JUSTIN O’Hanlon has won the Ladbrokes The Irish Field Naps Table for 2020.

The Racing Post’s ‘dark horses’ man hit the front on Irish Derby weekend and, though headed briefly by Eamonn Murphy, finished comfortably ahead of Racing TV’s Gary O’Brien, who closed the gap on the final weekend with a 9/1 winner, Minx Tiara. Dave Keena, representing The Irish Field, took third spot.

Reflecting on his win yesterday, Justin said: “Apart from leading one summer a few years ago, I have never gone close before, so this is unexpected. I had a good run of winners around October and the post came in time for me, as Gary O’Brien was finishing well. Minx Tiara opened at 20/1, so lucky for me it shortened in price.”

Asked to divulge his strategy, Justin said: “Nothing special. I make a shortlist every Friday and try to pick the right one. I have had a lot of second place finishers in recent years but it just came off for me this time.”

As well as his Racing Post duties, Justin has been busy doing race commentaries and he is also chairman of the Irish Racing Writers Association, which involves processing requests from journalists for the limited number of racecourse accreditation passes available at the moment.

“I have been far busier than normal since racing resumed but that wasn’t a bad complaint. Being on-track so often was possibly an advantage for me, though it hasn’t been in the past.”

Justin’s first job in racing was with the premium telephone commentary service Racecall, where he filled in the gaps between races. However, he says he has no plans to launch his own premium tipping service now. “I don’t think any of my winning naps were ‘dark horses’ I had picked out in the Post, so I think I will stick to the day job.”

Another talent Justin possesses is the ability to do impressions of numerous Irish racing personalities, a party piece he reserves for the press room or the occasional night out with colleagues. If Paddy Power get tired of using Conor Moore for sketches, they know who to call.

In the meantime, a €2,000 cheque is on the way to Justin for his nap table success but he is not certain if he will be able to get the trophy from the 2019 winner, David Jennings. “It would be easier to get Trump out of the White House!”