MANY congratulations to Cathy Hamilton who saddled her home-bred Carrignagapple to land the winners of two at Ballindenisk on Sunday.

A mother of five, Cathy has been living in Ireland for the past four and a half years and among her many jobs is compiling the popular ‘Fixtures for the Week Ahead’ page for the Irish Horse World section of this paper. She also works in a local hunting yard, although her main occupation is a relief milker.

Carrignagapple, a six-year-old Apple Tree gelding who made his Irish debut two weeks earlier at Lingstown, finishing fifth, is one of four horses registered with Weatherbys who Cathy has bred out of Crews Hill. She purchased that 1999 Simply Great mare at Ascot in 2007 with the aim of running her between the flags and then breeding point-to-pointers out of the bay for her family to ride.

Crews Hill, who comes from the family of Belvederian, is dam also of Callherthemidwife, a 2013 filly by Dr Massini, and a 2014 gelding by Bollin Eric. Her 2016 foal was a colt, Carrignagapple Harry, by the Irish Draught stallion Kiltealy Silver and she is now in foal to the Irish Draught sire Prescotts Diamond.

Carrignagapple ran six times in British point-to-points last spring never finishing worse than fifth, and winning on his last two starts at Upcott Cross (open maiden) and Flete Park (restricted).

Cathy, who is based in Mullinahone, does all the work with the horses herself, riding one and leading one if tight for time.

“I don’t like using circular gallops so I am extremely lucky that the local farmers, for whom I relief milk from time to time, open up their fields to me; I really have fantastic neighbours. When I need to do fast work, I bring the horses to the gallops at Curraghmore.”

Wexford’s Conor Murphy was due to ride Carrignagapple at Lingstown but, as he was unavailable and Cathy wanted someone who knew the horse, she contacted Ed Doggrell who came from Dorset to the meeting. Ed, who works with Will Biddick and rode the gelding twice last season, came over on his own last weekend as well.

By that time, Cathy, who also trained track winners when holding a permit in Britain, had already walked the track at Ballindenisk. “There was one wet bit but otherwise the ground was fantastic,” she commented. “The Fells do a great job whether it’s for the point-to-points, the horse trials or polo and you know that they will get it back in shape for the next day.”