WHEN racing gets underway tomorrow at Tinahely, it will the day’s sole action between the flags following the cancellation of the South Westmeath hunt point-to-point at The Pigeons which was called off on October 10th when the track was found to be unraceable.
Alongside the obvious disappointment for the hunt committee, the cancellation of the fixture leaves something of a void in the four-year-old mares’ maiden programme in the eastern region.
The early signs within the hunter certificate numbers for this season are again following the trend of recent seasons, with the real growth within the sport at present coming in the four-year-old age group, particularly four-year-old mares.
Five years ago, just 20 four-year-old mares held a hunter certificate at this point of the season, a figure that has multiplied significantly and stood at 77 by the beginning of this week, thanks in part to an additional number of opportunities for them.
Growth
That growth ensures they now represent a sizeable portion of the point-to-point horse population, even when based against older age groups as a whole, irrespective of sex.
For example, as of the beginning of the week, there were just 49 six-year-olds of all sexes with a hunter certificate, a figure which also includes winners, and not just those eligible for maiden races. There are also just a further 37 seven-year-old mares and geldings.
Yet despite outnumbering the six and seven-year-old age group, for whom maiden races exist on almost all cards, four-year-old mares are not as well catered for. Therefore the loss of a race for them is all the more frustrating for connections.
Following the loss of The Pigeons, the next race for these horses in the region is not until the new Drumlin point-to-point on November 17th. This is despite the fact that there is racing in the Eastern region on every Sunday until the end of the autumn season.
In circumstances where a race with particular importance to the overall race programme is cancelled, it would be a welcome move to see the race offered to appropriate hunt committees in the region, who, if willing to do so, could elect to run the race as a replacement in favour of one their programmed races in order to fill the temporary gap.
THERE was further evidence of the challenge that is presented in defending the champion point-to-point horse title this week, with the news that the Gordon Elliott-trained Kruzhlinin has suffered an injury setback and is set for a spell on the sidelines.
The 12-year-old enjoyed a record-breaking campaign last season alongside Sam Curling’s mare Longhouse Music. The pair ended the campaign with 13 wins to their name, the last of Kruzhlinin’s successes coming on the final day of the season at Ballingarry, to ensure that they shared the title between them.
Both horses had featured among the entries for the open at last weekend’s sole fixture in Loughrea, however neither took up that engagement against the former Irish Gold Cup winner Edwulf, and it has since come to light that the son of Sholokhov has suffered a setback delaying his return to action.
Disappointing
Kruzhlinin only made his Irish point-to-point debut at Moig South last November, and it now seems his return will be delayed beyond that point this year after his owner Camilla Sharples, the travelling head lass at Elliott’s Cullentra Stables, posted the disappointing news on social media.
“Very sad to report that Kruzhlinin has suffered a setback this P2P season and will be out of action for a while. Only time will tell if he will make it back to the track this season,” she tweeted.
The award has now been handed out on eight occasions since its introduction in 2012, and in that time, no horse has come close to retaining their crown, highlighting just how difficult it is for a horse to have a significant impact in the open division beyond a single season.
Coronation
Dick Lalor’s homebred, Carrigeen Acebo, who like Longhouse Music also claimed the champion mare prize in her title-winning campaign, has proven to be the most successful of the former champions, winning four races in the years after her coronation.
Three of those successes came in open company the following season, with a further victory added a year later, when she won a mares’ novice chase in Thurles at a price of 50/1.
All eyes will now be primed on Longhouse Music when she does make her return to action, as she seeks to buck that trend.
GAIN Mares Series kicks off in Kilkenny
THE Kilkenny Foxhounds point-to-point at Damma House at the beginning of November will mark the commencement of yet another edition of the GAIN Mares Series, which builds to the valuable final at Ballynoe in the spring.
GAIN Equine Nutrition and the Ballynoe point-to-point committee will provide a €3,000 bonus for the winner of the final, with half a tonne of feed also up for grabs for the second- and third-placed finishers in the final.
Valuable
Last season it was the Shark Hanlon-trained Dime A Dozen who scooped the valuable pot for her owner Gary Owens, and so it was at Hanlon’s Court Stud Stables in Carlow that the 2019/20 series was launched.
Joanne Hurley, Irish Country Manager at GAIN Equine Nutrition, commented: “It’s a fantastic series that we are delighted to be a part of for the past four decades. It is a great platform for us to support our point-to-point and National Hunt trainers at grass roots level.
“Many owners and trainers would keep a mare to compete in the final of the Mares Series, which is great to see. On behalf of GAIN Equine Nutrition, I would like to wish all connections the very best of luck for the season ahead.”