THERE are jockeys who count ever winner, they note and notch their tallies like an accountant with a ledger, a golfer with a scorecard.

Then there are jockeys who simply ride, winners come, losers go and at the end of the day they look back and see where it stands. Well, they look when they’re asked.

Darren Nagle won his first steeplechase jockey championship last year, riding 18 winners from across the map – graded stakes for Hall of Fame trainer Jonathan Sheppard and perennial champion Jack Fisher and maiden claimers for the one-man bands who show up at far away hunt meets looking for a jockey who will give them a shot.

His approach before the 2017 season?

“I didn’t really have any plans, I really didn’t have anybody to ride for, I thought I would ride away for the smaller trainers, just keep doing it because I enjoy it.

“I thought that would be a good way to go about it and then whatever happens happens.”

As for this year, well, it was the same script. “I don’t really have anything planned,” said Nagle when asked about his 2018 prospects. “I won’t stress about it.”

Nagle didn’t stress all the way to his second title, winning 17 races to best Jack Doyle by one win, a maiden claimer on the last day making the difference.

Nagle won five of his last 11 races, while Doyle won just three of his last 50 races.

THE IRISH

The Irish infiltration of the American jocks’ room continued, the top 10 looking more like a jockey board at Clonmel. Nagle, Doyle, Ross Geraghty, Sean McDermott, Willie McCarthy, Gerard Galligan, Kieran Norris, Barry Foley.

Only world-traveller Michael Mitchell and apprentice Eric Poretz kept it from being a clean sweep for the Irish.

Nagle became the first jockey to win back-to-back titles since five-time champion Paddy Young.

“I wouldn’t change anything. I don’t get super excited when things are going well and I don’t get too depressed when things aren’t going well, just stay steady along,” Nagle said.

“I’ll try to ride for as long as I can. There comes a day for everybody, you’re either not enjoying it or you’re worried about it, whenever that day comes for me, it’ll come, but hopefully it’s not for a good while yet. I really enjoy it.”

George Mahoney Jr. engineered a stellar campaign to claim his first owner’s title.

Racing under Rosbrian Farm, Mahoney’s arsenal copped $712,050 to humble perennial leader Irv Naylor with $451,250.

Rosbrian concentrated on quality, winning 14 races from 54 starts, compared to Naylor’s 17 wins from 100 starts. Grade 1 stakes winners Zanjabeel and Optimus Prime anchored Rosbrian’s team.

Geraghty rode Zanjabeel, who wound up missing the fall season with a leg injury, and Optimus Prime, two-for-three on the season. Geraghty doesn’t mince words when it comes to the two of them.

“Machine,” Geraghty said after guiding Optimus Prime to a runaway win at the International Gold Cup in October. “He’s better than anything I’ve ever sat on, he’s electric. He can make you look good.

“I can’t compare him to anything, he’s tops as far as I’m concerned. He travels, he jumps, doesn’t make a difference what way he meets them, he’s got a turn of foot. He’s the real deal.”

Purchased out of Dan Skelton’s yard, Optimus Prime won twice over hurdles in France and three times over fences in Britain.

JURY DUTY

Irish-bred Jury Duty led all runners with $270,000, thanks to his win in the Grand National at Far Hills, edging Zanjabeel and Optimus Prime for the top slot. Irish-breds Show Court, a stakes winner at Saratoga, and Belisarius, a stakes winner at Far Hills, cracked the top 10.

Jack Fisher managed to win his 12th trainer championship, wrestling a one-win margin to stave off Ricky Hendriks. Fisher has dominated the standings over the last decade but wound up in a lockstep battle with the upstart Hendriks. A triple at Callaway Gardens on the penultimate weekend sealed the deal for the 12-time champion.

Doc Cebu won four of five starts to claim champion timber honors, earning $102,000. Owned by Charlie Fenwick and trained by Fisher, the free-running son of Hard Spun continued his perplexing transformation from grizzled flat claimer to dynamic timber stalwart.

“I don’t know makes him good... what makes timber horses good? I don’t know. What made Saluter so good? I don’t know. Well, Saluter never got tired,” Fisher said, referring to his six-time Virginia Gold Cup winner.

“This horse, his jumping is so good – over these (smaller) fences. I seriously don’t think he’s a big-fence horse. He’s quick, but he doesn’t spend any time rocking back, he doesn’t judge a fence, he just goes down and jumps. He tears the hell out of his hind legs but he gives you a lot of confidence.”

Haddon Frost, better known now as Bryony’s brother, guided Doc Cebu throughout the season.

American steeplechasing takes a four-month break in the winter, returning for the Aiken Steeplechase in March.