WINGED Leader’s quest to become the winning-most point-to-pointer of all time moved a step closer as he dominated proceedings in the open.

Taking to the track for the 13th time this season, and just two days after the 59th anniversary had passed of Still William setting the current all-time record of 33 wins in 1966, Winged Leader (1/2 favourite) moved within two winners of that landmark.

After attacking the penultimate fence under Barry O’Neill, David Christie’s front-running 11-year-old repeated that jump at the last to easily account for Francois by 12 lengths in front of his proud owners, John Hegarty and Jennifer O’Kane.

“Relief, every race is relief now,” Christie admitted. “He looks very well after it all the same. It was nice that his owners could be here to see him today. The early part of the year was spent running deep, down south and it was too far to travel.

“This horse is such a big thing for them, he is a horse of a lifetime for us all. I will never train a horse like him again.”

Title defenders

The victory also moved Winged Leader a step closer to defending his champion point-to-point horse title, and his rider also further cemented his own title aspirations with a treble on the card.

The eight-time national champion had earlier ridden a brace for Colin Bowe, beginning with Red Rubio (3/1 – 2/1 favourite) in the four-year-old geldings’ maiden.

Sourced as a foal for €16,000 in the sales ring that adjoins the Ratoath course, the chesnut has a wine-themed name like many of his owner Ben Halsall’s horses, but it was perhaps the Flood’s of Boardsmill Stud who had the greatest reason to toast the four-length defeat of Crystello, as it marked a first winner within the division for their Group 2-winning stallion Sumbal.

“He is the first Sumbal that we have had, and we liked him coming here,” Bowe said. “He is a lovely horse, Barry said he was very professional and loved the ground.”

Quick double

Winning breeder Gill Browne was on hand to greet Mandinka (evens favourite) into the winner’s enclosure after he had opened his account in the five-year-old geldings’ maiden.

The Doyen gelding, who shares his Beneficial-sired dam Daytona Lily with the Grade 2 winner Andy Dufresne, was five lengths too good for Makinbecon as he completed a quick-fire double for Bowe and O’Neill in the Milestone Bloodstock silks.

“I’m delighted,” exclaimed Browne. “I bred him and we brought him along slowly because he is a big horse. I have to give plenty of credit to Pa O’Sullivan. He did all the pre-training last year with the horse.”

NO handler has saddled more four-year-old maiden winners in 2025 than Gary Murphy, and the Tullycanna handler took his total within the age group this spring to six when Magic Gloves (5/2 – 3/1 joint-favourite) proved to be the class act of the nine-strong four-year-old mares’ maiden.

Second to her stablemate Crafted Pearl at Durrow three weeks earlier, such was the ease at which the Richard Busher-bred mare took control of this contest, it seemed that the biggest obstacle to the Turbine Syndicate-owned daughter of Jet Away going one place better was who could take the ride on her prior to her six-length defeat of Royale Navy, as Noel McParlan explained.

Kick on

“Gary rang me about an hour ago when I was passing Dundalk and asked if I could ride one in the first,” the four-time northern champion said. “I told him I wasn’t going to be there until 12.30 or 12.40, but he said to kick on.

“She never missed a beat; she was a savage jumper. She travelled all the way and was always going to pick up.”

Late scare

Murphy’s South Wexford colleague Richard O’Keeffe recorded his second winner in as many months when Turnupdevolume (2/1 – 5/2) claimed the older geldings’ maiden for novice riders.

Third at Monksgrange last month, the seven-year-old travelled best of all into the home straight under Tony Doyle, and the pair survived a late scare when High Stool Profit closed to within half a length at the line.

“I was expecting that today,” Doyle stated.

“A bit of nicer ground helped him, and with the bit of experience under his belt he deserved that. He will go on to Punchestown now next.”

JUST two runners took to the track for the five-year-old and upwards mares’ maiden, but that will have mattered little to rider William Hamilton and Crossgar handler Paul Bailie, as they combined for their respective first winners with Votre Sante (evens).

Tracking her sole rival, the slow-jumping Sinceyouvebeengone, the 22-year-old Ballymena rider soon seized the initiative and took his Lauro-sired mount to the front, and although she was briefly headed in the home straight, she gamely battled back to the front to triumph by two and a half lengths.

Doubt

“To be honest, I didn’t think that she would win today,” said the 23-year-old handler, who currently has two horses in training.

“I just told the jockey to settle her in, and she has jumped and travelled fantastically. The cheekpieces worked. We schooled her in them last Saturday, and I can’t believe it.”

Horse to Follow

Gangster Walk (D. G. Hogan): The Getaway gelding loomed alongside the eventual winner Red Rubio at the home bend, however he did not quite see out the trip as well as others, fading into third.