THE 41-length demolition of the four-year-old geldings’ maiden field by Teeshan at Loughanmore on Saturday effectively summed up the flying start to the season that Gerald Quinn has enjoyed.

Since moving from Wilson Dennison’s Loughanmore academy to Philip McBurney’s burgeoning operation in Broughshane, Quinn has rapidly become one of the leading players on the northern point-to-point circuit, as emphasised by his lofty 42% strike rate for the opening weeks of the new campaign.

Teeshan, a son of Westerner, was unsurprisingly the talk of the weekend’s point-to-point action, and although Quinn and his team had not yet asked the four-year-old for maximum effort in any of his work prior to his debut, the spectacular performance did not come as a surprise.

“He was very, very impressive and definitely showed everyone what he had been showing us at home, I haven’t seen one like him in a while,” Quinn said.

“He is a forward-going horse and we had never asked him a question; we were always trying to keep a lid on him really, we had always worked him on the bridle.

“Noel [McParlan] came in afterwards and said that he gave him a shake of the rein after the last and the way that he quickened up past the line and up to the cottages, he had never sat on one like him before.”

Sold privately

Bought for €62,000 at the 2022 Goffs Land Rover sale, the bay has now been sold privately pending vetting, in what has been a vindication for the belief both owner and trainer have long had in him.

“Myself and Philip loved him the first time that we saw him in Goffs and Philip said that he wasn’t coming home without him which was a good decision thank God,” Quinn added.

The victory of Teeshan formed part of a Loughanmore double for the Antrim-based handler and has already brought his tally for the season to five, just one shy of his personal best total from last season, with only four weeks of the season having been run.

“We have hit the road flying; I couldn’t be happier with the way that things are going. All the horses are running well, they are all sound, well and healthy, and that’s what you are hoping for at the start of the season.

“We have a lot of nice horses here to work with, 36 at the moment.”

JOCKEY Luke Carberry was thankfully expecting to be discharged from hospital on Wednesday after he was hospitalised following a fall in the final race at Umma House last Sunday.

The 23-year-old was airlifted from the Westmeath venue to Dublin’s Beamount Hospital where he was treated for a number of fractures to his cheekbone and eye socket, in addition to a small bleed on the brain, suffered when his mount Fiadh’s Ruby exited the adjacent winners’ race at fence seven.

The Meath native had ended last season on a high when partnering Willie Murphy’s No More Lockdown to victory on the penultimate day of the season in Ballingarry for what was his first success in the pointing fields.

LISRONAGH will be home to the opening leg of the Gain Mares Series which gets underway this Saturday.

Now an institution on the point-to-point circuit having been in existence for over 40 years, the series will once again build to its conclusion at Ballynoe on Sunday, April 7th.

The lucky winning owner of the final will again be provided with a €3,000 bonus courtesy of Gain Equine Nutrition and the Ballynoe point-to-point committee.

Wexford handlers Mick Goff and Matthew Flynn O’Connor were on hand to launch this season’s series and were quick to praise the importance of the series for its support of point-to-point mares.

“This series is extremely important for the mares in particular,” Goff said.

“Historically, the mares didn’t have a great platform in point-to-pointing and since the Gain Mares Series, it has brought on the quality of the mares that are staying in the industry.

“It is a privilege to win the series final, or even to be in it. In the point-to-point game, any incentive like this is a massive boost. I have a mare that I am going to keep for the series this year and looking forward to the season.”

High calibre

Flynn O’Connor added: “The series is massive for the everyday point-to-point person and the grassroots of the industry; we’ve seen over the last few years the high calibre of mares coming out of the series.”

John Hore, Business Manager, GAIN Equine Nutrition, noted: “The Gain Mares Series has been in operation for the last 40 years and we are delighted to be supporting this series once again this year.

“Many fantastic mares that have won the final have gone on to bigger and better things, such as winning listed and graded races. There is always a great ‘buzz’ at Ballynoe for the final, it’s a fantastic day out.

“I would like to wish all connections the very best of luck for the season.”

Point-to-point ratings

THE word ‘freakish’ is perhaps the only suitable word to sum up the performance that Teeshan (97++) produced on debut at Loughanmore last Saturday.

The Antrim venue has been the launching pad for many future graded performers over the years, but it is unlikely that many at it or any other course around the country have played host to such a performance from a four-year-old at the very start of their careers.

A winning margin of 41 lengths in a time 23 seconds quicker than the average on the card points to something very much out of the ordinary.

It was likely in the middle part of the race where he inflicted most of the damage on his rivals, with just two of his 10 rivals managing to complete, and that was due to the strength of the gallop that he was able to sustain through the race.

In the four-year-old mares’ equivalent, the much steadier gallop ensured all 10 starters completed the course, and consequently, it put more of a premium on speed.

Reflection Of You (81+) initially may have been outsprinted when the tempo increased three out, but she more than proved her toughness when battling back to the front and ultimately winning going away.

Promise

At Umma House, Nowwhatdoyouthink (92+) returned to the promise of his Belclare debut and had the experience to defeat an eye-catching newcomer in Bobby’s Nelson. While inexperience was on show in the opener, Piper Park (82+) managed to win on debut despite showing obvious signs of greenness. That did hamper her closing rival, but she is likely capable of much more with the experience under her belt.

Leaky Cauldron (92++) was able to enjoy better ground conditions at Ballycrystal and he never had to be asked a serious question to win with plenty up his sleeve.

His stablemate Stuntman Steve (0+) was still in front in the auction maiden on the card when exiting two out, but handed Rossbridge (88+) the initiative, while Lifetime Ambition (117+) put up a big performance on the card in the open and looks set to be a serious player in the division this season.