Michael O'Sullivan was a Grade One jockey and a Grade One human being
FONDLY REMEMBERED: Jockey Michael O'Sullivan on Marine Nationale after winning the Sky Bet Supreme Novices' Hurdle during day one of the Cheltenham Racing Festival. Pic: Harry Murphy/Sportsfile
In the early hours of Sunday morning, young rider Michael O’Sullivan passed away from injuries sustained in a fall on February 6, at Thurles.
The Cork native was a bright prospect in life, not just in the sport of horse racing, having determinedly and successfully put himself through a degree course, whilst also developing himself into a rider who would scale the heights of the sport.
O’Sullivan is from a family long engrained in the fabric of National Hunt racing, his father Willie having ridden Lovely Citizen, which was trained by Michael’s uncle, Eugene, to win the Foxhunters’ Chase in 1991. Michael’s cousin Maxine also joined the Cheltenham roll of honour when winning the same race aboard It Came To Pass, who was also trained by her father, Eugene, in 2020.
It was no surprise, then, when Michael made his own piece of Cheltenham Festival history when riding the Barry Connell-trained Marine Nationale to victory in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle of 2023. True to the talent of the youngster who, at the time, was still a 3lb claimer, he added a second just hours later when taking the Boodles Handicap aboard Jazzy Matty.
In July of the same year, in a race of little other significance, O’Sullivan gave the Ted Walsh-trained Hardwired as good a ride as any jockey could have when coaxing the difficult-to-win-with gelding to victory in a handicap hurdle at Kilbeggan – a ride which had all the right people singing his praises.
O’Sullivan, who for much of his all-too-short career, was retained rider to Barry Connell, caught the attention of Gordon Elliott, for whom he rode Jazzy Matty to win at Cheltenham, and Willie Mullins, for whom his last big winner came as recently as New Year’s Day aboard Embassy Gardens, to which he gave a beautifully judged front-running ride in a Grade Three event in Tramore.
O’Sullivan also struck up a relationship with Noel George and Amanda Zetterholm, who train in partnership in France. The link-up yielded success in France, after which he demonstrated an impressive ability to conduct his interviews in French, while the partnership also tasted success in a couple of UK raids.
Horse racing supporters and participants never need a reminder of the inherent dangers involved. We are all too acutely aware of them.
On February 6, in a typical midweek handicap chase, O’Sullivan suffered that fall from Wee Charlie, and the gravity was immediately obvious. The remainder of the card was abandoned as O’Sullivan was airlifted to Cork University Hospital, where he lay in an induced coma from which, devastatingly, he never woke.
In an official statement on behalf of the O’Sullivan family, Jennifer Pugh, chief medical officer of the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board revealed the devastating news.
“Michael sadly passed away in the early hours of Sunday morning surrounded by his loving family in Cork University Hospital.
“We extend our appreciation to the multidisciplinary teams who provided the best of medical care to Michael, both on the racecourse and in Cork University Hospital. Michael’s family took the decision to donate his organs at this incredibly difficult time, but in doing so made a choice that will make a real difference to the lives of other patients and their families.
"Michael’s family would like to reiterate their gratefulness for all the support they have received in the last couple of days and express their appreciation to the local community and racing family. The O’Sullivan family have asked for privacy at this time.”
There is nothing that can be said that will make these moments easier for the O’Sullivan family, no more than there were for the families of Kieran Kelly, John Thomas McNamara, Jack Tyner, Jack de Bromhead, all of whom passed away from injuries sustained participating in the sport they loved.
Michael was a Grade One jockey, a Grade One human being, and the most tremendous loss to everyone who knew him personally or dealt with him professionally. In these most difficult times, our hearts are with the O’Sullivan family and all of Michael’s friends and colleagues. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.
