AWARDS

CONGRATULATIONS to Aidan O’Brien for winning one of the RTE Sports Stars of the Year Awards on Saturday night, He was selected by the RTE Sports Dept as Manager of the Year, with the main accolade, Sportsperson of the Year, going to by public vote to soccer player, James McClean.

I wonder what would O’Brien have to do to actually win the top award? He set a world record and won eight of ten Irish and English classics among many other successes and is recognised worldwide as the top man in a very competitive sport.

I respect James McClean, but he played with an Irish team that failed to qualify and with a West Brom team that is fighting relegation in the Premiership. I find it very hard to figure out how his achievements are regarded as superior to O’Brien’s.

Well done also to Bertram Allen, part of the Irish showjumping quartet that won the Eu,ropean championship for the first time in 16 years and was voted the Team of the Year.

After a quiet start to the week, on Sunday trainers Liz Doyle and Paul Nolan both had winners for JP McManus at opposite ends of the country.