Alan O'Sullivan, the brother of top Irish jockey Michael O'Sullivan who died after a fall in a race earlier this year, has won one of Ireland's most cherished awards.
In a public vote, Alan O'Sullivan, who rides as an amateur, was judged to have given the best Ride of the Year, at the annual Horse Racing Ireland Awards for 2025 in Dublin, when beating a huge field in one of the toughest races of the summer.
O'Sullivan guided Filey Bay to a clearcut victory on his first attempt in the most valuable amateur riders' race in the calendar which headlines the opening night of the Galway Festival - the Connacht Hotel (Q.R.) Handicap.
With his parents in attendance at the awards ceremony, O'Sullivan received a rapturous reception.
After picking up the award, he said: "It's brilliant, to be in this kind of company is pinch yourself kind of stuff.
"To be there with all the family, it's a great night.
"Galway is a very, very special place. It's one of the big Festivals but you have the summer cheer to go with it, everyone loves their time at Galway.
"Emmet (Mullins, trainer of Filey Bay) kind of left it up to me and maybe there's a bit of genius in that. There was no pressure, the rest is history. A brilliant day."
As for future aspirations and potentially challenging Patrick Mullins as top amateur rider in Ireland one day, he added: "Patrick's the best in the business and you'd be going a long way to try and even get near him.
"Hopefully I'll keep riding winners and get on good horses, I'm very lucky to get the opportunities I've been getting.
"This community is a special community. It's one big family really and everyone has been absolutely brilliant. We can't thank everyone enough for everything they've done for us."
More from Sporting Life
- Free bets
- Racecards
- Fast results
- Full results and free video replays
- Horse racing news
- Horse racing tips
- Horse racing features
- Download our free iOS and Android app
- Football and other sports tips
- Podcasts and video content
Safer gambling
We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.
If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.
Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.
