Racing was in mourning for one of its brightest young talents on Sunday after the announcement that Michael O’Sullivan, 24, who was airlifted to Cork University hospital and placed in an induced coma after a fall at Thurles on 6 February, had died as a result of his injuries.
Dr Jennifer Pugh, the chief medical officer of the Irish Horse Racing Regulatory Board, said on Sunday: “Michael sadly passed away in the early hours of Sunday morning surrounded by his loving family in Cork University hospital. We extend our appreciation to the multidisciplinary teams who provided the best of medical care to Michael, both on the racecourse and in hospital.
“Michael’s family took the decision to donate his organs at this incredibly difficult time, but in doing so made a choice that will make a real difference to the lives of other patients and their families.
“I have had the privilege of knowing Michael through his amateur and professional career and his dedication, modesty and kind nature always made him a pleasure to be around. Michael’s success and his humility will have inspired many and I share the feeling of loss today with all those who knew him.”
O’Sullivan, who was Ireland’s champion under-21 point-to-point rider in 2019, turned professional in September 2022. Only six months later, he realised one of the ultimate dreams for any jump jockey – never mind one still riding out their claim – as he took the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, the first race of the 2023 Cheltenham festival, on Barry Connell’s Marine Nationale.
The jockey had already notched his first win at the highest level aboard Marine Nationale in the Royal Bond Novice Hurdle three months earlier, having initially called Connell to ask for the ride when Marine Nationale was entered for his first start in a “bumper” – a flat race for jumps-bred horses – at Punchestown in May 2022.
“We quickly decided Michael’s talent was very special and he got the job riding full-time for us,” Connell said on Sunday. “Things happened very quickly after that … a matter of weeks after he turned pro, he rode a grade two winner for us as a claimer and then rode Marine Nationale in the Royal Bond and gave him a wonderful ride.
“He had a great partnership with the horse which culminated in the Supreme Novice and it was fairytale stuff for both myself and Michael on a journey together with the horse. Despite being a claimer and having limited experience of Cheltenham, he gave the horse a masterful ride. The icing on the cake was he got a spare ride later in the day [on Gordon Elliott’s Jazzy Matty in the Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle] and had a double.”
O’Sullivan’s two wins on the day meant he had the honour of wearing the armband of the meeting’s leading rider in the first race the following afternoon. Although his association with Connell’s stable came to an end in November 2024, he had subsequently been riding for both Elliott and Willie Mullins, Ireland’s most successful trainers, in a freelance role.
“It’s a terrible tragedy for racing and today is about remembering Michael,” Elliott said on Sunday. “We had some great moments on track together, including when winning at the Cheltenham festival in 2023. We send our deepest condolences to Michael’s family, friends and colleagues.”
Simon Harris, Ireland’s tánaiste (deputy prime minister), also paid tribute to O’Sullivan in a post on X. “Such sad news this morning,” Harris said. “I know people across our country are thinking of the family of Michael O’Sullivan this morning and of the wider racing family. An incredible talent taken so young. Keeping his family in my prayers at this extraordinarily painful time for them all.”
O’Sullivan’s family, from County Cork, is steeped in racing and point-to-pointing. His father, William, rode Lovely Citizen, trained by his brother, Eugene, to victory in the Foxhunter Chase at Cheltenham in March 1991, while Eugene’s daughter, Maxine, won the same race aboard her father’s It Came To Pass in 2020.
“We are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of our colleague, Michael,” Andrew Coonan, the secretary of the Irish Jockeys Association, said on Sunday. “Our heartfelt sympathies go out to his father, William, his mother, Bernadette, his brother, Alan and girlfriend, Charlotte. Jockeys face the risks of race-riding every day, but it is only when a tragedy like this befalls us that those full risks are truly realised.
“Michael was not only a highly talented rider but also a great friend and colleague to many in the weigh room. We are all the richer for having known him, even though his time with us was far too short.”
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Southwell 1.35 Illogical Logic 2.05 Kayce Dutton 2.35 Nazare 3.05 Wolf Moon 3.40 Born In The West 4.15 Asa 4.45 Gotthereintheend
Wolverhampton 4.25 King’s Code 5.00 Overnight Oats 5.30 Bryant 6.00 Blinky (nap) 6.30 Marioento 7.00 Nordic Glory 7.30 Due Date 8.00 Angel Of England 8.30 Brian The Snail
