AIDAN O'Brien has been declared winner of the 2016 British Flat Trainers Championship ahead of John Gosden and Malton's Richard Fahey.

O'Brien bagged record prize of money of £8.13m - which is more than double the amount won by Gosden who finished in second spot with £3.46m.

Although Fahey was third on £3.15m, he trained 198 winners, the largest number this year in British racing.

His biggest triumphs came courtesy of Godolphin's Ribchester who won the Jersey Stakes at Royal Ascot before landing the Group One Prix Jacques Le Marois in France.

Incredibly, O'Brien needed just 28 winners to clinch the Championship.

Minding, who won four British Group One races including the QIPCO 1000 Guineas, the Investec Oaks and the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes on QIPCO British Champions Day was his biggest earner with £1.56m in prize money.

Other stars in his stable are Order Of St George (Gold Cup at Royal Ascot), Highland Reel (QIPCO-sponsored King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes), The Gurkha (Qatar Sussex Stakes) and Seventh Heaven (Darley Yorkshire Oaks).

Seamus Mullins, President of the National Trainers Federation, said: “Through his unparalleled performance as Champion Trainer, Aidan is continuing to keep up the tradition of Ballydoyle producing champions on the track. Many congratulations to him and all his team on their fantastic, record breaking season.”

The bad news for O’Brien’s rivals is that he has a habit of winning back-to-back championships with his previous triumphs coming in 2001 and 2002 and then 2007 and 2008.

The 2016 British Flat Trainers Championship was the first since 2010 to be judged on a full calendar year of results and is based purely on prize money won.