By Daithi Harvey
After a titanic battle that has provided a terrific narrative to the Irish national hunt season, Willie Mullins has been crowned champion jumps trainer for the 10th time. Mullins trailed Gordon Elliott by upwards of €400,000 for much of the season but cut the deficit gradually each day at Punchestown this week, finally getting in front of Elliott on Friday and securing the championship following the victory of Bapaume (Fr) (Turtle Bowl {Ire}) in the G1 AES Champion 4-Year-Old Hurdle on the season's final day on Saturday. He ended the season with 180 winners and just over €4.5m in prize-money with both himself and Elliott dominating the domestic scene. Elliott deserves huge credit as he actually saddled 193 winners, 13 more than Mullins, but his prize-money haul was €200,000 short of the champion. Ruby Walsh was a clear winner of the riders championship, his 12th in total while Rachael Blackmore made history by becoming the first female to win the conditional jockey's title. Michael O'Leary's Gigginstown House Stud was crowned leading owner while Jamie Codd broke Patrick Mullins's stranglehold of the amateur championship, denying Mullins an 11th title by just one winner. It was also the final day of the jumps season in England and while the trainer title also went down to the wire at Sandown, victory for the brilliant Altior (Ire) (High Chaparral {Ire}) in the G2 Bet365 Celebration Chase sealed the championship for Nicky Henderson over former multiple champion Paul Nicholls. Richard Johnson claimed his second jockey title with 186 winners, while JP McManus was leading owner by a wide margin.
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