FOR those in the point-to-point sphere, the most significant action at the November meeting at Cheltenham takes place in the sales ring with the season’s opening sale of the season. However, last weekend’s fixture at Prestbury Park served as a timely reminder of the impact that one owner has had on the action in the point-to-point fields here and the wider racing sphere.

Friday’s feature, the Grade 2 Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle, was won in impressive fashion by Hermes Allen and 24 hours later Banbridge justified his favourite’s tag with an assured round of jumping to claim the Grade 2 Arkle Trial.

The common link which connects the Grade 2-winning pair is the famous black and white quartered silks of owner Wilson Dennison that the pair had sported when starting their careers point-to-pointing.

Hermes Allen was produced by Dennison’s daughter Caroline McCaldin to win a four-year-old maiden at Kirkistown 12 months ago, whereas Colin McKeever twice sent out Banbridge to finish placed in four-year-old maidens at both Moira and Loughanmore in the 2020 autumn campaign.

Both horses look set to feature prominently on either side of the Irish Sea throughout the season ahead and now join an endless list of subsequent graded performers to have come through the Dennison academy prior to progressing to the track.

Few owners can lay claim to an association with such a famed cast of equine stars. The p2p.ie database records owners’ statistics for his runners dating back to 2004 and, in those 18 years, Dennison has been the winning owner of 172 races including no fewer than 91 four-year-old contests.

The Dennison name is synonymous with the sport on the northern circuit, with many of these 91 four-year-old races having been won in the region where he sponsors the majority of races in that age division.

This autumn in particular, Dennison Commercials and Dennison JCB have sponsored 11 races at the seven fixtures in the region and that loyal backing of the sport has deservedly been rewarded with five maiden wins across the opening seven weekends of the season for horses in his colours.