Presentations to the six National Hunt champions will be made by Mr Martin Heydon TD, Minister for Agriculture, Food, Fisheries and the Marine, on the final day of the 2024/2025 season at Punchestown on Saturday.
While two championship titles are still up for grabs, J.P. McManus, Willie Mullins and Patrick Mullins retain their crowns as champion owner, champion trainer and champion amateur rider respectively, while Paul Townend regains the jockeys’ championship.
However, the race to succeed Danny Gilligan as champion conditional jockey will only be confirmed this week with championship leader Tiernan Power Roche (29 winners) holding a two-winner advantage over John Shinnick, with Cian Quirke (25 winners) currently lying in third place, one winner ahead of Alex Harvey in fourth.
Similarly, Jody Townend begins the week two winners ahead of Áine O’Connor in the race to become the leading lady rider. Jody is chasing her fifth title in a row and her eight winners at home this season includes success on her subsequent Cheltenham Festival winner Bambino Fever in the Grade 2 Coolmore NH Sires EBF Mares INH Flat Race at Leopardstown’s Dublin Racing Festival in early February. Among O’Connor’s winners so far this term was Brave Crogha, the 200/1 winner of the Guinness Time INH Flat Race on the Thursday of the Galway Festival.
The champions for the 2024/2025 National Hunt season are:
Champion Owner: J.P. McManus
Champion Trainer: Willie Mullins
Champion Jockey: Paul Townend
Champion Conditional: TBC
Champion Amateur: Patrick Mullins
Champion Lady Amateur: TBC
For the 22nd time and for the fifth season running, J.P. McManus will be our champion owner. In Ireland, his Fact To File and Majborough were Grade 1 winners while Perceval Legallois was his biggest money spinner when taking the Paddy Power Handicap Chase at the Leopardstown Christmas Festival and the Race And Stay Leopardstown Handicap Hurdle at the Dublin Racing Festival.
McLaurey also gave his owner a major handicap success when winning the Timeless Sash Windows Handicap Hurdle at the Dublin Racing Festival while the mares Bioluminescence and Nara were Grade 2 winners, along with Irancy, with Canal End and Light Up The Dark also recording notable wins. While not a winner during the season, the now retired Any Second Now is currently JP McManus’ third-highest earner, behind Perceval Legallois and Fact To File, following his gallant runner-up finish, for the second year running, in the BoyleSports Irish Grand National.
Willie Mullins will be crowned champion trainer for the 19th time on the back of another hugely successful season on both sides of the Irish Sea. Heading into the week at Punchestown, success in the Savills Chase and the Paddy Power Gold Cup sees Galopin Des Champs as the only Closutton inmate to win two Grade 1 races in Ireland this season. The likes of State Man, Lossiemouth, Fact To File, Impaire Et Passe and Spindleberry also struck at the highest level for Mullins.
Townend crowned again
Paul Townend regains his title and will become champion jockey for the seventh time on Saturday. His season’s highlights are sure to include his terrific association with the likes of Grade 1 scorers Galopin Des Champs, State Man, Lossiemouth, Final Demand, Ballyburn and Kopek Des Bordes. Aurora Vega was Paul’s other Grade 1 winner in Ireland so far this season and as a four-time winner in all, she is also the biggest contributor to his tally, currently standing at 102 winners.
Patrick Mullins will be crowned champion amateur for the 17th time at the end of the week. Closing in on 900 career winners, his season was clearly highlighted by his win on Nick Rockett in the Aintree Grand National while closer to home, he heads into the Punchestown Festival on the 37 winner-mark, a haul that includes a win on Kalypso’chance in the Listed Irish EBF Future Champions INH Flat Race at Navan in December and a maiden hurdle success at Leopardstown’s Christmas Festival on Kopek Des Bordes, a subsequent Grade 1 winner at both the Dublin Racing Festival and the Cheltenham Festival.
Horse Racing Ireland Chief Executive, Suzanne Eade, said: “Michael O’Sullivan is most definitely to the forefront of everyone’s thoughts as the National Hunt season draws to a close. I hope everything that has been written and said about Michael in recent months is reflective of the man his parents William and Bernadette nourished and cherished.
“As he was very much a part of Willie Mullins’ team at Closutton, Michael’s contribution will certainly be remembered fondly as they celebrate their championship wins this week.
“My congratulations to Willie for his outstanding success in Ireland and Britain this season and to our other confirmed champions, J.P., Paul, and Patrick. My best wishes go to everyone involved in the tight finishes to the conditional jockeys’ championship and to Jody and Áine who have their sights focussed on becoming our leading lady rider.”
SHARING OPTIONS: