The QIBCO British Championships Series at Ascot drew the curtain on the 2024 Flat Season with the 29 year-old Oisin Murphy claiming his fourth Champion Flat Jockey title.
“This is something I really tried to achieve this year,” Oisin said “as I have had great support from so many trainers and owners, and having a fair lead I’ve enjoy it over the last month or so.”
“It’s taken a lot of hard work from my agent Gavin Horne, and with the one meeting a day rule, its paramount he chooses the correct meeting, which is not easy when there are three or four.”
“I think he has done a great job, and that has been key to me riding so many winners” with this year’s campaign ending with 163 winners, more than 50 clear of his closest challenger Rossa Ryan.
In originally claiming the title in 2019, 2020 and 2021, Oisin had finished second to William Buick in 2023, having been unable to defend his title in 2022 owing to a 14-month suspension.
This season’s highlights for the Irishman include a Group 1 double at Royal Ascot aboard the Australian Asfoora in the King Charles III Stakes and Khaadem in the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes.
“It’s high pressure, especially when you are going racing everyday with chances, which I am lucky enough to be doing, and thankfully I had a good Royal Ascot, Glorious Goodwood and York.”
“The British weighing room is full of stars and one of the most competitive weighing rooms, where there are so many Group 1 winning jockeys and many of them are young and ambitious.”
“There are many races that I have not won, including the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe and the Derby, with the Arc having so much international appeal, while the Derby has so much history.”
Irish trainer Aidan O’Brien claimed his seventh British Flat Trainer’s Championship, the first time having won the title since 2017, with the season officially run from 1 January to 31 December.
The Ballydoyle maestro leads by more than £3 million with City of Troy his chief earner in claiming a Group 1 hat-trick in the Betfred Derby, Coral-Eclipse and Juddmonte International Stakes.
Kyprios won all seven starts this year headed by the Gold Cup, Jan Brueghel led home a one-two for the stable in the St Leger while his juveniles Lake Victoria and Camille Pissaro excelled.
“It is a big team effort from everyone in Ballydoyle and Coolmore,” said Aiden O’Brien “as there are so many special people in so many different areas that if I started talking about them.”
“You can have the horses and the place but, if you don’t have the people it won’t happen, and the owners are the people who put the resources in every year, to try and help us make it better.”
“We do our best, give information back, and try to follow the roadmap that they draw for us as some years it goes very well, some years it is ordinary, and some years it is medium.”
“This was a good year for us, as we won plenty of good races and I’m just delighted for everybody when we do have a good year as we don’t take anything for granted and look to the future.”
Godolphin was crowned Champion Owner in Britain for a 16th time with Notable Speech winning the 2000 Guineas and Sussex Stakes, and the stable earning over £4 million in prize money.
Shadow Of Light is possibly looking for the European 2YO Champion honours in claiming the Middle Park stakes and Dewhurst Stakes, while Desert Flower won all four including the Fillies Mile.
Sean Dylan Bowen took out the Champion Apprentice title with 45 winning rides, and is based in Newmarket with James Owen since moving from Ireland this season, while former jockey and trainer Jack Berry MBE and connections of Dubai Millennium and Goldikova were presented with QIPCO British Champions Series Hall of Fame medals.