A Tony Martin hat trick was the headline story at the climax of the 1995 season.
The Meath rider never won an overall title prior to the commencement of the '95 season even though he had ridden well over 200 winners, however all that would change that year as he scooped the national award alongside the east and north regional crowns.
Leading Rider Award
40 winners saw him take the title comfortably from Timmy Murphy who was 10 adrift on 30.
Martin also took the northern title and the eastern to complete his well deserved and overdue hat trick of awards.
Novice Rider Award
National table runner-up Timmy Murphy was another to score a hat trick as he not only retained his novice title but added a southern and western title to his haul before joining the paid ranks as one of the most successful pointing graduates in the professional ranks.
Senior & Ladies Award
Michael Phillips took the senior award while his then partner Lucy Townsley took her first ladies award. It was also a year for the ladies in the Personality section as Ros Easom took the coveted Personality of the year award.
Leading Horse
The leading Horse was taken by Elegant Lord who was retaining his position at the top of the pile having taken the Joseph O’Reilly and the Champion Hunter Chase where he easily accounted for the English challenger Sheer Jest by fifteen lengths and was famously led into the winners enclosure following victory by Sean Connery who was a guest of owner J.P.McManus on the day.
The bug caught the Scottish actor who subsequently purchased the mighty Risk Of Thunder. Punchestown also saw the afore mentioned Risk Of Thunder begin his amazing run of victories in the La Touche this time under Ken Whelan.
John Berry had a memorable year in ’95 also as on top of his 18 winners he steered the Jonjo O’Neill trained Front Line to victory in the National Hunt Chase for owner J.P.McManus and emptied many satchels in doing so.
At Slanemore Cozzie McGivern scoreed on Colins Hatch and the final race went to Philip Fenton on Loving Around. The pair combined the following year to win the National Hunt Chase at the Cheltenham Festival.
Timmy Murphy enjoyed a treble at Patrickswell on Ozecasey, Grange Court and African Dante while Enda Bolger won the open on Allezmoss. Tony Martin, Pat Kelly and John Berry all scored doubles at Tinahely.
Private Peace won his maiden at Dungarvan under Tom Lombard. He went on to win ten races for Frances Crowley under rules in the colors of Seamus O’Farrell.
Useful northern open campaigner Bald Joker won the open at Tyrella under Colin McBratney.
Philip Fenton steered an impressive Askeaton double on Loving Around and Noble Thyne. The latter went on to win six races and for a long time was the only horse to beat Istabraq over hurdles by a head at Punchestown having beaten French Holly on his previous start.
A Tony Martin partnered Elegant Lord finished third at Cheltenahm in the Foxhunters to Polly Gundry aboard Fantus.
Walkover
At Templemore there was a walkover for Rossi Novae in the open with Miss J Stokes the winning rider.
Lillian Doyle steered former top casher Lauras Beau to success in the Ballyraggett open.
There was a Dundalk double for Nigel Toal on Find Out More and Choisty. Toal is now based with Alan King in the UK.
T J Nagle (Call Bob), Paul Keane (Grand Scenery) and Ken Beecher (The Booley House) all shared success at Dromahane.
Well-known point-to-point handler in the north Rodney Arthur enjoyed a treble at Maralin on Lacken Beau, Over The Maine and Gratomi.
Walkover
Another walkover was seen at Oldcastle as Johnny Vance on Voldi collected the opener.
At Nenagh Timmy Murphy won on Tell the Nipper who became a top chaser for Michael Hourigan having won five races for his connections including a win in the 1998 Irish Grand National trial at Fairyhouse.
AWARDS VENUE: Jury’s Waterford
CHAMPION RIDER: A.J.Martin 40 winners
CHAMPION LADY: Lucy Townsley
CHAMPION NOVICE(Under 21): T.J.Murphy
NORTHERN CHAMPION: A.J.Martin
SOUTHERN CHAMPION: T.J.Murphy
EASTERN CHAMPION: A.J.Martin
WESTERN CHAMPION: T.J.Murphy
HORSE OF THE YEAR: Elegant Lord
CHAMPION SENIOR(OVER 33): M.Phillips
PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR: Ros Easom
LEADING SIRE Roselier
RIDERS TABLE
40 A.J.Martin
30 T.J.Murphy
20 P.Fenton
18 J.A.Berry
17 W.Ewing
15 E.Gallagher, T.Lombard
13 D.M.O’Brien
11 J.Bright, C.A.McBratney, M.Phillips, P.O’Keeffe
10 I.Buchanan, J.A.Flynn, P.M.Kelly, J.Lombard, K.Whelan
9 H.F.Cleary, P.J.Crowley, P.J.Healy, K.O’Sullivan
8 T.N.Cloke, D.Keane
7 L.J.Gracey, W.M.O’Sullivan
6 R.Arthur, D.O’Connor, J.A.Quinn, Lucy Townsley
5 A.R.Coonan, D.P.Costello, B.Hassett, L.Lennon, J.G.O’Connell, A.O’Shea, R.J.Patton
4 K.Beecher, J.P.Berry, J.T.Codd, B.R.Hamilton, G.J.Harford, Lulu Olivefalk, D.Valentine
3 E.Bolger, P.Cashman, W.Codd, F.P.Cunningham, J.P.Dempsey, V.P.Deveraux, J.F.Dineen, Lillian Doyle, G.Elliott, P.J.Gilligan, P.F.Graffin, S.P.Hennessy, J.T.McNamara, C.A.Murphy, D.Murphy, M.O’Connor, R.Pugh, J.Sheehan, N.W.Toal, J.S.Vance
2 M.Budds, M.A.Cahill, P.Coleman, A.G.Costello, A.J.Costello, A.J.Dempsey, T.English, D.E.Finn, M.P.Fitzgerald, R.Hurley, F.Kiernan, C.McCarren, D.G.Murphy, T.J.Nagle, E.O’Rourke, T.G.Rafferty, J.M.Roche, K.Ross, G.F.Ryan, C.J.Stafford,
C.Andrews, J.Baragry, R.J.Barnwell, M.F.Barrett, T.J.Barry, D.G.Black, J.Boland, J.P.Brennan, D.K.Budds, V.Burke, E.Byrne, F.Cahill, G.R.Caplis, B.Cash, P.Cloke, W.F.Codd, B.Cotter, D.W.Cullen, D.Daly, D.Deacon, D.Dorgan, D.Duggan, Sylvia Dugglesby, M.P.Dunne, N.D.Fehily, Caroline Gould, D.A.Harney, A.Hickey, J.Hogan, M.Hogan, Mary Horgan, R.Kehoe, J.Kelleher, N.C.Kelleher, P.J.Kelly, Sonya Kiernan, C.Kinane, P.R.Lenihan, S.J.Mahon, J.Mawhinney, C.P.McGivern, M.McNulty, J.Motherway, G.Mulcaire, Julia Murdoch, H.Murphy, Brigid Neill, J.T.Nolan, S.O’Callaghan, B.Potts, J.Quigley, C.J.Radley, C.Rae, Jacqueline Stokes, B.Valentine, D.Whelan
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