AS the success of point-to-point graduates on the track continues to soar, producing no fewer than 175 winners under rules last month and making it the third most successful individual month since records began, it is the performance of point-to-point mares that continue to impress.

Last Friday week, Alsa Mix got the better of the geldings’ to claim the Grade 2 Ballymore Winter Novices’ Hurdle at Sandown.

Since making a winning debut at Aghabullogue in January, when taking a six-year-old and upwards mares’ maiden by 10 lengths, she has gone from strength-to-strength for new trainer Alan King, who paid £65,000 for her at Cheltenham, as she has remained unbeaten, winning her next three starts on the bounce, culminating in that Grade 2 victory.

Two days later at Huntingdon, it was a clean sweep for pointing mares in the Tattersalls Ireland Henrietta Knight listed bumper, with Timetochill following up her wide-margin Kelso success for Kelly Morgan.

The Scorpion mare had finished third at Borris House for Carlow handler John Redmond as a four-year-old, and she finished in front of Richard Black’s Courtown winner Emma’s Joy, with Kieran Roche’s Bartlemy winner Silver Forever completing the placings.

The trio who had all run between the flags last season, had also all won first time out under rules on their first start for their new connections.

HIGHLIGHTS

Paul Pierce, who had sent out that Grade 2 winner Alsa Mix for her debut success at Aghabullogue, was the inaugural winner of the Irish Thoroughbred Marketing mares’ prize at the end of the 2014/15 point-to-point season, and that grey Al Namix mare is the latest spin-off from it and highlights his talents in producing smart mares.

The €5,000 voucher that he received to assist in the purchase of a filly at an Irish store sale, contributed to the €12,500 purchase of All Currencies from the Derby Sale that summer.

The daughter of Getaway, who has also since picked-up blacktype for Gary Moore, had won a Bellurgan Park maiden at the first time of asking in 2016.

After selling her, the Wexford handler then bought Alsa Mix in part two of that year’s Derby Sale for €10,000 as an unraced four-year-old to continue the run of success.

The ITM mares’ award now provides five €1,000 vouchers to five individual handlers, with all handlers who have saddled a mare to win a point-to-point during the season receiving a ticket in the draw for each race thawon with a mare.

Last season’s winning handlers were Daniel Kenneally, Richard Black, John O’Callaghan, Thomas Keogh and Patrick Leahy, and the vouchers will once again be on offer for another five handlers this season.

With 10 weeks of the season completed, a total of 53 races have been won by mares, ensuring that 40 individual handlers have already secured their names in the end of season draw, with Declan Queally and Sam Curling leading the way, having already secured four tickets each.