Mourners gather for Michael O’Sullivan’s funeral as racing remembers tragic 24-year-old jockey

MOURNERS have gathered for the funeral of Michael O'Sullivan - the Cheltenham Festival-winning jockey who died aged 24. Racing has been in mourning since Sunday after his tragic passing was confirmed. O'Sullivan, a rising star of the weighing room, suffered injuries in a fall at Thurles racecourse in Ireland on February 6 from which he never recovered. As the tributes poured in he was remembered as a 'beautiful person' - with the sport lucky to have such an accomplished, confident and intelligent young man among its ranks.

His awful passing at a young age and just weeks before Cheltenham Festival has left a huge hole in people's hearts. There has been no racing in Ireland for the past three days - as the sport and community came to terms with such a devastating loss. And the funeral mass at St John the Baptist Church in Cork was packed with mourners remembering a much-loved and respected rider. His coffin bearing the blue and gold flag of his GAA club Kilshannig was met at the church door by a guard of honour made up of over a dozen jockeys he raced with.

Ahead of his funeral, his family spoke of how proud they were of all his accomplishments, which included winning two races in one day at the 2023 Cheltenham Festival. A post on rip.ie read: "On Sunday, February 16, 2025 after a trojan battle to recover from injuries sustained in a fall, Michael died peacefully a few days short of his 25th birthday, surrounded by his heartbroken parents Bernie (née Goulding) and William, brother Alan, partner Charlotte and extended family.

"Michael had accomplished so much in his short life. "As a family we are so incredibly proud not only of his achievements in the saddle, but of the extraordinary young man he had become. "He was full of kindness, integrity, ambition and love, always striving to be the best person he could be. "Michael will be very sadly missed by Bernie, William, Alan, "Granny Mary", aunts Kathleen, Marie, Anne, Marguerite and Marie, uncles Connie, Willie, Sean, Andy, Patsy, Eugene, Patrick and Michael, aunts-in-law, uncles-in-law, cousins, Charlotte, his many friends as well as his weigh room colleagues and the wider racing community.".

O'Sullivan was injured when part of a desperate five-horse pile-up at the final fence of a handicap chase. He was attended to on-track by racecourse paramedics and airlifted to Cork Hospital, where he remained in intensive care until his passing. Racing fans have pleaded with Cheltenham bosses to consider an exceptional name change to honour O'Sullivan. In light of his 2023 Supreme Novices' Hurdle win on Marine Nationale, punters want the opening race of the Festival to be run under a different banner.