Jamie Codd finally got his hands on The Irish Field Riders’ Trophy at the annual point-to-point awards in the Lyrath Hotel, Kilkenny, last Saturday night.
After finishing second for the previous seven seasons, Codd was a highly deserving winner and first in the queue to congratulate him was the 10-times champion rider Derek O’Connor.
Joking that he would miss the €1,500 holiday voucher he has picked up from The Irish Field as part of his prize each year for the past decade, O’Connor had great praise for the new champion. “Of course it hurts [not winning] but Jamie has ridden to a very high standard and is a more than worthy champion. Jamie and I hop off each other a little bit. We ride to the best of our ability and hopefully young riders will be driven on by this and it will make better jockeys of them.”
Codd looked hugely satisfied to see the Wexford ribbons on the cup. “It’s been a while coming but even to finish second to Derek is really good,” he said, before thanking all the owners and trainers who helped him to record 95 winners during the season, six more than O’Connor.
“My family are unreal,” he added, as Team Codd were invited on to the stage to share in his big moment. “My Mam and Dad, brother and two sisters – and I have an unbelievable girlfriend in Robyn [O’Sullivan]. She sees me every day for what I am, on the good and bad days.”
The first Wexford man to win the title since his hero John Berry in 1993, Codd led O’Connor throughout the season but admitted he felt the pressure as the gap closed in the final weeks. “There was definitely more interest in the media this season and the pressure was massive. For the last three weeks all I have been thinking about are the Wexford colours on the cup. That has been the driving force and it’s a privilege to be up here.”
Jamie Codd rode his first point-to-point winner in 2001 at Bramblestown. After a brief period as a bumper jockey he returned to point-to-points and his seasonal totals quickly climbed past the 50-mark (he is one of only six riders to have surpassed that mark).
His rivalry with O’Connor became one of the sport’s main themes, peaking in 2011 when Codd rode an astonishing 104 winners only for O’Connor to come away with an incredible 110. A broken leg in November of that year put paid to Codd’s chances of winning the 2011-’12 title and a wrist injury hindered his hopes last season.
Codd’s 95 winners this season came on 90 different horses (75 of them were maidens). Denis Murphy supplied 16 of his winners, more than any other trainer. According to master statistician and MC Richard Pugh, Codd rode 955 miles during the season, jumped 4,775 fences and fell 35 times.
Busy again at the sales this week, Codd is looking forward to a break in Thailand before starting from zero again this autumn.
PROVINCIAL TITLES
Codd also picked up the Eastern and Northern titles from sponsor Horse Racing Ireland. In winning the Eastern division for the ninth time, Codd was equalling John Berry’s record.
Derek O’Connor captured the Southern and Western titles. He has now won 31 individual awards and is the winningmost rider the sport has ever seen. His career total of point-to-point winners is 961 and, all being well, he should reach 1,000 during next season.
UP-AND-COMING
Rob James received a huge cheer when declared winner of the Racing Post Novice Rider title. Another Wexford-based jockey, he rode 20 winners last season and is one of five young riders eligible for a masterclass with Mick Fitzgerald during the summer.
Maxine O’Sullivan is another rising star, her 13 winners making her a runaway winner of the Bluegrass-sponsored ladies’ championship. The Hollinwell, trained by Maxine’s father Eugene, provided four of those wins.
James Carroll was “long overdue” an award, according to Richard Pugh, who said he was “absolutely delighted” to announce ‘Corky’ as winner of the Racing Post Senior Rider title. Closely associated with John Nallen’s ‘Minella’ team, Carroll only had six falls during the season.
TOP HANDLER
Robert Tyner is the first person to win the Easyfix handler award for the third time. The Kinsale trainer topped the table with 29 winners and Derek O’Connor rode 26 of them. An honourable mention must go to northern handler David Christie, who had 19 winners from just 23 horses.
For the first time the Irish Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association sponsored an award and, appropriately, it was for the highest-rated mare. The winner was the nine-year-old Lisrose, trained by Alice Curran. Though her latest five starts have been on the track, the mare won an open at Dromahane in December when her victoms included that prolific pair Nedzer’s Return and The Hollinwell.
Runaway winner of the Connolly’s Red Mills Champion Point-to-Pointer was The Hollinwell. This award is based on number of wins and Eugene O’Sullivan’s 11-year-old was out on his own with eight wins during the season. O’Sullivan picked up the gelding for just £2,200 at Doncaster a couple of years ago.
Tattersalls Ireland sponsor the leading hunter chaser award and this produced a three-way tie between On The Fringe, Tammys Hill and Warne. All three beat each other during the season and each one captured a festival race. It’s tempting to suggest that a fully-fit Salsify could take the title again next term.
Salsify’s sire Beneficial won the Goffs Leading Sire Award for the fifth time. The Knockhouse Stud stallion, who died in 2013, sired 34 winners during the latest season.
Michael Griffin won the Weatherbys Leading Breeder Award. Among the best horses bred by the Griffin family in recent years are Tell Massini and Rocky Creek.
Russell takes Personality Award
TOP jump jockey Davy Russell received a pleasant surprise when he was called on stage to receive the Rathbarry Stud Personality of the Year Award from Micheál Fahy (pictured). Clearly moved by the honour, Russell said his two point-to-point rider titles meant every bit as much to him as his two professional championships.
Richard Pugh noted that Russell had “never forgotten his roots” since turning professional and also contributed to the industry through his membership of the ITBA’s National Hunt mare committee. The way in which Russell handled himself last January when losing his job as Gigginstown House Stud’s retained rider was also admirable, said Pugh, and the jockey’s subsequent Gold Cup triumph on Lord Windermere was well deserved.
“I kept my head down and my mouth shut,” reflected Russell.
Screen stars: As usual the highlights of the season were shown on the big screens before dinner was served. Accompanied by stills from Healy Racing, the action was as entertaining as ever. Also included was footage from the Limerick raceday in aid of Jonjo Bright and J.T. McNamara last October. Richard Pugh spoke to J.T. before last Saturday’s event and J.T. passed on his greetings.
Track form: Over 1,000 former Irish pointers won on the track (Britain and Ireland) during the latest jumps season. They included nine Cheltenham Festival winners.
Next year: The awards night returns to the Hotel Minella in Clonmel next year.
Worry: Last season got underway with some uncertainty hanging over the future of point-to-points due to ongoing talks between HRI and the Turf Club over the streamlining of racing administration. There is still no white smoke on the issue but what is clear is that the hunts who organise points are losing money. The number of hunter certificates issued last season was down 11% and the average number of entries was down from 138 to 111. Richard Pugh estimates that each hunt lost €1,080 on average in revenue.
Musical memories: It was the season when the PTP J’s recorded a single And They’re Off in aid of the Irish Injured Jockeys Fund. However the video showing the making of the single (with its hilarious out-takes) comfortably outscored the number of actual song downloads.
It was also the season in which a song dedicated to “point-to-point legends” Damian Murphy, Con McSweeney and Barry John Foley was released on YouTube. Something of a viral hit, My Mare has been viewed over 3,000 times to-date.
However the musical highlight of the season, from a point-to-point perspective, came during Bruce Springsteen’s Thomond Park concert when he dedicated My Hometown to J.T. McNamara.
Video nasty: Not a lot of people know this but Jamie Codd broke his leg in a freak accident last June while taking part in a fundraiser for Jonjo Bright at Tyrella. Details of what happened were kept quiet – at Jamie’s insistence – but Richard Pugh felt entitled to show the video last weekend.
The footage shows a dozen riders, including Jamie, wearing inflatable hobby horses and racing on foot over a miniature obstacle course. Approaching the finish line Jamie takes a tumble which left him on crutches for the rest of the summer. Not many would have predicted then that he would be champion rider for the first time the following season. As it turned out Jamie only missed two days of the season while Derek O’Connor missed three.
Award Winners
The Irish Field Riders’ Championship: JAMIE CODD
Rathbarry Stud Personality of the Year: DAVY RUSSELL
Easyfix Champion Handler: ROBERT TYNER
HRI Eastern/Northern Champion: JAMIE CODD
HRI Southern/Western Champion: DEREK O’CONNOR
Racing Post Novice Champion: ROB JAMES
Racing Post Senior Champion: JAMES CARROLL
Bluegrass Ladies Champion: MAXINE O’SULLIVAN
Tattersalls Champion Hunter Chaser: TAMMYS HILL/WARNE/ON THE FRINGE
Red Mills Champion Point-to-Pointer: THE HOLLINWELL
ITBA Champion Mare: LISROSE
Weatherbys Champion Breeder: MICHAEL GRIFFIN
Goffs Leading Sire: BENEFICIAL