COLIN Keane was crowned champion jockey for the third successive season and for the fourth time in all as the 2022 flat season concludes at Naas Racecourse last Sunday.

Donegal’s Dylan Browne McMonagle is champion apprentice for the second time, while Aidan O’Brien and Mrs Sue Magnier are once again the champion trainer and champion owner respectively.

With Billy Lee on the sidelines for the last two days before the Naas fixture, Keane secured the title when bringing his tally to 90 winners at Dundalk on Wednesday and added two more at Dundalk on Friday to bring his final total to 92 for the season accumulating a prize money total of €3,205,645.

Billy Lee ended up with 89 winners in a terrific season for the Corkman from almost 100 fewer rides.

Championship

Runner-up in the championship for the previous two seasons, Shane Foley finishes in third spot this time with Ben Coen, Seamie Heffernan and Wayne Lordan next on the list.

Keane’s season was highlighted by his Group 1 Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby success on the Ralph Beckett-trained Westover, his first win in the race.

He scored at Group 2 level on the Ger Lyons-trained Camorra in the Comer Group International Curragh Cup and on the Michael O’Callaghan-trained Crypto Force in the Alan Smurfit Memorial Beresford Stakes.

The Lyons-trained Markaz Paname and Dr Zempf were both Group 3 winners while the four-time scorer Mutasarref was Keane’s most prolific winner this season.

Dylan Browne McMonagle has dominated the apprentice ranks and amassed 49 winners.

The Letterkenny man enjoyed his breakthrough Group 1 success on the Joseph O’Brien-trained Al Riffa in the Goffs Vincent O’Brien National Stakes at the Curragh in September and he rode three other Joseph O’Brien-trained Group 3 winners in Ireland during the year, Tranquil Lady, Gear Up and Statement.

Mikey Sheehy finished the year in second place, riding out his claim when winning the Irish Cambridgeshire on the Joseph O’Brien-trained Federal in late August and he enjoyed his first group race success on the O’Brien-trained Lumiere Rock in the Group 3 Staffordstown Stud Stakes at the Curragh early.

Owner

Mrs Sue Magnier is Ireland’s champion owner once again. Mrs Magnier narrowly gets the better of her fellow Coolmore partners Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith to retain the title.