SAM Hamilton recorded his fourth success at the North Down point-to-point at Kirkistown last Saturday, on a horse trained by his grandfather, Brian Hamilton, and in the colours of a delighted Gilmer Bates, son and nephew of well-known racegoers, John and David Bates.
The 2020 Order Of St George bay Order Of Justice, who won the Old Manor Mill five-year-old and upwards mares’ maiden by a length on her second start, was purchased as a yearling at Tattersalls Ireland.
“She was a really nice-looking, good-moving filly with a massive stride,” said Gilmer, who runs a landscaping business in Ballyclare.
“We kept her at home until sending her to my girlfriend Molly McCrory, who broke her and did a lot of the pre-training work. We found the mare to have a great temperament, with a super attitude and sent her over to Hamiltons at the end of September.
“We brought her down to Dromahane for her first run, where Dara McGill rode her. We fancied her, as you can imagine, to go all that way, but she fell three out.
“All’s good now, and I think that was a good race, but we have to think where we go with her next. We try to buy a couple of horses each year to go pointing and then sell on, so she could be sold.
“I thought Sam gave her a great ride and he’s one of the up and coming young riders on the circuit. I got my colours from my father and they first belonged to my grandfather, Aubrey.”
THIS is a busy time of the year on the sport horse scene for Sammy Weston (pictured), but she still keeps an eye on the racing results and was delighted to see In Limbo justify odds-on favouritism in a hurdle at Exeter last Friday.
The seven-year-old Doyen gelding was bred by Sammy out of the unraced Snurge mare Silver Needle, whose only previous produce of racing age, Garcon Dargent (also by Doyen) won two point-to-points, but sadly died following two placed runs in chases.
This is the family of multiple graded winners, Accordion Etoile and French Accordion.
“I was delighted to see In Limbo progressing,” said Sammy who, with fiancé James Hammond, huntsman with the Newrys, and their two children Lucy and James, lives in Loughbrickland, while Silver Needle is based at her family’s Ballystockart near Comber.
“We still have his two-year-old half-brother by Sea Moon.”
Tullys Stellar Lady
Sammy hopes to have three horses competing at this year’s Balmoral Show, two for the working hunter section and one, Emily Carson’s five-year-old Cappa Aristocrat mare Tullys Stellar Lady, who qualified at The Meadows recently for the hugely popular Irish Draught performance championships at the four-day show.
Other locally-bred track winners we should mention are the Kieran Magee-bred seven-year-old gelding Battle Of Ridgeway (Califet – Scent With Love, by Winged Love) who, under Liam McKenna, landed a two-mile handicap hurdle at Gowran last Saturday; the Tommy Massey-bred seven-year-old mare Taxus Baccata (Califet – Yewtree Girl, by Gamut), who won the near two and a half-mile novices’ handicap chase at Plumpton on Monday; and the CAFRE-bred Bond Broker (Doyen – Indian Love, by Indian Danehill), who justified odds-on favouritism in the two-mile, one-furlong novices’ hurdle at Sedgefield on Tuesday.
Despite the successes for local trainers, owners and riders at the North Down point-to-point at Kirkistown last Saturday, there was no locally-trained winner, but there was the following day at Castlelands.
There, the J.P. King-bred Midnight Jukebox (Jukebox Jury – Midnight Streaker, by Midnight Legend), sold for £135,000 to Noel Fehily and David Crosse at the Tattersalls Cheltenham Festival Sale on Thursday, landed the Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale four-year-old geldings’ maiden on his debut.
There were wins between the flags across the water for the Hugh Suffern-trained Eagles Rock (by Conduit) and the Deckie Lennon-bred All Loved Up (by Winged Love).
WHEN you attend Monday’s Bluegrass Horse Feeds St Patrick’s Day meeting at Down Royal, give yourselves a pat on the back, as racegoers at the track have raised £12,925 for Friends of the Cancer Centre.
As Down Royal’s official charity partner for 2024, representatives of the Friends of the Cancer Centre were in evidence at each of the racecourse’s 12 fixtures. The money raised will fund vital patient support services and contribute to pioneering local cancer research.
The charity’s work focuses on four key areas: patient care, patient comfort, research and cancer awareness, helping to enhance the services already provided by the Health Service and ensuring people receive the very best support during their cancer journey.
Ciara Bainbridge of Friends of the Cancer Centre expressed her thanks: “We are truly grateful to Down Royal and its racegoers for their outstanding generosity. I would also like to extend my heartfelt thanks to Down Royal for their generous donation and continued support. This incredible total will enable us to continue providing comfort, care and practical support to people facing cancer across Northern Ireland.”
Emma Meehan, chief executive of Down Royal Racecourse, added: “Supporting Friends of the Cancer Centre as our charity partner has been an honour and it’s been inspiring to see our racegoers step up with such generosity.
“Cancer affects so many people within our community and we’re delighted that together we’ve been able to make a real difference through this partnership. Thank you to everyone who donated at one of our racedays, your kindness is helping families right across Northern Ireland.”
To learn more about Friends of the Cancer Centre, visit friendsofthecancercentre.com
Balmoral Show entries close
A REMINDER to those who intend showing livestock, horses and ponies at this year’s Balmoral Show (May 14th to 17th), entries for these sections close on Wednesday next, March 19th at 5pm.
All entries must be submitted online. To enter or to download a copy of the prize schedules, please visit www.balmoralshow.co.uk. Edward O’Grady and Davy Russell are scheduled to judge the Downpatrick Racecourse-sponsored racehorse to riding horse class in the Main Arena on Friday, May 16th.
Sponsors of next Monday’s St Patrick’s Day meeting at Down Royal, Bluegrass Horse Feeds will be sponsoring the complete breeding and youngstock sections at Balmoral this year, in addition to their continued support of the schools show jumping open team championship. Thoroughbred horses can be entered in almost all of those classes.