GOD forbid that one of their horses would win when I nap it or back it but it was still good to see the Pat McKenna-trained Catch The Paddy oblige by two lengths in the mile handicap at Dundalk last Friday evening.

The four-year-old No Nay Never gelding, who scored by two lengths in the hands of Rory Mulligan, is owned in partnership by Pat and his son Emmet for whom he was having his first start since being purchased for just 3,500gns at the autumn Horses in Training sale at Tattersalls Newmarket. Catch The Paddy won three times when in the care of Kevin Ryan.

On the jockey front, Danny McMenamin takes the plaudits this week with six wins in the period under review. Also over jumps in Britain, Brian Hughes partnered three winners and Derek Fox rode two.

At home, Sam Ewing maintained his good run with a treble for the Gordon Elliott yard on Saturday at Navan where Simon Torrens partnered a winner.

On the flat, Luke McAteer rode another winner for the David Marnane yard at Dundalk on Friday, Dylan Browne McMonagle rode two winners on Saturday at Ballarat, one being the Irish-bred Dublin Journal, a six-year-old Teofilo gelding who won twice here when trained by his breeder, Jim Bolger. Oisin Orr struck once at Newcastle on Monday.

On the breeding front there were wins for Barbara Hanna, Patrick McElroy, Graham Morrow, Liam Cosgrave, Tom Foy, Alfred Buller and Noel Kelly.

AMONG the many winners bred in Northern Ireland recently was Sinchi Roca who, on his debut, landed a four and five-year-old maiden over two and a half miles at Larkhill on Sunday, December 1st, under Co Galway native Tommie O’Brien.

The 2020 Getaway gelding was bred by the late Denis Macauley whose son-in-law, Eamonn Donnabhain, who is married to Dennis and Sue’s daughter Victoria, trains the chesnut for the Macauley family in tandem with his job as head lad at Tom Lacey’s Cottage Field Stables in Herefordshire.

Victoria, who does some pin-hooking, particularly of flat foals, told us about the winner’s family.

“This fellow’s dam Quri, who is a Gold Well half-sister to Brave Inca, won a hurdle race and was placed a few times here in England before heading home (Erenagh House Stud outside Downpatrick) at the end of 2018.

“Sinchi Roca is her first foal and he was followed by a Jet Away filly (2021), a Crystal Ocean gelding (2023) and, this year, a gelding by Manatee and they are all still at home where their dam is one of three broodmares being looked after by my mother along with a few sheep. After Dad died (in August last year) we got rid of all the cattle.

“Eamonn was thinking of running Sinchi Roca in the spring but we then thought he’d benefit from a bit more time and he proved that decision right at Larkhill.

“He’s going to the Tatts Cheltenham Sale on Friday (yesterday when he was catalogued as Lot 29) and hopefully he’ll sell well.”

MANY congratulations to Patrick Ward who saddled his own Western Wishes to win division one of the older maiden for novice riders at the Louth Foxhounds’ point-to-point at Tattersalls Ireland last Sunday (photo P50).

In these days of big strings of costly four-year-olds – and the odd five-year-old – Ward and his sons, Callum and Nathan, are a throwback to the times of point-to-pointing as a sport rather than a business.

Western Wishes is the only horse the family now own and he was cheaply bought, although getting him to run in a point-to-point is a lot more expensive than it once was.

“It used to be a bit of fun, and we’re still looking at it as something to do when we’re not working, but, with insurance and everything, it’s all gone very dear,” said Patrick.

“We always had horses about the place but, between one thing and another, and then Covid, we got out of them for a few years. It was the two lads who pushed me to get another horse and I’m delighted we did.

Mix things up

“When we got him, I think he was just stale and bored with a routine so we mix things up with him. We could have him in Jerry Cosgrave’s one day, on the beach another and we’ve also had him in Maralin. We’ve a sand school at home and trick around with him there as well.”

Western Wish had run in 12 point-to-points when the Wards bought him and he was having his second start for them on Sunday having finished fourth of six finishers, seven runners, in an older geldings’ maiden at Kirkistown last month.

The six-year-old bay son of Westerner may next run in mid January but is somewhat ground dependent, not wanting it too wet but needing a bit of cut in the ground.

Out of a Luso-sired dual winning hurdler from the family of Settle It, Western Wishes is looked after before Patrick and his sons head off to work each day and when asked whether Callum or Nathan ride him out, the owner/trainer gave a simple answer. “Whoever’s up first!”

The Wards live outside Saintfield where Joan Cunningham was “totally devastated” when having to cancel her Christmas Charity Ride last Saturday because of Storm Darragh. All the mince pies and other foodstuffs were donated to a homeless charity.

Quinn with the win

Two other Northern-trained horses won at Tattersalls on Sunday, bookending the seven-race card. Owned by Philip McBurney, trained by Gerald Quinn and ridden by Noel McParlan, the Walk In The Park bay Lisnamurrican, who was catalogued as Lot 10 at Cheltenham last evening, landed the opening four-year-old fillies’ maiden on her second start.

The trio had been on the mark two days earlier at Sedgefield where the three-time bumper winner Takt De Touques scored as the 2/5 on his second start over jumps on the track in the three-mile maiden hurdle. The five-year-old Walzertakt gelding won his point-to-point maiden in March at Portrush.

Back to Tattersalls where the second division of the concluding older horses’ maiden was won by the pointer turned eventer turned pointer Yewtree Hill who gave Downpatrick’s Sam Hamilton a first win in point-to-points. The Kalanisi gelding ran in the colours of his trainer, Brian Hamilton senior, Sam’s grandfather, who trains the bay.

Winning is nothing new for Winged Leader who struck again when landing the novice riders’ open at Ballycrystal on Sunday for his Derrylin handler David Christie and his owners John Hegarty and Jenny O’Kane.

The 10-year-old Winged Love gelding was ridden on this occasion by Josh Williamson.