UNQUESTIONABLY one of the enduring and enthralling stories of the season was the battle for the jockey’s championship where Colin Keane eventually mastered the nine-times title holder Pat Smullen.

A winner of the apprentice jockey’s title in 2014, Keane posted a terrific tally of 77 victories last year to finish a clear second to Smullen in the championship but even better was to come this time. The understated Keane had laid down a notable marker within the first couple of months of the season and he maintained that momentum all the way to the season finale at Naas last month.

It is often the case that the six to seven week period that follows Irish Champions Weekend is a relatively quiet one in terms of the domestic flat season but this was certainly not the case in 2017 as the climax of the absorbing struggle between Keane and Smullen ensued.

Bolstered by the irresistible Ger Lyons team who were in stunning form from the very outset of the campaign, Keane’s relentless pursuit of a maiden title came to fruition during the last week of the season.

POINT OF NO RETURN

There came a point during the penultimate fixture of the season that victory for Smullen became impossible and this in turn gave rise to some memorable scenes as the campaign came to a close at Naas on November 5th.

Family, friends and well wishers, many of whom were sporting scarves and hats bearing Keane’s name, all turned out for the rider’s coronation and the manner in which this story captured the imagination should not be underestimated.

Indeed the reception Keane received when riding his first winner of the day at Naas was something to behold and the icing on the cake was a victory on Warnaq which moved Keane on to the 100-winner mark for the campaign. It was also entirely appropriate that Keane should notch up a maiden Group 1 victory in the final few days of the season when he struck on Tony Martin’s Laganore in Italy.

Too often the flat season loses all impetus during the last six weeks of the autumn but this year there was a meaningful and gripping narrative which resulted in a hugely popular success for Keane. The latter will surely be adding to his title haul in the coming years, while both he and Pat Smullen deserve every plaudit that comes their way for the way their carried themselves during a battle which ebbed and flowed almost every day for several months.