Johnjo O'Neill flew in from England where he was honoured at an event at Leopardstown.
At the Sean Graham awards in December 1980 Johnjo O'Neill was presented with a special mark of recognition for winning the English National Hunt in 1979 and 1980 and the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham in 1980. Denis McCarthy, Senior Steward of the Turf Club presented the jockey with a Waterford Crystal trophy and a framed picture of his horse Sea Pigeon winning the Champion Hurdle.
Other award winners on the day included Michael Cunningham, who won top trainer on the flat, Tony Murray, won the jockey of the year award for the second time in a row. The award for the best national hunt trainer was accepted by Joan Moore for the late Dan Moore.
Michael Fisher reports for RTÉ News on 2 December 1980.
