DAVID Christie could have gone further afield with the great Winged Leader last weekend but, on Sunday, he merely popped down from Derrylin to Tattersalls Ireland.
There, under Barry O’Neill, the 11-year-old Winged Leader gelding recorded his 31st pointing success when landing the seven-runner open by 12 lengths. He was greeted at the No 1 spot by his very proud owners John Hegarty and Jenny O’Kane.
As Winged Leader was his only runner at the meeting, David was soon able to set off back home where, like nearly every sports fan in the country, he settled in to watch The Masters from Augusta. As he waits for his stable star to break Still William’s record as the winning-most pointer, David could probably understand Rory McIlroy’s stress as he set out on his final round to achieve a career grand slam this year.
Let’s hope that, in common with the Holywood native who, on Sunday, joined a select band of grand slam winners, David too will be able to celebrate achieving his aim this season.
However, he will be out on his own in the point-to-point training ranks if Winged Leader beats the 33-win record but the financial gain may not be the same as in the golf world!
Northern trainers on the march
WE’RE always delighted to see Noel McParlan ride another point-to-point winner as he did on Sunday when joining forces with Co Wexford trainer Gary Murphy whose charge, Magic Gloves, landed the opening four-year-old mares’ maiden at Tattersalls Ireland.
This victory saw McParlan hit the 250-win mark between the flags while also enjoying a red-letter day at the Co Louth Foxhounds’ meeting were William Hamilton and Paul Bailie.
The rider and owner/trainer both recorded their first success when Votre Sante scored by two and a half lengths from Sinceyouvebeengone, her only other rival in the older mares’ maiden.
William, who in the past worked for Wilson Dennison and Nicky Richards, is now based at Philip McBurney’s Ballymena yard while Paul, who is a grandson of Jean McBratney (a sister to Colin and David) trains a couple of horses outside Ballynahinch.
Mentioning Colin McBratney, didn’t his former charge Captain Cody put up a great performance, under an excellent ride from Harry Cobden, when winning the four-mile Coral Scottish Grand National at Ayr on Saturday?
Colin sold the Arctic Cosmos gelding privately to Harold Kirk following his fourth-place finish, on his second start, in a four-year-old maiden at Broughshane in early May 2022.
He then joined the Willie Mullins yard from where he was sent out to win a bumper and two hurdle races (include a Grade 2 novices’ event at Fairyhouse) while Saturday’s victory was his first over fences.
A few other former northern-trained point-to-pointers have been on the mark on the track recently but there isn’t room to mention them all here.
Currently in the care of a local handler is Cuban Grey who won the five-furlong handicap at the Curragh on Saturday. The five-year-old Havana Grey gelding is trained by Pat McKenna who rivals David Maxwell when it comes to entertaining post-race interviews.
Noel Kelly, who too has a knack for talking, sent out John O’Hagan’s Our Zebo (who was bred by John and Margery Adams) to win over hurdles at Tramore on Monday and then saddled Bringsty to justify favouritism on the flat on Wednesday at Gowran where Natalia Lupini was also on the mark.
On the flat
Among the flat jockeys to ride winners recently were Martin Harley, who landed a treble at Doomben, Australia on Wednesday and Dylan Browne McMonagle who recorded a double at the Curragh on Saturday.
Later that day, Oisin Orr landed a double at Thirsk where his brother Conor partnered a welcome winner, the Declan Carroll-trained Emerald Army by a neck (the runner-up here was ridden by Brandon Wilkie who, himself, rode a winner at Lingfield last Thursday week).
Hunter trials
We had hoped to report on a very mixed weekend treble but the Orrs’ stepmother Rachel Carton, who was riding in the 90cms open pairs’ competition at the Connolly’s Red Mills/Association of Irish Riding Clubs’ national hunter trials at Nuenna Farm in Co Kilkenny missed out. She and her Letterkenny Riding Club partner Anne Chambers were far too fast compared to the optimum time set for the course so had to settle for third.
Over jumps, there were wins for Brian Hughes at Sedgefield on Friday and at Ayr on Saturday. On Monday, Danny McMenamin landed the bumper at Hexham on the 7/4 favourite Japetus who is trained by Nicky Richards for Pat Sloan whose colours he also carried to victory at Newcastle last month.
Other successful owners recently were Gilmer Bates, whose Declan Queally-trained Long Gone won over hurdles at Tramore on Sunday, also Mark Devlin, Nigel O’Hare and Philip Smith whose Ado McGuinness-trained Weegeebear won on the flat at Gowan on Wednesday on his second start for these connections.
IN advance of the track’s evening meeting on Friday, May 9th, Downpatrick is running a Facebook competition to win six indoor general admission tickets. The winner is due to be announced next Friday so don’t dilly dally if you’re thinking of entering.
Horsepower of a very different type will be on view next Sunday, April 27th, at the Down Royal Motor Show where there will be prizes, stands, food and all things motor.
It was disappointing that there was no locally-trained winner at the track last Sunday but jockey Simon Torrens did his bit for the cause when partnering Gustavo Goodway to land the Fibrus Says Neigh To Price Hikes Handicap Hurdle for Co Wicklow handler Philip Rothwell.
AT the ‘From pedigree to parade ring’ seminar held by the Northern Region of the Irish Thoroughbred Breeders Association in the Belmont Hotel, Banbridge on February 26th, £775 was raised in aid of Air Ambulance Northern Ireland.
In a letter written recently to the ITBA’s CEO Peter Reilly, the charity outlined its work, referred to a specific incident when its intervention proved crucial and concluded with these words: “On behalf of the charity team thank you for being part of the journey to help save lives.”
DRESSAGE Ireland held its Premier Performance national winter finals last weekend at Castle Irvine, Necarne where Treo Eile sponsored awards for the highest-placed thoroughbreds in the three lower graded championships.
The prize at Preliminary level was awarded to Aoife Brady who placed third in the Category 1 division with Linkenholt, a 13-year-old Robin Des Champs gelding who finished third three times in British point-to-point maidens, last running at Cottenham on December 30th 2018.
Competing in Category 2 company, Cairlinn Carroll won the Novice award on the seventh-placed Polish Partisan, an 18-year-old Pilsudski gelding who won a bumper at Sligo in July 2012 when trained by Anthony Mulholland.
The bay, who went on to be placed over hurdles and fences, last ran at the end of March 2019 when pulled up by Conor Orr in a handicap chase at Clonmel.
Claire Farrell, another Category 2 rider, was the recipient of the Elementary award having finished fourth on the French-bred Renneti, a 16-year-old gelding by Irish Wells who won five races on the flat and two over hurdles. Renneti was trained by Willie Mullins.