HAVING received his champion jockey’s trophy to great acclaim earlier in the afternoon, Billy Lee finished the season in style at the Curragh when winning the QuinnBet Finale Stakes on 2/1 favourite Thread Of Gold, which was his final ride of a memorable campaign.

The Ghaiyyath gelding, trained by Willie Mullins for Team Valor International and Gary Barber, was an impressive winner, easing to the front over a furlong out to beat Contorsion by three and a half lengths.

Lee finished the season on 99 winners, 20 more than his closest pursuer Colin Keane.

Assistant trainer David Casey commented: “His work had been very good during the week. Billy thinks he’ll be better on better ground, which was a bit surprising as I thought he’d handle the cut well.

“I think he might strengthen up over the winter and hopefully he’ll be a lovely horse for next year. He might be able to step up a bit in grade as well.”

Amelia completes double

After three winners at the Breeders’ Cup meeting at Keeneland, Aidan O’Brien rounded off the domestic season with a double, which was completed by Amelia Earhart (2/1 favourite) in the QuinnBet Loughbrown Stakes over two miles.

The Coolmore-owned Camelot filly came from off the pace and led a furlong out to beat Abbotsford by a length and a quarter.

“It’s been a very tough season, it’s probably been my furthest down on winners and rides, so to get this on the last day is great,” said jockey Gavin Ryan.

“Aidan has always been very good to me, he’s a great supporter. Obviously on paper, she was the filly with the class in the race. It’s the first time I’ve sat on her and she’s like riding a colt, she’s a big strong girl.”

Champion apprentice

Choctaw Nation had earlier scored for O’Brien and the Coolmore partners in the Irish EBF Maiden (Smullen Series) over a mile.

Runner-up on his debut at Navan, the son of Sea The Stars was sent off 4/9 favourite and led from halfway to beat Favour Royal by three and a quarter lengths. With this success, jockey Paddy Harnett sealed the apprentice title after a flurry of winners in the final week of the campaign carried him past Sam Coen. The Abbeyfeale native won by a margin of three in the end, 29 to 26.

“I got down to the three going easy, and I gave him a click down to the two and he just took off,” said Harnett. “He’s something that I’ve never ridden before. He gave me some feel.”

On landing the apprentice title, he added: “It’s crazy, and to have everyone from home up here as well is brilliant.”

RORY Mulligan will surely be a contender for the apprentice title next term, after finishing fourth in the table this year.

The Meath rider brought his seasonal tally to 20 with a remarkable double on a pair of 40/1 shots, both trained in his native county.

Despite being no less than 16lb wrong at the weights, Alnofoor got up close home to touch off Gerritt’s Gem by a head in the Mongey Communications Sprint Handicap over five furlongs.

The eight-year-old is owned by David Laverty and Norman Stenhouse. “He went to Nottingham on Wednesday and we don’t know what went wrong,” said trainer Claire O’Connell.

“He came home bouncing around the paddock and we just declared him last minute on Friday morning, as he was so fresh. It’s my first winner here at the Curragh.”

Mulligan repeated the dose on the Kevin Smith-trained Java Moon in the Keadeen Hotel Premier Handicap over a mile.

Peadar Kelly’s homebred was 9lb wrong at the weights, but the Requinto gelding overcame that to defeat Lady Lilac by two lengths.

“I know he was out of the handicap, but with Rory’s claim he was only 4lb wrong,” said Smith

“Rory is a good lad and he’s shown that today. I had a winner at the Galway festival, but this is my biggest flat winner.”

GARY Carroll closed out his season in terrific form and made it eight winners in five days with a final-day double.

First up was the Danny Murphy-trained Unique Journey (4/1), whose win in the Ryans Cleaning Race over seven furlongs was his fourth at headquarters.

Owned by the Dalzell/Morgan/Kirwan/Murphy group, the Caravaggio gelding defeated Hazdann by a length and three-quarters. “He’s a grand horse, who loves the soft and grows a leg on it,” said Murphy.

Doubling up

Gavin Cromwell’s Loosen And Limber (evens favourite) was Carroll’s second winner, as she landed the Velo Coffee At The Curragh Maiden over a mile and a half.

The daughter of Golden Horn, owned by the Riverstown Racing Syndicate, Mrs Arthur Moore and Eoin Hughes, led over two furlongs out to account for Joe Cool by two and three-quarter lengths.

“She’s a good-sized filly and is going to improve with age, so unfortunately I can see her jumping an obstacle at some stage!” quipped Carroll.

Hurdles on the horizon

The Isuzu Ireland Handicap over seven furlongs was dominated by those drawn on the stands’ side and Thru And Thru, trained by Rory Devine for breeder Danny Coogan, was first home at odds of 12/1 under Luke McAteer.

The Starspangledbanner filly was making the breakthrough here and led over a furlong out to beat San Aer by a length and a half. “I think she’ll pop a hurdle no problem and she loves that soft ground,” said Devine.