VERY few things are greeted with almost unanimous positivity in the world of racing, but Jack Kennedy getting his hands on a first Irish National Hunt Jockeys’ Championship trophy this past spring probably fell into that rare category.

A season earlier at Naas in January 2023, the elite-level rider from Co Kerry held a 20-winner lead in the title standings only to break his leg for a cruel fifth occasion in a season-ending fall. Paul Townend made the most of the leader’s absence to mop up his fifth straight championship, and sixth overall.