Local trainer Dermot McLoughlin's National victory met with 'raucous reception'

The Racing Post's awards will honour the best (and sometimes worst) performances and raise talking points from the last seven days of racing. This week's winners are . . .

Performance of the week

Lord Lariat

The 150th running of the Irish Grand National produced a fittingly memorable result on Monday, with Dermot McLoughlin proving his guile to claim a second consecutive victory with outsider Lord Lariat.

His price of 40-1 seems almost mundane compared with last year's 150-1 winner Freewheelin Dylan but the success was perhaps even more authoritative, with the seven-year-old pulling clear after the last under Paddy O'Hanlon.

Paddy O'Hanlon celebrates success in the Irish Grand National on Lord LariatCredit: Patrick McCann

The local victory was met with a raucous reception in the winner's enclosure, with McLoughlin training just ten minutes away from the track with a yard of around 40 horses.

It's hard to imagine any of his runners being discounted so readily next year.

'To do it again is unbelievable' - McLoughlin springs another Fairyhouse stunner

Trainer of the week

Paul Nicholls

Who else? Nicholls exemplified the phrase 'going out in style' on Saturday with a 410-1 Sandown five-timer that included Greaneteen in the Celebration Chase, which he was winning back-to-back.

The day sealed a remarkable 13th trainers' championship title and proved how deadly Nicholls is at the final British jumps meeting of the season.

He also enjoyed Graded success on Saturday with Saint Calvados and McFabulous, while novice hurdle winner Knappers Hill looks looks set to stay over hurdles this coming season.

Champion trainer Paul Nicholls ends season in style with 410-1 five-timer

Ante-post mover of the week

Emily Upjohn

John and Thady Gosden have unleashed two promising Cazoo Oaks candidates in recent days, and Emily Upjohn certainly looked immensely promising when coasting to success at Sandown.

Frankie Dettori has been associated with many great mares in his time but revealed he had been wowed by the work of the daughter of Sea The Stars before the fillies' novice event on Friday.

Emily Upjohn duly obliged and her nine-and-a-half length victory led to her odds being shortened for the Epsom Classic on June 3 to as low as 4-1 (from 25), with Betfred making her joint-favourite at that price with the Aidan O'Brien-trained Tuesday.

Emily Upjohn leaves her rivals behind at Sandown under Frankie DettoriCredit: Mark Cranham

Dettori 'wowed' as Emily Upjohn cut to 7-1 for Oaks after Sandown success

Ride of the week

Simon Condon

Simon Condon could scarcely believe what happened at Kilbeggan's Thursday meeting after the jockey bagged his first success at the age of 59.

Condon scored cosily up the centre of the track on Eat The Book, a horse bought by Condon's father and owned by the jockey.

The 40-1 victory was a dream come true for the amateur in his sole ride of the season, with Condon working as a healthcare assistant away from the track.

Eat The Book was also claiming his maiden victory for trainer David Dunne, who Condon credited for nursing the horse back to health after a life-threatening broken elbow suffered at Thurles.

Watch Simon Condon's memorable first win at Kilbeggan

Quote of the week

Shark Hanlon

"The plan was to go home this evening but the plan just changed. He was a very dear horse as he cost us just €850 – he was a good walker and was only the price of a cow."

Celebrations looked set to continue for Shark Hanlon long after Sandown drew the curtain on the British jumps season, with bargain-buy Hewick having plundered the bet365 Gold Cup.

Bargain €850 buy Hewick routs bet365 Gold Cup field for Shark Hanlon

Comeback of the week

Burrows Park

Charlie Deutsch has just enjoyed the biggest season of his career, and his final winner from it could just be one of his best as he delivered a near-impossible victory on Burrows Park at Chepstow.

The Venetia Williams-trained runner had been beaten by 74 lengths on his previous start and looked set to produce a similar effort after trailing the field by a considerable distance in the 2m7½f handicap hurdle.

However, a persevering ride by Deutsch paid off in full as the 25-1 shot made rapid progress up the home straight to come through to win by three-quarters of a length.

How the race played out:

Burrow Saint (left) trails the field significantly for much of the raceCredit: Atr

The eventual winner only begins to enter the frame on the charge for homeCredit: Atr

Burrows Saint begins to pick off his rivalsCredit: Atr

Victory is claimed by just under a length from the David Pipe-trained ItacareCredit: Atr

Watch Burrows Park deliver a remarkable last-to-first victory at Chepstow

Read more:

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Foley, Gainford and Fitzgerald - a three-way fight for the conditionals' title

Did we see an Oaks winner at Haydock and which horse's odds continue to shorten?

Catch our in-depth review of the weekend's racing every Monday in the Racing Post. With big-race analysis from Grand National-winning jockey Leighton Aspell, Chris Cook's take on the weekend action, eyecatchers from the Raceform team, weekly awards and much more, it is not to be missed.