New Approach was named Ireland’s 2008 Horse of the Year on Monday at the Irish Horse Racing Awards ceremony at the Shelbourne Hotel in Dublin.

A three-time Group 1 winner this season, the three-year-old Galileo (Ire) colt beat out dual classic winner Henrythenavigator; Duke of Marmalade (Ire), a five-time Group 1 winner this season; Lush Lashes, a three-time Group 1 winner in 2008; and Yeats, winner this year of the Gold Cup (Eng-G1) and Prix Royal-Oak (Fr-G1) (French St. Leger).

New Approach won the Vodafone Epsom Derby (Eng-G1), Emirates Airline Champion Stakes (Eng-G1), and Tattersalls Millions Irish Champion Stakes (Ire-G1) this year and amassed $3,154,622 in purse earnings. Trained by Jim Bolger, New Approach also won the Cartier Award as European champion three-year-old male.

Other award winners were: jockey Ruby Walsh, National Hunt Award; trainer Aidan O’Brien, Flat Award; amateur rider Patrick Mullins, Outstanding Achievement Award; amateur rider JT McNamara, Point-to-Point Award; and jockey valet Dave Fox, Contribution to the Industry Award.