Lady rider with last season producing one of her most successful season’s on record. Teaming-up to
great success with the mare Carrigeen Acebo, who was trained and bred by her father Dick, and
owned by her mother Anne, the pair combined for success on seven occasions during the season
earning the mare the honour of Champion mare and joint-Champion point-to-pointer, whilst for
Lalor a further four winners during the campaign brought her to the eleven winner mark and
secured her the Ladies title. That marked a fourth Ladies Title for Lalor and just one shy of her
personal best of twelve winners in a season. Away from the Pointing fields and Lalor also enjoyed
her first success as a trainer under rules when De Name Escapes Me, whom she also rode to success
took a Bumper at Clonmel in February, one of two Bumper successes on the track for Lalor during
the latest season.
DON ATKINSON
Don Atkinson had his first ride in a point to point in 1978 and his first winner in 1983 aboard Blind
Ambition at Kilworth. Now thirty-seven years later he is still riding and enjoying it more than ever. A
hugely enthusiastic rider he is arguably one of the fittest riders on the circuit and still riding winners.
Last season he rode three winners and already in the first few weeks of this season he has ridden
two winners aboard Ringrone Castle and is well on his way to matching last season’s total.
Thoroughly enjoying his riding the Cork-based Don remains enthusiastic and capable of delivering
when given the chance. He won this year’s Personality of the year at the Point-To-Point Awards and
confirmed he has no intention of retiring any time soon. He would dearly love to ride a track winner
and Ringrone Castle who is now a dual winner this season could well be the answer in a Hunter
Chase in the coming months.