MICHAEL O'SULLIVAN HONOURED AS HRI RENAMES CHAMPION CLAIMER'S TROPHY

Horse Racing Ireland has permanently renamed the trophy presented to Ireland's champion claiming professional jump jockey in memory of Michael O'Sullivan, the Cork rider who died in February 2025 at the age of 24, ten days after a fall at Thurles.

The Michael O'Sullivan Trophy will be handed out for the first time at Punchestown on Saturday 1 May 2027, the final day of the Festival and the close of the 2026/27 jumps season. The change, announced on Tuesday, has been made with the blessing of the O'Sullivan family.

It is a title with special meaning. O'Sullivan won it himself in 2022/23, riding 32 winners in a breakthrough first campaign as a professional, having started that season as a claiming amateur.

In a statement, his family said they were deeply touched that his memory would be carried forward in this way, describing it as:

"A beautiful and fitting tribute to his legacy."

HRI chief executive Suzanne Eade said the organisation felt honoured to have the family's support for the renaming. She paid tribute to the talent, dedication and humility O'Sullivan brought to the weighroom, and said she expected his example to keep inspiring young riders for years to come.

A BRIEF BUT BRILLIANT CAREER

From a well-known Cork point-to-point family, O'Sullivan was champion under-21 rider between the flags while studying agricultural science at University College Dublin. He turned professional in September 2022 and made an immediate impression.

That 2022/23 season brought three Grade 1 victories: the Royal Bond Novice Hurdle at Fairyhouse and the Supreme Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham on Barry Connell's Marine Nationale, and a top-level success on Good Land at the Dublin Racing Festival. On the opening day of the 2023 Cheltenham Festival he completed a memorable double aboard the Gordon Elliott-trained Jazzy Matty in the Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle.

His death prompted tributes from every corner of the sport, with colleagues remembering his kindness and professionalism as much as his ability. The 2025 Supreme Novices' Hurdle was run in his memory, and the following day brought emotional scenes as Marine Nationale won the Queen Mother Champion Chase and Jazzy Matty landed the Grand Annual.

From next spring, every champion claimer in Irish jump racing will lift a trophy carrying his name.