The award is traditionally given to the rider with the most Flat winners at the 16 northern England and Scottish tracks, beginning with Lincoln Meeting at Doncaster at the end of March and concluding back there on Saturday with the season-ending Betgoodwin November handicap meeting.

For the Boroughbridge-based rider, who has also ridden over 100 winners across the season for the third time in his career, the Cock O’ The North is an honour he has been chasing since he started riding in the north over 20 years ago.

He said: “I am delighted to win it. I have been up north now for over 20 years and I have always wanted to win it. I am one of the top riders up here and I thought if I retired and I hadn’t won it, it would have been very disappointing.

NEWMARKET, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 22: Paul Mulrennan riding Azure Blue (pink) win The British Stallion Studs EBF Premier Fillies' Handicap at Newmarket Racecourse on September 22, 2022 in Newmarket, England. (Photo by Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images)

“It is not quite being champion jockey but it is the next best thing for a northern-based jockey.

“The likes of Kevin Darley, Paul Hanaghan, Danny Tudhope and Joe Fanning have won the title so I am proud to have got my name on that prestigious award.

Mulrennan is currently on 105 winners for the campaign - 90 of which came at the 16 qualifying tracks, but he won’t be adding to that tally today as he is banned, but will be there to collect his award.

In addition, Mulrennan was the leading rider at all three Scottish tracks – including 22 winners at Ayr and 12 at Musselburgh and one of his main supporters, Jim Goldie was the leading trainer at them all, too.

At last: Jockey Paul Mulrennan says he is delighted to be crowned the north's top rider after a brilliant season in the saddle. (Getty)

“Jim has had his best ever year with 60 winners, I had a good winner [Barefoot Angel] for Richard Fahey in the the Group 3 Firth of Clyde Stakes at Ayr and the likes of Michael Dods, Julie Camacho and Paul Midgley have been good to me.

“I would also like to thank my agent Richard Hale, my sponsors Racing TV and all the owners, trainers and stable staff for their support because without all of them I wouldn’t have got anything.”

Chelsea fan Mulrennan is actually from Ealing in west London and it was his cousin and fellow jockey John Egan who persuaded him to get involved with the sport, as Mulrennan explains: “He’s always be telling me about all these jockey he knew that had never had any background in racing – especially Flat jockeys like Johnny Murtagh, Royston Ffrench, Richard Quinn and Kieran Fallon.”

After speaking to the school careers advisor he went to the British Racing School at Newmarket before working at Brian Meehan’s for two years then heading north to work as an apprentice for the late Patrick Haslam at Middleham, losing his claim before joining Mick Easterby’s operation where he stayed another five years.

Winning score: Paul Mulrennan has ridden 105 winners this season - including 90 in the Cock O' The North competition which encompasses the 16 Flat tracks of northern England and Scotland. (Getty Images)

He has always remembered a piece of advice given to him by Haslam.

“He said ‘If you want to succeed in this game you have got to think like Tony McCoy’ and that kind of stuck with me. McCoy would go anywhere for one or two rides and kill himself doing the weight, you have just got to be that bit tougher like he was and get on with it.”

In his role as a columnist for Racing TV, Mulrennan picked his five favourite rides of the season and one which caught this writer’s eye was the win on Dianne Sayer’s 66-1 rank outsider Redarna, who came over the top to claim April’s Thirsk Hunt Cup.

“That race gave me my first big winner as an apprentice at Mick’s when I won on Blue Spinnaker so it’s a race I have a soft spot for as that was the horse that got my career going and then won the Zetland Cup on him for which I got a Lester for ride of the year.

“It was also nice to do it for Dianne who has been very good to me.”

Away for the track Mulrennan is married to former jockey and ITV racing expert Adele and he is proud of the way she has switched from her riding to presenting career.

“We were the first husband and wife to be in a photo finish. I beat her a shorthead at Catterick and she wasn’t best pleased!

“But she has done great for herself with ITV. Adele is a horsewoman and from a ‘normal’ background so she can relate to the people watching and keeps it simple.”

*Paul Mulrennan will be crowned Cock O’ The North at the BETGOODWIN November Handicap meeting at Doncaster Racecourse today. To find your local racing fixture visit https://www.greatbritishracing.com/fixtures/.

Mulrennan's pride at being named north's top jockey