MANY congratulations to Kevin Healy, a member of the Westmeath Branch of the Irish Pony Club, who recorded his first win in a point-to-point last Sunday at the South Westmeath meeting at Umma House.
In the colours of trainer Simon Cavanagh, with whom he works full-time, 17-year-old Healy and the 6/4 favourite Milan Forth won the five-year-old geldings’ maiden by eight lengths on the bay’s fourth start between the flags.
During the spring, Milan Forth was trained in Co Wexford by Donnachadh Doyle, who was mentioned in these pages recently as purchaser of the top-priced lot at the Goresbridge select sale of three-year-old show jumpers.
The horse was consigned to Goffs Summer Sale, where he was knocked down for €30,000 to Drumloose Stables, the base of Cavanagh and his partner, Aisling Noone. Very much involved in the transaction was Healy’s grandfather Pat Whyte who, we weren’t too surprised to learn, “is related to all the Longford Whytes” according to the successful rider.
In September, Healy recorded a double for the Westmeaths at the Mackey Equestrian/IPC national hunter trials championships at Hillcrest Equestrian, where he landed both the senior individual and pairs titles on the Irish Sport Horse gelding Kilbunny Kabana, who he also competes under ShowJumping Ireland rules.
The 11-year-old chesnut son of Kannan, who is out of an OBOS Quality 004 mare, is now for sale as Healy, who partnered a winner on the flat at Dundalk in early March, intends to devote himself full-time to racing.