Murtagh champion for the fifth time

JOHNNY Murtagh was crowned champion jockey for the fifth time, and received his trophy from Katie Taylor, following a double on Takar and Call To Battle for John Oxx at Leopardstown yesterday.

Sixteen years after earning his first tile, Murtagh finished the campaign with an 83-79 advantage over six-times champion Pat Smullen, who, fittingly, landed the final event of the season,. the Leopardstown November Handicap on the Dermot Weld-trained Hidden Universe.

Line Of Battle, which stayed on in determined style to beat Alo Speranza narrowly in the listed Eyrefield Stakes, was described as “a nice horse over a distance” by trainer Oxx, who added: “There’s plenty of stamina in his pedigree and he could end up in a St. Leger.”