BILLAWAY’s battling neck success over Winged Leader in the St James’s Place Hunters’ Chase at Cheltenham Festival was well covered in last week’s issue with mention being made of another Irish-trained runner, Mighty Stowaway, finishing 12 lengths back in third.

Best of the British, in fourth and a further 13 lengths back, was the Irish-bred Dubai Quest who had won two of his three previous racecourse starts. The nine-year-old Dubai Destination gelding, who has also won six of his 10 outings between the flags, was ridden by Gina Andrews for her trainer husband, Tom Ellis.

Record price

The previous evening, the couple who trade as G & T Racing had seen their Brocklesby Park mares’ maiden winner, Kap D’Attente, make a record sale price for a British point-to-point-winning filly at the Tattersalls Cheltenham Festival Sale. The four-year-old, who carried 10st 7lb to a runaway victory on heavy ground, was knocked down for £160,000 to Rathmore Stud, acting on behalf of Henry de Bromhead and Kenny Alexander.

On Sunday, Co Galway’s Tommie O’Brien landed the extended three-mile hunters’ chase at Carlisle by a hard-fought head on the British-bred 4/6 favourite, Geordie B. That nine-year-old Geordieland gelding is owned and trained by Clive Boultbee-Brooks who has provided O’Brien with six winners between the flags this season.

On Tuesday, the Chris Barber-trained French-bred Famous Clermont, a seven-year-old gelding by Maresca Sorrento, comfortably justified 6/4 favouritism under Will Biddick in the three-mile novices’ hunters’ chase at Exeter.

Concluding bumper

The concluding bumper at this meeting was confined to horses who had run in point-to-points and was also confined to amateur riders.

The extended two-mile race was won by the 11/10 favourite Park Hill Dancer, a five-year-old French-bred gelding by Waldpark, who was ridden by Zac Baker for the Nicky Henderson yard.

The bay, who was making his racecourse debut, had been trained by Leslie Jefford when, on his only previous start, he had won a two-mile bumper for four and five-year-olds at Barbury under Martin McIntyre.

THERE were nine point-to-point meetings in Britain last weekend with few races running into double figures and there were walkovers at three fixtures including in both open races at Brafield-On-The Green on Sunday.

Tommie O’Brien was at Shelfield Park on Saturday where he brought his seasonal tally up to 16 with a double. This he completed in division one of the two-and-a-half-mile maiden on the James Ridley-trained Grove Cottage who was having his first start in Britain. Previously in the care here of Eugene O’Sullivan, the six-year-old Westerner gelding is out of an unraced own-sister to Bobs Worth.

There were four other Irish-bred winners on the eight-race card including the Jonathan Barlow-trained Surprise Attack who, on his pointing debut, won division two of that maiden under Alice Stevens. The five-year-old Sageburg gelding, who filled the runner-up slot in a Worcester bumper last June, was bred by Parkville Stud out of the unraced Yeats mare Seventh Surprise.

Half of the six winners at Hutton Rudby were bred in this country including Ask To Dance in the conditions Level 1 race. The six-year-old Ask gelding was partnered by his trainer Will Easterby who went on to complete a double in the saddle in the concluding maiden on the Anthony Ross-trained British-bred Schiaparelli five-year-old Benny Baloo.

Irish-bred

There were three Irish-bred winners also on the six-race card at Milborne St Andrew including Keaden Hill who, having finished second on his first start in Britain, landed the opening nine-runner two-and-a-half-mile maiden under his trainer Bradley Gibbs. The five-year-old Kingston Hill gelding, who is out of an unraced own-sister to Preists Leap and from the family of Paisley Park, was unplaced in three runs here for Sean Doyle.

The concluding two-mile bumper for four- and five-year-olds at this Wilton fixture was won by the French-bred newcomer I Need You, a four-year-old Great Pretender filly trained by Leslie Jefford. The bay was ridden by Martin McIntyre who, on Sunday, won the six-year-old and upwards maiden at Ston Easton on the Luke Price-owned and trained Captain Mc, a 2015 Mahler gelding who was having his first start in Britain having been trained here previously by Noel Meade.

Will Biddick rode a winner at the same two meetings, his Sunday success, which brought his seasonal total to 26, coming in the restricted on the Chris Barber-trained seven-year-old Stowaway gelding, Knockmoylan, who is now two-for-two in Britain.

Biddick’s mount in the men’s open, Duke Arcadio, went down by half a length to the Nathan Green-ridden odds-on favourite Moratorium, a nine-year-old Presenting gelding trained by Myles Osborne. Favourite backers never had a moment’s worry in the preceding ladies’ open where Natalie Parker guided the Sam Loxton-trained Caid Du Berlais to a 25-length success.

Champion

The reigning British men’s champion, James King, kept tabs on Biddick with a win at Shelfield Park on Saturday and another the following afternoon at Garthorpe, this coming in the two-runner intermediate on the Francesca Poste-trained Kaproyale.

There was a walkover in the veteran horse race at this Belvoir meeting where the only Irish-bred winner was the Kelly Morgan-trained nine-year-old Gold Well gelding Smoke Man who justified odds-on favouritism in the hunt members’ race under Tom Chatfeild-Roberts.

Zac Baker landed the concluding three-runner two-and-a-half-mile four-year-old maiden on the only finisher, the French-bred Intrepide Sud. The Coastal Path gelding is owned and trained by Tom Ellis who left the saddling duties to Kim Hopley as he travelled with the rest of the team to Brafield-On-The-Green.

There, his wife Gina Andrews, who had been on the mark the previous day in the restricted at Shelfield Park on the Irish-bred Loughan, a seven-year-old Yeats gelding, notched up her 29th victory of the season in the conditions Level 3 race. Her willing partner was the seven-year-old Robins Des Champs gelding Master Templar who justified favouritism by one and a half lengths.

Ellis had earlier saddled the eight-year-old Flemensfirth gelding Dundrum Wood to walkover in the ladies’ open under Ellie Callwood who completed a double in the novice riders’ race on the yard’s Precious Bounty, a similarly-aged Yeats gelding. The opening six-runner maiden at this Oakley meeting was won by the Jimmy Tarry-trained The Jolly Pot, a 2014 Asian Heights gelding who was ridden by James Turner.

There were four Irish-bred winners on the six-race card at Penshurst where Izzie Marshall completed a treble for herself and handler Alan Hill in the concluding maiden on the former Ellmarie Holden-trained Calvic, a six-year-old Califet gelding who was having his second start in Britain.

Rider Lyall Hodgins and trainer Jimmy Walton combined for a double at Friars Haugh where three of the six winners carried an IRE suffix. This trio included the Kirstie Hargreave-owned and trained Classical Sound, a 10-year-old Mahler gelding who was having his third start between the flags having previously been trained by Rose Dobbin.

Treble

Down at Kilworthy in Devon, where there was a walkover in the opening hunt members’ race, Darren Andrews initiated a treble in the horses and geldings’ maiden on the John Heard-owned and trained British-bred Quintin’s Man, a Schiaparelli five-year-old.

The sole Irish-bred winner at this Lamerton meeting was the Nicola Martin-trained Sykes, a 13-year-old Mountain High gelding who justified odds-on favouritism by four lengths in the mixed open under Darren Edwards.