IT was very disappointing for all involved that the first running of the Ulster National under the Randox banner took place behind closed doors at Downpatrick last Sunday especially as there was such an exciting finish to the feature race where last year’s winner, the Keith Watson-trained Amaulino, went down by a battling two lengths to Space Cadet.

Chris Jones’s successful Flemensfirth gelding provided Co Meath trainer Gearoid O’Loughlin with his biggest success to date while the 10-year-old, who was sent off a 25/1 shot in the 15-runner field gave rider, Ben Harvey, his first victory on the racecourse.

The north Co Dublin amateur, who has ridden 10 point-to-point winners, was first mentioned in the racing pages of this newspaper by this writer when, as a member of the Ward Union Branch, he won a race for Irish Pony Club members at the Meath & Tara point-to-point at Fairyhouse in April 2016.

Trophies

Connections of the winner should have received two trophies, the new Randox Ulster National trophy and the Ulster Grand National Caughoo Memorial Trophy which was presented to Downpatrick by the McDowell Family. Poignantly, the race came four days after the death of Phyllis McDowell whose husband Herbert had sent out Caughoo to win the Grand National at Aintree in 1947 (see page 64).

Racecourse manager Richard Lyttle has informed us that connections of Space Cadet will be invited to parade the winner at a meeting later in the year when the trophy presentations can be formally made with both owners and sponsors in attendance.

SPACE Cadet, winner of the Randox Ulster National, was bred in Co Tipperary at the Kenilworth House Stud which is managed by Co Antrim-born Gerry Ross.

Five other winners on the seven-race card had a northern connection of some sort, none more so than 20/1 shot Benefit North, who landed the Racing TV Handicap Hurdle in the hands of Denis O’Regan, and On The Sod who, under Rob James, justified 7/4 favouritism in the Boardsmill Sires Maiden Hunters Chase.

Benefit North is trained in Crossgar by Colin McBratney for Newry owner Cathal McGovern, the combination who claimed the Galway Plate in 2009 with Ballyholland.

A very welcome fourth winner of the season for Colin, the nine-year-old Beneficial gelding provided Cathal with his first success on the racecourse since August 2016 when the McBratney-trained Mountain Kingdom justified favouritism under Paul Townend in a maiden hurdle at Downpatrick. Happily, his white and yellow colours have been carried to victory in the meantime in point-to-points.

McGovern, who purchased Benefit North privately from Rose and Frank Boyd, watched Saturday’s racing at home on television but had hoped all would be back to normal for the Fairyhouse Easter Festival which was to be the horse’s next target. As it is, all plans are on hold.

Benefit North is one of three horses the delighted owner has for the season, the others being Lopito, who was purchased on his behalf by Kevin Ross Bloodstock and is with McBratney, and a Teofilo mare who is with Gavin Cromwell.

On The Sod is owned by his Derrylin trainer David Christie for whom the eight-year-old Ask gelding was bringing up a treble from three starts having won between the flags at Kirkistown in November and Farmacaffley last month.

On his only other outing, which was for Con McSweeney, On The Sod won his maiden at Dromahane in December 2018. While as disappointed as others are with the interruption to racing, Christie has had an excellent season with his runners both on the track and in point-to-points.

Honorary north of Ireland man Gordon Elliott set about winning the trainers’ title at Downpatrick for the fifth time when recording a double with the Luke Dempsey-partnered The Very Man in the WKD Rated Hurdle and the Jamie Codd-ridden Ballyadam in the Molson Coors-sponsored bumper.

Both horses started their careers in point-to-points with northern handlers, The Very Man claiming his maiden at Loughanmore in May 2018 on his second start for Stuart Crawford while Ballyadam, who was then trained by Colin McKeever at Loughanmore, gained his brackets first time out at Portrush last October.

The Tote Supporting Downpatrick Racecourse Handicap Chase was won by the Niall Madden-trained Golden Sunset whose Co Tyrone-born jockey, Simon Torrens, had a good afternoon on Tuesday at Clonmel.

There, from four rides, he had two seconds and partnered the Terence O’Brien-trained Ask Heather to victory in the Adare Manor Opportunity Handicap Chase.