Galgorm point-to-point is remembered

ALL six races at the Mid Antrim point-to-point at Broughshane last Saturday were won by northern-trained horses as was the case in 1989 when the fixture was held at Galgorm, on the other side of Ballymena.

Another link to that earlier meeting came in Saturday’s Dennison Commercials four-year-old maiden as the Brian Hamilton-trained winner See A Stride, a filly by Notnowcato who was making her debut, is owned by Gilmer Bates whose father John partnered his own Takeoverbid to land the four-year-old and upwards maiden in 1989 by a distance.

Bates senior and his 1984 Dramatic Bid gelding rounded off their campaign with victory in the confined members’ race at Loughanmore on April 22nd after which they finished fourth in a bumper at Downpatrick. Takeoverbid was then sold to England where he was to win three more point-to-points and a hunters’ chase.

The only southern rider to score at the 1989 meeting was John Sleator who partnered Mr Hoy to victory in the ‘winners of two’ while Robert Patton won the open on Shack Street by a hard-fought length from the Colin McBratney-ridden Dearg Doom.

The man to follow however was Paddy Graffin who landed the confined hunt race on Springmount, the four and five-year-old maiden on Wicket Keeper and the older horses’ maiden with Pancratic.