THE recent dry spell continued to frustrate many in the sport, as the quicker than normal ground contributed to limited runners on the final fixture in the northern region in 2024.

It proved to be a good day for the locals, with northern-trained runners claiming four of the six prizes on offer, beginning with Only For Our Man (2/1 – 1/1 favourite) in the four-year-old maiden.

He was produced on the approach to the last, with a scorching run to score by a cosy half-length under Stephen Connor.

Owner and handler Stuart Crawford said: “I’ve been waiting for the last three weeks to try and run him somewhere and I came down here on Thursday and thought it was safe with a small bit of juice in it.

“He had a couple of nice runs under his belt with Mark [O’Hare] and, with the summer behind him, he’s improved plenty and will continue to do so.”

Milan Forth (1/1 - 11/10 favourite) gave Kevin Healy his second winner in points, as the pair combined to land the winner-of-one contest.

Originally held up to take a lead, the son of Milan took up the running with a circuit to go and never looked back.

He quickened clear before the straight, to run out a ready winner by three lengths to Look Don’t Touch.

The winning owner and handler Simon Cavanagh stated: “He ran a blinder and did it well there today. Kevin [Healy] did what we wanted him to do, we said we’d take a lead over the first few before taking up the running, he did this to a tee. The plan will now be to pick up another winners’ race and then onto a hunters’ chase at Christmas.”

THE only contest on the card confined to mares produced a match race, with Katie Daniels (4/6 - 4/7 favourite) extending the winning run of Ger Quinn, as she won in facile fashion.

The five-year-old brought the superior form in comparison to her sole rival, the Noel Meade-trained Borora River, and there was never a moment’s worry for any punters. Noel McParlan kept it simple on the Barry Logan-owned mare by making the running and turning the screw as he wished out in front.

“She’s a good filly, as she was second in a four-year-old maiden around Loughanmore last year and would’ve taken a good one to beat her today,” Quinn said. “She’ll probably now go for a mares’ winners’ contest.

The open was a hotly-contested affair, even with only three competitors jumping off. The former Gordon Elliot-trained Vina Ardanza (13/8 - 6/5 favourite) showed his class and a game attitude to overcome a mistake and prevail by a neck at the line on his debut between the flags.

The seven-year-old Califet gelding bounced out and led until Gorthill joined him with a circuit to go.

Despite a slow jump three out, he quickly came back on the bridle under Declan Lavery and quickened up impressively, fending off Gorthill close home to score by a neck for The Rioja syndicate and Colin McBratney, who stated: “He was good there, he jumped very slick and fast.

“Decky [Lavery] said he took a blow between the last two fences, so he will improve again out of that. He’s a very pacy horse and, whether a stamina test would suit him, I’m not sure. We will keep him point-to-pointing for the foreseeable future.”

ARGUABLY the most well-received winner of the day was the locally owned and handled Frankie Fitz (4/5 - 5/4), who improved again from his previous run when second in Loughanmore to land the five-year-old geldings’ maiden by a comprehensive four lengths.

After taking a lead for the first circuit, the Brian Hamilton-trained son of Jet Away moved upsides the eventual second, with his jumping helping his case.

He quickened clear under Josh Williamson after the second last and was never in danger from there on, as he defeated Vicomte Le Brave by four lengths, in the colours of Mrs Magill.

“He did it very well, he likes being ridden forward. I was going to sit half a length down, but he jumped and travelled brilliantly, so I decided to sit upsides,” reported Josh Williamson.

Emmet Mullins’ decision to send Sheephaven Flyer (5/2 - 2/1 favourite) on the three-and-a-half-hour journey to Kirkistown was rewarded as the six-year-old shed his maiden tag at the 17th attempt in the older geldings’ maiden. Seizing the initiative after the second last under Maxine O’Sullivan, the pair quickened away galloping on resolutely to defeat Yewtree Hill by seven and a half lengths.

“Delighted with him, he actually enjoyed the track,” O’Sullivan said. “I didn’t want to get caught in a sprint. I thought we went steady enough, so when I got through on the inner with a circuit to go, I just tried to step it up. He stays well. He’ll stay pointing and should be up to winning a winner’s race at some stage.”

Clough Clouds (G. Quinn): One of the lesser fancied in the market, he travelled strongly and may well have been closer towards the business end had he not made mistakes at the final two fences.