Point-to-Point Ratings

DESPITE the four-year-old maiden division hogging much of the limelight throughout the month of February, it could be argued that it was within the five-year-old division that one of the weekend’s leading performances came courtesy of The Top G (94+)

The massive son of Doyen made a winning debut in a Tallow five-year-old geldings’ maiden, which had few hiding places, as a good gallop was set, with The Top G travelling strongly throughout.

But it was heading out on the final circuit that most of the field began to feel the pinch, with The Top G and the pace-setting Allstitchedup getting racing entering the back straight.

Despite this still being some way out, they entered into a titanic battle, which, although understandably producing something of a slow-motion finish in the heavy ground, saw them still clock a time 15 seconds faster than the card’s average, as they returned over 11 lengths clear of their rivals. Both look above average on this evidence.

The Top G has been entered for next Friday’s Tattersalls Cheltenham Sale by handler Eddie Power.

The four-year-old maiden produced a similar two-way finish albeit off a much steadier gallop, which makes the 21 lengths that Idaho Valley (93+) and Dont Tell Jack were able to open up over their remaining rivals particularly notable.

Despite being headed, the winner showed a particularly game attitude to battle back and win by the narrowest of margins.

At Comea, Youdecide (90+) was nowhere near fully tested, with two of his three rivals having failed to complete, and he came through a slowly-run test, in a gallop that he dictated, with particular ease.

There were also just two finishers in the four-year-old maiden at Kirkistown. Here, Karma Police (91+) gamely kept going when many of his rivals were unable to sustain the pace, which he has to be given particular credit for.

In contrast, It’s Hard To Know (92+) showed a particularly potent turn of foot to quicken in the conditions away from a tightly grouped field, and he took looks a smart five-year-old to note from the weekend’s action.

THE search for future Grade 1 winners is a significant driver of the commercial interest within point-to-pointing at present.

Those seeking out future equine talent will undoubtedly have a particularly keen eye on tomorrow’s four-year-old maiden at Knockanard, as recent editions of the race have proven to be a remarkable source of future Grade 1 winners, a run which began in 2019.

Flashback to Ferny Hollow winning at Knockanard in 2019. The venue has a great record in producing top-class horses \ Healy Racing.

Ferny Hollow took that edition of the two-and-a-half-mile contest apart with an emphatic 15-length debut success when under the care of Colin Bowe.

Although the now nine-year-old’s subsequent visits to the racecourse have been interspersed with lengthy absences, he is still a dual Grade 1 winner, with five victories from seven starts for Willie Mullins, and he is not the only Grade 1 winner to have emerged from the 2019 edition.

It also marked the competitive debut of this season’s King George hero Hewick, who parted company with his rider at the second-last fence.

Whilst no Grade 1 winner emerged from the 2020 edition, when the race did return from a Covid-19-enforced absence in 2022, it swiftly regained its Grade 1 class.

Again, it was Bowe’s Milestone Stables that was responsible for the winner; this time, it was the turn of Captain Teague to prove himself at Knockanard.

His eight-length success was the platform to begin his career, which has progressed under the care of Paul Nicholls into a Grade 1 Challow Hurdle winner on his latest start.

That Newbury success came just four days after Jango Baie had brought a Grade 1 victory for the 2023 renewal of the Knockanard four-year-old maiden.

Unlike both Ferny Hollow and Captain Teague, he had to settle for the runner-up spot in Cork when finishing second on debut for Mick Goff before landing the Formby Novices’ Hurdle for Nicky Henderson at Aintree on St Stephen’s Day.

His Knockanard conqueror, No Flies On Him, could continue his path towards a potential future Grade 1 success as the impressive Leopardstown maiden hurdle winner featured among the entries for tomorrow’s listed novice hurdle at Punchestown.

That’s an impressive running total of four individual Grade 1 winners to have emerged from the past four editions of the race, and expectations will be high that at least one potential star might lie amongst the 13 entries for tomorrow’s renewal.

ROMEO Coolio warmed up for a potential Champion Bumper tilt with a successful rules bow in a Fairyhouse bumper for Gordon Elliott last month.

The Kayf Tara gelding had also made a winning start to his career in the pointing fields, easily taking a four-year-old maiden at Belclare for Donnchadh Doyle prior to joining current connections.

There were further Galway connections to that bumper. Romeo Coolio’s Fairyhouse success had come at the expense of Sporting Glory, ridden by Derek O’Connor in the colours of Martin Cullinane.

At one time, the sight of his maroon silks involved at the business end of a race was synonymous with point-to-pointing in the west.

Subsequent Grade 1 winner Road To Riches is just one of the future stars to have started their careers point-to-pointing in his silks before graduating from his academy.

The Gamut gelding won a four-year-old maiden for Cullinane at Sligo point-to-point in 2012 prior to developing into a dual Grade 1 winner for Noel Meade.

Recent years have seen his number of runners dwindle, and that relative absence from the region’s pointing fixtures typifies the disappointing decline that point-to-pointing in Connaught has suffered.

In the 2011/’12 season that saw Cullinane unleash Road To Riches, a total of five different hunts in the province issued 207 hunter certificates, with the Galway Blazers, in particular, accounting for 149 certs. That made them the sixth-largest issuer of hunter certificates among the 82 hunts that had done so during the season.

Since then, the numbers in the province have spiralled into freefall. Last season, just 35 hunter certificates were issued by hunts in Connaught, a significant drop from that 207 figure just 10 years earlier.

The fixture list for that 2011/’12 season also included meetings for the Co Sligo and Co Roscommon hunts at Sligo racecourse and Rockfield, respectively.

Sadly, not only have both venues disappeared from the fixture list in the subsequent years, but both hunts also no longer stage point-to-point fixtures, and whilst courses can disappear for a variety of reasons, hunts are much more difficult to replace.

Such a significant decline within point-to-pointing in the province might seem surprising when it is remembered that counties Galway, Mayo, Sligo and Roscommon each have their own racecourses, and they are courses that are well attended during their summer racing season.

Arresting such a decline will not be simple, as it can be a vicious circle. Fewer horses in the province will likely lead to fewer handlers and, therefore, limit the opportunities for new riders from that region to enter the sport.

A healthy sport across all provinces is necessary to ensure that it thrives into the future.