Champions crowned at Punchestown
Ruby Walsh, Willie Mullins and JP McManus took the main honours at the end of the Irish jumps season today.
Mullins was crowned champion jumps trainer for the first time after beating off the challenge of Noel Meade.
A member of one of the most famous racing families in Ireland, the 51-year-old has held a licence for 20 years.
Mullins won with a prize-money total of €2,239,903, while Meade's tally was €1,801,913.
In a great day for the Mullins clan, Willie's son Patrick lifted the qualified riders' championship, with 31 winners to the 24 of Nina Carberry.
Walsh took the jockeys' title for the fourth year running and for the sixth time in all after denying Davy Russell.
An injury late in the season put paid to any chance Russell had but he was far from disgraced with 125 winners compared to Walsh's 131 and he was able to celebrate a last-day double at Punchestown with Won In The Dark and Oscar Rebel.
Walsh could even afford the luxury of riding for champion British trainer Paul Nicholls at Sandown on the final day, where he too rode a double.
McManus' green and orange hooped colours have been as familiar as they have dominant in Ireland and his horses amassed €1,182,600. Runner-up was Ryanair founder Michael O'Leary's Gigginstown House Stud with €820,640.
Shane Jackson was top claiming professional with 26 winners, eight more than closest pursuer Sean Flanagan on 19.
Today's attendance at the new fifth day of the Punchestown Festival was 19,512 and the total crowd for the five-day meeting was 105,669, up 14,800 on 2007.
The outgoing Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, was in attendance to present the championship prizes for the 2007/2008 campaign and he paid tribute to the success of the meeting.
"It's been a fantastic festival week and to get over 19,500 people today is great," said Ahern.
"It's been an enormous crowd over the five days especially at the beginning of what is a difficult time. There has been a lot of investment here, building up and marketing the course and people have voted with their feet.
"All the work and effort over the last 10 years has really paid off."
Ahern was given a special presentation for his contribution to horse racing by Brian Kavanagh, chief executive of Horse Racing Ireland, and Dick O'Sullivan, general manager of Punchestown Racecourse.
