ONE always has to remember that if Willie Mullins had a good Cheltenham, he did so in the company of North of Ireland bloodstock agent Harold Kirk who sourced seven of the trainer’s 10 winners at the Festival this year.

One of those 10 was the Simon Munir and Isaac Souede-owned Jasmin De Vaux who won Friday’s Grade 1 Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle in the hands of Paul Townend.

The 2019 Tirwanako gelding started his career with Stuart Crawford who saddled the bay to win a four-year-old maiden at Loughanmore in early April 2023 when he was ridden by the trainer’s brother Ben.

It was great to see Brian Hughes record his first success at the Festival since 2018, and just his fourth in total, when the Nicky Henderson-trained 25/1 shot Doddiethegreat saw off his better fancied stable-companion, Jeriko Du Reponet, the 11/2 favourite, in the Pertemps Network Handicap Hurdle Final.

In less lofty company, Hughes has since visited the winner’s enclosures at Market Rasen and Haydock.

On a roll

The CosyRoof-sponsored Danny McMenamin has been on a roll of late and partnered his 60th winner of the season at Newcastle last Saturday when the Nicky Richards-trained Japetus justified favouritism in the two-mile, one-furlong bumper on his second start.

The four-year-old Sea The Moon gelding, who runs in the colours of Pat Sloan, is a half-brother to two winners on the flat out of the listed-winning Zamindar mare Zaminast, a half-sister to Famous Name, etc. Japetus was purchased at last year’s Tattersalls Newmarket Guineas Horses In Training Sale where he was knocked down for 50,000 guineas to Sycamore Horse Farm.

Simon Torrens rode a winner over jumps at Thurles on Saturday while there were wins on the flat for Oisin Orr at Southwell on Friday, for Darragh Keenan at the same track on Saturday, for Dylan Browne McMonagle at the Curragh on Sunday and for Martin Harley at Doomben in Australia.

Hopefully we can report on a local jockey riding the winner of the Irish Racing Writers Madrid Handicap at Naas on Sunday as the seven-furlong race for three-year-olds is being run in memory of the late Ron McKnight.

POINT-to-point fans will be heading to Portrush today for the Route Hunt’s second meeting of the 2024/2025 season whereas, back in 2005, on Saturday, March 19th to be exact, all would have been en route to Limavady where, on a warm, sunny day, there was a nine-race card.

Derek O’Connor recorded a treble which commenced in division one of the opening five and six-year-old geldings’ maiden on Ronnie Bartlett’s 5/4 favourite, Tamayo.

The Co Galway rider also struck in the first division of the older geldings’ maiden on David Crawford’s 6/4 market leader Never Better before rounding his day off with victory in the concluding five-runner winners of one on the David Christie-trained Penny Out.

There were only five runners also in the preceding confined hunt race which went to Diane Sheridan’s Glenalla Sam on whom Clare MacMahon brought up a double she had initiated in the Routes’ Classic, the four-mile open (22 fences), on another David Christie-trained runner, Dimitri.

Mark O’Hare also recorded a double, his wins coming in division two of both geldings’ maidens – on Billy Moffett’s Newbay Prop and George Preston’s Just Sid. Solo wins were recorded by Johnny Farrelly (Shrove Tuesday) and Saul McHugh (Rosey Rambler) in the divisions of the five-year-old and upwards mares’ maiden.

There was no meeting in 2015.

IT’s the way things go but could only find two locally-bred winners this week, the first of whom, Giaacosa, scored on his chasing debut at the French track Lyon Parilly on Sunday.

Now trained by Noel George and Amanda Zetterholm, the seven-year-old Shantou gelding was bred at their Ballyalton House by Leonard and Michael Cave out of the Great Pretender mare Ma Pretention who won over jumps in her native France and was listed-placed.

From the family of Good Bye Simon, the chesnut was purchased as a foal by Kevin Ross Bloodstock and ran twice in bumpers at Ayr for Stuart Crawford in early 2023, being placed on both starts. He was then transferred by owner Ben Halsall to France.

On Tuesday at Wetherby, the near two-and-a-half-mile racingtv.com Handicap Chase was won by the Callie Berry-bred 11-year-old gelding.

THE CosyGroup is to generously sponsor the stableyard canteen at Downpatrick racecourse for the 2025 season, starting at the prestigious Randox Ulster National meeting on Sunday next, March 30th.

Well-known for giving racegoers an enjoyable day out, Downpatrick has also built on its reputation in recent years by improving the facilities available to stablestaff and jockeys. Part of this has been a commitment to provide a canteen free of charge to stable staff during meetings.

Cosy Group Holdings Ltd is the parent of multiple brands within the construction sector across the UK and Ireland, including Cosy Roof, Cosy Insulation, Cosy Solar, Cosy Developments, KAP Properties and JW McCalls.

Daryl Polly, Commercial Director of KAP Properties commented: “We are delighted to be involved in this fantastic sponsorship with Downpatrick Racecourse for 2025. Group CEO, Philip Polly, has horses in training and fully appreciates the hard work that goes in behind the scenes – stable staff are the backbone of the industry. Downpatrick Racecourse will continue to offer complimentary food for stablestaff, and we are proud to be able to support this great initiative.”

Ruth Morrison, General Manager of Downpatrick Racecourse said: “We are absolutely thrilled to have Cosy Group on board as the sponsor of our stableyard canteen for the entire 2025 season. It is a wonderful demonstration of their commitment to the hardworking stablestaff.

“The Cosy Group have been great supporters of Downpatrick Racecourse and it is a privilege to build on that partnership.”

Hopefully, there will be some local successes at next Sunday’s meeting as the St Patrick’s Day fixture at Down Royal was a bust on that front, the only solace being that one of Gordon Elliott’s four winners, Favori De Champdou in the Bluegrass Stamm 30 Chase, started his career with Warren Ewing.

At last year’s re-scheduled Randox Ulster National meeting, Elliott won the big race with Jayne McConnell’s David Mitchell-bred Jumping Jet while Darragh McGill won the preceding Toals Bookmakers Handicap Hurdle on the Ross Tumilty-trained Custers Mistake.