Andrew Slattery closes in on Champion Apprentice Jockey Title
Donnacha O'Brien is the clear favourite to retain Champion Jockey Title
Mrs John Magnier holds a narrow advantage in the Champion Owner Title race
Aidan O'Brien to retain Champion Trainer Title
The conclusion of the 2019 Flat season at Naas Racecourse on
Sunday, November 3 is fast approaching and the day will be marked by
presentations to the champion owner, trainer, jockey and apprentice.
The race for the apprentice championship is still up for
grabs but County Tipperary’s Andrew Slattery is certainly in pole position with
42 winners. He leads the 2017 champion Oisin Orr by two, the pair clear in the
table from last season’s champion Shane Crosse on 28 winners. Ben Coen, a
cousin of Slattery’s and joint-second in the championship last year, is next on
the list with 27 winners.
Champion Apprentice
Jockey Title Race
Andrew Slattery 42
Oisin Orr 40
Shane Crosse 28
Ben Coen 27
Donnacha O'Brien is on target to be crowned Champion Jockey
for the second successive year after another incredible season that saw him add
to his Classic haul in the QIPCO 2,000 Guineas on the Aidan O'Brien-trained
Magna Grecia. At home, Donnacha won the Group 2 Beresford Stakes on his
father’s Innisfree and the Group 2 Kilboy Estates Stakes on Red Tea, trained by
his brother, Joseph.
Broome, Mohawk, Latrobe, Buckhurst, Waitingfortheday and
Blenheim Palace were domestic Group 3 winners for Donnacha who has amassed 104
winners in Ireland this season and enjoys a five-winner lead over Colin Keane,
the 2017 champion, whose season’s highlight was the Group 1 success of the Ger
Lyons-trained Siskin in the Keeneland Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh in August.
If Keane can reach the 100-winner mark, it will be the first time that two Flat
jockeys have reached a century of winners in the same season.
Mrs John Magnier, seeking to become champion owner for the
18th time since 2000, holds a slender advantage over fellow Coolmore partners
Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith.
Aidan O'Brien is set to be the champion trainer once again,
an award he wins for the 22nd time. The Ballydoyle maestro, who turned 50 this
month, won the Tattersalls Irish 1,000 Guineas with Hermosa and the Dubai Duty
Free Irish Derby with Sovereign and enjoyed further Group 1 success with
Magical which won the Tattersalls Gold Cup and the QIPCO Irish Champion Stakes
and Fairyland and Love, winners of the Derrinstown Stud Flying Five Stakes and
the Moyglare Stud Stakes respectively.
All racehorse owners that have had runners on the Flat this
season will be entitled to complimentary admission to Naas on Sunday. To avail
of these free tickets, RSVP to [email protected] with owner name, address and
the number of tickets required.
There are six
meetings remaining in the 2019 Irish Flat season:
• Dundalk
on Friday October 25
•
Leopardstown on Saturday October 26
• Galway
on Monday October 28
• Dundalk on
Wednesday October 30
• Dundalk
on Friday November 1
• Naas on
Sunday November 3
