Much of the attention at the Curragh on Sunday will focus on who will be the 2025 champion apprentice jockey. This is a battle that could go down to the very last race on the card, such are the variables at play.

After racing at Dundalk on Friday evening with the leaderboard unchanged, four apprentice riders remain in contention for the coveted honour.

Wayne Hassett from Tipperary leads the way on 24 winners, one ahead of Meath’s Robert Whearty on 23. Jack Cleary, a Kildare native has ridden 22 winners, while Wesley Joyce of Limerick is on 21.

The quartet still have several bullets to fire at the Curragh on Sunday.

Hassett is engaged in seven of the eight races at the Curragh, four of which are for his boss, Joseph O’Brien. His last ride on the programme is for his uncle Martin who said during the week: “We’ll throw everything at it. If we have to get the dog out, we’ll try and run him!”

Whearty goes into battle with four rides, three for the Gavin Cromwell to whom he has been mainly connected. Cleary has five mounts, including three for his boss Aidan O’Brien, while Wesley Joyce can also count on five chances over the afternoon.

The 2025 flat season’s roll of honour for the champion trainer, jockey and owner titles features three clearcut winners with Aidan O'Brien, Dylan Browne McMonagle and Mrs Sue Magnier respectively.

Champion trainer

For a remarkable 28th time, Aidan O'Brien retains the champion trainer title. On target to equal or beat his own record of training 28 Group 1 winners in a calendar year, Aidan can count wins in the Tattersalls Irish 1,000 Guineas with Lake Victoria, Lambourn in the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby, the Juddmonte Irish Oaks with Minnie Hauk and Delacroix in the Royal Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes among his haul for another brilliant season.

On Friday evening, the Wexford man became the most successful trainer at the Breeders' Cup meeting when Gstaad under Christophe Soumillon, landed the Grade 1 Juvenile Turf at Del Mar Racecourse in California, his 21st career success at the championship fixture.

Letterkenny’s Dylan Browne McMonagle will be presented with the champion jockey trophy for the first time at the Curragh on Sunday. Champion apprentice in 2021 and again in 2022, Dylan brought his tally for the season to a career best of 95 winners.

The highlight of Dylan’s season in Ireland was his Group 1 Comer Group International Irish St Leger victory on the Joseph O'Brien-trained Al Riffa. He was a Group 2 winner on the same horse at the Curragh in July, and enjoyed multiple Group 3 wins throughout the year, winning on the likes of Goodie Two Shoes, Princess Child, Sons And Lovers and Wemightakedlongway.

Ireland’s champion owner for 2025 is Mrs Sue Magnier. Mrs Magnier narrowly gets the better of fellow Coolmore partners Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith to retain the title. Her involvement with stars such as Delacroix, Lambourn, Puerto Rico and Minnie Hauk helped her to retain the coveted champion owner title again this year.

The first race on the card at the Curragh goes to post at 12:25pm, with eight races scheduled and features the Group 3 Comer Group International Loughbrown Stakes.