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Top Festival Jockey and Trainer awards14th March 2008
The 2008 Cheltenham Festival ended with Paul Nicholls and Ruby Walsh as top trainer and jockey.
Paul Nicholls received the accolade courtesy of three winners, highlighted by Denman's victory in the Gold Cup.
The champion trainer was also on the mark with Master Minded in the Queen Mother Champion Chase and Celestial Halo in the Triumph Hurdle.
He took the award in a photo-finish with Alan King, who also had three winners but did not have as many second places.
For the fifth time Nicholls was crowned leading trainer at the Festival, having taken the prize in 1999, 2004, 2006 and 2007.
Nicholls' stable jockey Ruby Walsh gained some compensation for his defeat on Kauto Star in the Gold Cup by bagging the leading jockey award.
Walsh partnered three winners, the same number as Robert Thornton but the latter had two fewer second places.
It was the third time Walsh had taken the award following his successes in 2004 and 2006.
In spite on selecting to ride Kauto Star rather than Denman, he commented: "Never mind about anything else, to be leading rider at this meeting you have had a good week whatever as these race are not the easiest to win. Master Minded was by far my highlight of the meeting as he is some horse. He was awesome out there as he had the race won at the top of the hill and what is going to beat him after the way he won?"
The pair won prizes of £2,500 and £2,000 respectively from the awards sponsored by the Racing Post, with Nicholls giving the money to his stable staff and Walsh donating his prize to the Injured Jockeys' Fund.
Paul Nicholls and Ruby Walsh were crowned top trainer and jockey at the Cheltenham Festival in awards sponsored by the Racing Post