THE first Sunday in February is always considered a key date in the point-to-point calendar, as a new crop of young equine talent is introduced into competitive action with the first four-year-old maiden races of the new year.

For 2025, Ballinaboola and Bellharbour are once again the venues that will host the first two races in the division for the 2025 crop of four-year-olds, and there is added anticipation of racing returning to the Clare course, as this year, the Co Clare hunt will celebrate 25 years of racing at what is widely acknowledged as one of the most picturesque courses anywhere in the country.

Since racing first arrived at the Linnane family farm on the western seaboard, the stone wall-lined course, nestled between the Burren landscape of Abbey Hill on one side and Galway Bay on the other, has become a firm favourite on the calendar for handlers and racegoers alike.

As committee member and well-known commentator Ger Hannon explained, the committee will mark a quarter of a century of racing at Bellharbour next weekend with a special presentation to the landowners.

“Without landowners there are no point-to-points, and we are very lucky that with our two tracks at Bellharbour and Quakerstown we have two landowners in the Linnane family and the Lee family that take a lot of pride in their courses,” he said, acknowledging the parts that Brian McCarthy, Donie Hassett, Paul O’Neill and John Neilan have all played.

Through the generations

“With Bellharbour, we have dealt with three generations of the Linnane family over the 25 years. Tom oversaw it and got the point-to-point there, he was one of the key men behind it.

“Sadly, Tom passed away, but then it was Dermot and Jennifer.

“They could never do enough for us, and that has now passed onto Shane, who is hugely helpful and takes great pride in it.”

Its picturesque location has made the track a particular favourite with photographers, both amateur and professional. Photos taken at the course by the Healy Racing team feature in the books Thrills and Spills and Point-to-Point, and the committee will present a selection of those images to the Linnane family next weekend.

Twenty four hours before those 25-year celebrations commence, one of the course’s latest star graduates could feature prominently, with the now three-time Grade 1 winner Fact To File, entered in the Irish Gold Cup on the opening day of the Dublin Racing Festival.

The Poliglote gelding had started his career winning the five-year-old geldings’ maiden on the card for Donnchadh Doyle in 2022, while fellow Grade 1 scorer Tataniano, Irish National winner Liberty Counsel, along with the likes of Ball D’Arc, Mall Dini and Star Gate are other horses to have won their maidens in Bellharbour before progressing to big-race success under rules.

O’Connor’s delight

Twelve months ago, Derek O’Connor, a big supporter of the committee, who has ridden 36 winners at Bellharbour, including a memorable five-timer in 2009, produced the mare That’s Nice in his relatively new role as a handler to beat the boys in the four-year-old maiden. She secured a timely second success over hurdles for Nicky Henderson at Warwick during the week.

It is a race that Tipperary handler Pat Doyle in particular, has farmed, winning it on no fewer than nine occasions, ensuring there will be particular attention on the horse that he brings to Clare next week.

However, over the years, the fixture at Bellharbour has grown to become more than just a standard point-to-point meeting.

In 2020, €23,000 was raised for Cancer Trials Ireland with the Pat Smullen Legends charity race, which saw the likes of Paul Carberry, Adrian Maguire, and Jason Titley feature among a stellar field of 18 well-known faces.

That followed a year after a ladies’ race for hunt members was run in aid of Breast Cancer Ireland, while off the track, the focus over the past decade has been very much on family fun.

“In the last eight to 10 years, we have tried to turn it into more than just a point-to-point, creating a family fun day, and it has made a massive difference,” Hannon explained.

Insurance fundraising

“The insurance bill for hunts has gone through the roof, so this is the main fundraiser for the hunt. The hunt members have really got behind what we are doing, and with our point-to-point committee and hunt members, we have used our initiative to try and put on a family fun race day.

“We are trying to create a day out for the young people, the people who might not be interested in racing and those that are.

“For a lot of people, they are looking for somewhere that they can bring their whole family on a Sunday, including the dog. Being dog-friendly is a big part of it, and the dog show has been a huge success.”

Unsurprisingly, the dog show will feature prominently among a long list of off-track activities that the Co. Clare committee have been working hard to bring together in recent weeks to ensure that everyone is entertained throughout the day.

“We have pony rides, face painting, the dog show, a horse shoe making demonstration that two young farriers from the hunt will be putting on, the Liam McCarthy Cup will be there along with a Clare hurler or two, and we will have a kid’s jumping zone.

“I got that particular idea of the kid’s jumping zone after I saw it at a couple of agriculture shows last summer where there were six or seven small little fences put up in a ring, and the kids seem to love it, jumping over the fences, it’s such a simple idea really.

“All of those activities are free, and admission for kids is free. This year, we will also have a fun fair.”

Racing fans also will not miss any of the action from the Dublin Racing Festival with coverage of the racing from Leopardstown on course, ensuring every angle is covered of what promises to be a celebration befitting of the committee’s accomplishments.

Point-to-point ratings

A SWITCH to better ground conditions brought about a marked improvement from Fedneys Park (83+) as she put up an impressive performance from the front of the field to land the five-year-old mares’ maiden at Carrigarostig.

The two jumps that she put in over the first two climbing fences in the home straight proved key. as she was swiftly able to dismiss the challenge of three rivals who had stalked her into the straight.

Jumping also proved to be a particular asset for Gillets Hill (88++) in the geldings equivalent. He, too, made front-running tactics pay to win at the second time of asking without having to be extended.

At Turtulla, Khafre (89+) travelled best of all into the lead in what was a race run to a good pace, before winning snugly.

The first three home in this all look like future track winners, while in Ballycrystal, Jukebox King (88+) was full of running at the line, opening up a four-length winning margin quite swiftly on the run-in to make a winning debut in a dramatic race which did see a number of potential dangers exit the contest leaving the back straight.