KOPEK DES BORDERS owner Charlie McCarthy will donate the prize money from a major Cheltenham win to the family of Michael O’Sullivan.
Jockey Paul Townend rode Kopek Des Bordes to victory in the Michael O’Sullivan Supreme Novices’ Hurdle on the opening day of the 2025 Festival.
Kopek Des Bordes won the Michael O’Sullivan Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham[/caption]
The race was named after Michael O’Sullivan[/caption]
The race was named after the beloved 24-year-old Irish jockey who tragically died on February 16 after a fall at Thurles ten days earlier.
It was an emotional occasion for Charlie McCarthy, who also hails from Cork.
And speaking to RacingTV, he said: “To be honest about it, it is a wonderful day for me because Michael O’Sullivan – the race is called after him.
“He lived 20km from me and I will donate this to the O’Sullivan family because he was a wonderful jockey.”
Charlie McCarthy had surgery for kidney cancer just two weeks ago, which gave Tuesday’s win another element of poignancy.
He said following the win: “I won’t cry, but I’ll tell you one thing, I’m on cloud nine and is there a bigger cloud to be on?
“I just can’t get over it, I’m here with my sons, to win at Cheltenham, the Novices’ Supreme Hurdle with everything I’ve been through, it’s a dream come true and the dream is not finished yet…
“I’m trying to promote National Hunt racing, that the small man can have a say in it.
“And I’m no small man, but I am a small man, and to be fair about it, National Hunt is what I love and I’m trying to promote that.”
Michael O’Sullivan’s girlfriend and brother were on hand as he was honoured before the opening race of the 2025 Cheltenham Festival.
Charlotte Giles wiped away a tear as a sombre mood took hold round Prestbury Park.
All participating jockeys wore an armband adorned with the Cork flag in acknowledgement of the tragic rider who would’ve been competing in it were it not for his premature death.
The race wound up staying true to the form book as 4/6 favourite Kopek Des Bordes finished a length clear of 8/1 shot William Munny.
Paul Townend paid tribute to O’Sullivan by tapping on the armband as he wiped tears from his eyes.
Horse Racing Ireland kicked off Cheltenham week with a fitting tribute to the 24-year-old with a precious video package.
At the outset of the 64-second video there is the customary excitement around the four-day bonanza that’s described as ‘like Christmas…but better.’
However, the tone shifts around the halfway mark as footage of O’Sullivan at last year’s meet reminds everyone of how horse racing is still coming to terms with losing one of its brightest young stars.
The narrator outlines: “But as we prepare for our sport’s biggest days, we gather with heavy hearts.
“As we celebrate the heart and soul of our racing passion, never far from our thoughts are those who haven’t made this journey.
“Those who cherished this place just like us. Those who raised its roof.
“Those taken far too soon. A few less cheers in the roar…
“Never forgotten, always at our side.”