DES Scahill, Pat Smullen and Enda Bolger were among the recipients of awards as the racing year of 2015 was celebrated on Monday in Dublin.

The 2015 Horse Racing Ireland Awards were being staged for the 13th time and it was a lucky number for many who were being honoured for the first time. In the unavoidable absence of Minister Simon Coveney the Minister of State for Food, Horticulture and Food Safety Tom Hayes deputised.

Brian Kavanagh delivered the citation for the Contribution to the Industry award to the hugely popular Des Scahill who started his career in racing as an apprentice, most notably with Dermot Weld’s father Charlie. He also had a long association with Mick O’Toole who was the award recipient last year and who was in attendance. He named the Cheltenham Gold Cup win for Dawn Run as his best commentary. Other previous winners of this award, first presented to Con Collins in 2004, at the event were Jim Bolger and Dermot Weld.

The coveted Horse of the Year award was also first introduced in 2004 and won by Vinnie Roe. Six flat and five National Hunt horses have featured among the previous winners but this year there was a tie for the title with Don Cossack, who carried the colours of Gigginstown House Stud and is trained by Gordon Elliott, sharing the limelight with Susannah Ricci’s Faugheen who is handled by Willie Mullins.

Rich Ricci was on hand to accept the award and he spoke to MC Ivan Yates about his enjoyment of Irish racing and his hopes for his many runners in the months ahead. Mullins told the audience that Faugheen was back to his best at home and, pressed that there was a story going about that the horse had an injured back, said “it’s not a rumour around our yard”. Eddie O’Leary did not rule Don Cossack out of the Lexus Chase at Leopardstown, though Willie Mullins indicated he was most likely to be at Kempton.

There is a new name on the point-to-point award, that of Enda Bolger. Derek O’Connor four times and J T McNamara and Jamie Codd were previous multiple winners of the accolade but this time it was Bolger whose name was announced. Last season his On The Fringe set a new mark when adding the champion hunter chase at Punchestown to his Foxhunter wins at Cheltenham and Aintree. Bolger also saddled Gilgamboa to win a Grade 1 chase at Fairyhouse.

Pat Smullen will hope to embellish his flat award win by partnering Free Eagle to victory this weekend in Hong Kong. The popular Offaly native won his eighth rider’s title this year with 103 successes, while other highlights included two Royal Ascot wins, the Irish Oaks on Covert Love and the British Champion Stakes with Fascinating Rock. He nominated Navan juvenile winner Emergent as one to watch for 2016.

Barry Geraghty and Davy Russell are the only men who have prevented Ruby Walsh and Willie Mullins from landing a clean sweep of the National Hunt prize. Walsh won it five years in succession but now Mullins has crept ahead and he accepted the Siobhan Bulfin sculpture as he was named the winner for the sixth time in seven years. He also gave those present at the lunch some horses to follow for the rest of the season, sounding notably keen on Admiral Chief. Mullins’ year included eight Cheltenham Festival wins and 10 Grade 1 wins at the Punchestown Festival.

The 19-year-old Jonathan Burke dedicated his outstanding achievement award to his late mother whose 14th anniversary is about this time and his memorable year included victories on Sizing John, Sizing Granite and Shanahan’s Turn.

While Punchestown won one of the four special categories on the racecourse awards, Leopardstown claimed the other three, and then was announced as the Racecourse of the Year. They were repeating their success of last year and these awards are voted on by the Racegoers’ Consultative Forum members.

AWARD WINNERS

HORSE OF THE YEAR

Winners: Don Cossack and Faugheen

Other nominees: Gleneagles, Legatissimo, Nichols Canyon and Un De Sceaux

NATIONAL HUNT

Winner: Willie Mullins

Other nominees: Henry de Bromhead, Gordon Elliott, Mark Walsh and Ruby Walsh

FLAT

Winner: Pat Smullen

Other nominees: Colin Keane, Aidan O’Brien, David Wachman and Dermot Weld

POINT-TO-POINT

Winner: Enda Bolger

Other nominees: Derek O’Connor, Jamie Codd, Donnchadh Doyle, Liz Lalor and Don Atkinson

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT

Winner: Jonathan Burke

Other nominees: Nina Carberry, Gail Carlisle, Seamie Heffernan, Sandra Hughes/Katie Walsh, Connor King and Tony Martin

CONTRIBUTION TO THE INDUSTRY

Winner: Des Scahill

RACECOURSE OF THE YEAR

Winner: Leopardstown

Category winners: Punchestown (most family-friendly) and Leopardstown (best information services, best catering and best raceday entertainment)

The nominees are selected by the HRI awards committee and this year the members were Mark Costello, Tony O’Hehir, Niall Cronin, Gary O’Brien, Richard Pugh, Tommy Lyons, Brian Kavanagh, Jason Morris and Martin Murphy

Awards were presented by Minister Tom Hayes and announced by Elizabeth Jones, John Duggan, Des Scahill, Mark Costello, Denis Kirwan, Brian Kavanagh and Brian O’Connor.