THREE former event riders partnered winners at the point-to-point at Tyrella last Saturday, starting with locally-based Sam Hamilton who, having recorded his first success between the flags in early December, landed his first double at this East Down Hunt meeting.

Sam won the opening five-year-old mares’ maiden on the Affinisea bay Camlin Park, who was having her fourth start, and the winners of three race on Yewtree Hill, the eight-year-old Kalanisi gelding, on whom he notched up his first victory at Tattersalls and who he competed at EI90 level in 2023. Both horses are trained by the rider’s grandfather, Brian Hamilton.

Josh Williamson, who twice rode Camlin Park earlier in the season, recorded his fifth success of the 2024/2025 campaign when the Cian Collins-trained Captain P made it third time lucky in the five-year-old geldings’ maiden. This was a sole ride at the meeting for Josh, who was a member of Ireland’s gold medal-winning team at the 2022 European pony eventing championships in Strzegom, where he finished fourth individually.

Matthew Love, who was also on that 2022 team in Poland and on the silver medal-winning Junior team at the same venue last year, recorded his second success in the point-to-point sphere, when Ballerina Boxer landed the older mares’ maiden by a head.

This was Matthew’s first ride in public on the Shirocco seven-year-old, who is trained by her owner, Willie Harvey, a former Master of the Fingal Harriers with whom he still hunts regularly.

Two former event riders trained winners at the same meeting. Stuart Crawford sent out Largy Bloodstock’s Carnfunnock to record a length success in the open under Stephen Connor, while Caroline McCaldin saddled Hurlershill to land the concluding older geldings’ maiden in the hands of Noel McParlan. The long-absent Getaway gelding is owned by Caroline’s father Wilson Dennison, host of the Northern Region’s popular one-day event at Loughanmore.

The East Downs are due to hold their second spring point-to-point on Saturday, March 1st at Tyrella where, the following weekend, the Northern Region is running two days of two-phase competitions and where, on Saturday, March 22nd, the 2025 Eventing Ireland season in the region gets under way.