O’Leary v JP for NH owners title

THERE’S a right heavyweight battle for NH champion owner between Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary and JP McManus as the National Hunt season comes to a climax.

O’Leary’s Gigginstown Stud is poised for its first owner’s title, but McManus is not far off. With 43 wins, giving the Ryanair chief a haul of just over €840,000, Gigginstown has a cushion of approximately €160,000 to defend ahead of this week’s Punchestown Festival. The leading earner in their purple and white silks this season being been popular veteran War Of Attrition, who gave O’Leary his greatest victory in the 2006 Gold Cup. Having been rejuvenated in staying hurdles in recent months, with Grade 2 successes in Gowran’s Alo Duffin Memorial Galmoy Hurdle and Navan’s Ladbrokes.com Boyne Hurdle, War of Attrition heads into well deserved retirement after the main race of the Festival, the Guinness Punchestown Gold Cup tomorrow.

Last year’s champion trainer, Willie Mullins is heading for his third title on the bounce with 134 winners and twice the prize money earned of nearest rival and previous champion Noel Meade, having already broken the €2m barrier he breached last season.