The County Galway native, Derek O'Connor, has secured the Southern Champion and Senior Title for the 2018/2019 season following a successful weekends racing at Kinsale and Ballingarry.
This marks the riders ninth Southern Champion Title and his second Senior title having won the award last season also.
The Southern area hosted 39 meetings this season commencing with Lisronagh in the autumn and finishing at Ballingarry on this June Bank Holiday Monday. The southern region had just one fixture cancellation back in October at Knockinroe.
Throughout the year Derek rode one double and three trebles in the South at Lisronagh, Dromahane and Aghabullogue.
While a seasonal and career highlight was achieved when Derek recorded his 1,200th winner aboard Nelly's Money in the five-and-six-year-old mares maiden at Dromahane for Robert Tyner back in December.
The winning most point-to-point rider also made history last Saturday when steering the John Duggan-owned/bred Longhouse Music to her 13th success at Kinsale, making her the first pointer to reach the 13 winner mark within a season.
This year's Champion Rider, Barry O'Neill, put forward a good challenge to secure second place in the Southern title. The Wexford native closed the gap to within three winners but could not ride this weekend due to an injury sustained while riding in the UK last week.
Fellow Wexford man, Jamie Codd, finished second in this year's senior title having won the title twice previously, once in 2016 and 2017. The Senior Championship is open to riders who are 34-years-old and above at the start of the season.
