Powerful tributes were paid to the late Michael O'Sullivan at the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival on Tuesday afternoon.
O'Sullivan was airlifted to hospital after a fall from atop Wee Charlie in Thurles on February 6. He would ultimately succumb to his injuries on February 16.
Tributes poured in from around the racing world when O'Sullivan passed away, with the 24-year-old taken long before his time.
The Supreme Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham - the opening race of the festival - was renamed in honour of the late jockey for 2025, with O'Sullivan having won the event with Marine Nationale in 2023.
For Michael O’Sullivan ❤️
Always remembered pic.twitter.com/17tyFpFUnS
— ITV Racing (@itvracing) March 11, 2025
As the 2025 festival got underway on Tuesday, emotions ran high as the racing world remembered Michael O'Sullivan.
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Riders pay poignant Cork-themed tribute to Michael O'Sullivan at Cheltenham
Pre-race on Tuesday, a minute's applause was held at Cheltenham to remember the late Irish jockey, nearly a month on from his death.
A beautiful tribute to Michael O'Sullivan at Cheltenham today. #CheltenhamFestival | #VMTVRacing pic.twitter.com/Y4kDDsEjlb
— Virgin Media Sport (@VMSportIE) March 11, 2025
The riders in the Michael O'Sullivan Supreme Novices' Hurdle paid a fitting tribute to the Corkonian, wearing red-and-white armbands adorned with the Cork county crest.
As winner and fellow Corkonian Paul Townend crossed the line atop Cork-bred horse Kopek Des Bordes, he made a moving gesture to his county armband as a mark of respect to a fallen colleague.
It was a moment fraught with emotion, and Townend was choked up as he spoke to ITV immediately after the race. When asked if O'Sullivan had been the first thing he had thought of crossing the line, Townend could only muster a quiet "Yeah."
"Every day is a school day with him. He's not the finished article yet, he'll keep improving."
🗣️ Kopek Des Bordes jockey @PTownend reacts to his win. #CheltenhamFestival | #VMTVRacing pic.twitter.com/Akhn7s8Dyk
— Virgin Media Sport (@VMSportIE) March 11, 2025
The atmosphere after race one could not have been more emotional.
For winning owner Charlie McCarthy, Tuesday was also a heavy day, as he took a memorable victory just weeks after having his cancerous right kidney removed. The Fermoy man said it was a "dream come true" and that Kopek Des Bordes had "kept him going" through his surgery.
In a lovely gesture, McCarthy dedicated his victory to the O'Sullivan family.
🗣️ "I'll donate this to the O'Sullivan family. He was a wonderful jockey."
Charlie McCarthy, owner of Kopek Des Bordes, who is currently recovering from cancer, gives a lovely tribute to Michael O'Sullivan following his star's victory in the Supreme ❤️ pic.twitter.com/4xnIK6dOhN
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) March 11, 2025
"To be honest," McCarthy said, "It's a wonderful day for me.
"Michael O'Sullivan...he lived about 20 kilometres from me. I'll donate this to the O'Sullivan family because he was a wonderful jockey.
"He was a wonderful jockey. To be fair about it, we'll enjoy it. We're from County Cork, the O'Sullivans and myself. It's an all-round occasion."
One of horse racing's greatest festivals is underway but, on Tuesday afternoon, Michael O'Sullivan was all that most in the community could think about.
His memory lives on.
