THE trainer-rider duo of Declan Queally senior and junior recorded a treble last Sunday at the United Foxhounds’ meeting at Ballindenisk, which you can read all about on page 34.

The pair started their day on a winning note when newcomer Diamond Nora made all to win the opening five-runner five-year-old mares’ maiden by a length and a half as the odds-on favourite. The Diamond Boy bay is owned by Rachelle Fitzsimmons, wife of former northern amateur rider and point-to-point handler Danny, and is named after their daughter.

“We bought her from Eugene Daly in Cork who was breaking her at the time,” revealed Danny, who no longer has hands-on contact with his horses but has one other with the Queallys and one with Shane Byrne.

“She had hardly passed the winning post when we were asked to send her to the sales but, at the moment – and, as you know everything can change – while she is for sale, we’re thinking of going a different route with her as there is a great programme for mares these days.”

The Tom Fleming-bred Diamond Nora is the fifth and last recorded foal out of unraced Bach mare Essaoira Jewel, a half-sister to the Grade 1-placed Monksland, whose eight wins included the Grade 2 WKD Hurdle, and to the useful Lord Accord, who won six races and was Grade 3-placed over fences. This is also the family of Black Hercules.

CAOILIN Quinn won his second National within 11 days when landing last Sunday’s BetGoodwin Sussex National at Plumpton on the David Bridgwater-trained Dom Of Mary (9/2), who seemed to relish the extended three-and-a-half-mile trip.

First produced in Ireland by Sam Curling, for whom he won a four-year-old geldings’ maiden at Moig South in December 2020, Peter Cave’s Saddler Maker bay scored by 10 lengths and one and a quarter lengths from Brian Boru gelding Tommie Beau and Arcadio mare Rose Of Arcadia.

Twenty-two-year-old Quinn, who partnered Dom Of Mary to win a near three-mile handicap chase at Stratford in April, told Sky Sports Racing: “This lad made it very easy for me, he travelled and jumped well which is what you need around here. I know it’s a staying race, but you do need to travel around here.

“I sort of lost my place at halfway, but I wasn’t too worried as they went a good gallop early and just down the hill I was just trying to creep into it as I knew when I did go for him, he would pick up. Turning into the straight, he put it to bed in a matter of strides.

“David has targeted this race all year for him and when I first rode him here at the beginning of the season he said this was his big target. We’ve got that now and hopefully he can keep improving.”

Plumpton success

The National success brought up a Plumpton double for Quinn, who won the opening juvenile on the Gary Moore-trained 1/4 favourite, Through The Ages. The Downpatrick native had also been on board the four-year-old Golden Horn gelding when, on his second start over jumps, the bay won at Newbury just before Christmas.

England-based Co Antrim-born trainer Neil Mulholland won the more lucrative BetGoodwin Sussex Stayers Handicap Hurdle with Transmission, whose jockey, Joe Anderson, performed miracles to get back in the saddle when his mount made a bad mistake at the sixth hurdle.

The jockey regained his irons and they were back in contention to get up to score by two and a quarter lengths.

Mulholland trains Transmission for Co Sligo native Paul McKeon, in whose colours the seven-year-old Doyen gelding also ran when in training here with Colm Murphy.

On Sunday, the bay was making his third appearance for his new handler, who saddled him to finish second at Huntingdon in November and third at Ascot last month. Transmission is out of the Winged Love mare Ellie, who won three times over jumps in France where she was listed-placed.

The Getaway gelding Godot, who won the near two-and-a-half-mile handicap chase by a short-head on Sunday for Andy Irvine, was purchased as a foal at the 2017 Goffs December National Hunt sale for €37,000 by Kevin Ross Bloodstock. The chesnut, who has two hurdle wins to his name, was recording his first chase victory on just his second start over fences.

WE’RE staying within the province of Ulster but dropping down into Co Monaghan this week for our winning trainer, Anthony McCann, who, from his Castleblayney yard, has sent out three winners since Christmas - two under National Hunt rules in this country and one on the flat in Britain.

The most recent of the trio to strike was Familiar Dreams, who landed the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Mares (Pro-Am) INH Flat Race at Cork on Saturday under Aine O’Connor. Up front throughout, the five-year-old by Postponed justified 13/8 favouritism by two lengths in the colours of the All Four Counties Syndicate.

Bred in England by Meon Valley Stud, Familiar Dreams is out of the dual winner Familliarity (by Nayef) and is therefore a half-sister to the 2021 Blue Point gelding Zabriskie Point, who won twice last season for the Charlie Hills yard.

McCann purchased Familiar Dreams unraced for 4,000gns at the 2022 July Sale in Tattersalls Newmarket, in which she was consigned by Baroda Stud on behalf of Roger Varian’s Carlburg Stables.

She had her first start in a four-year-old bumper at Naas last February and, next time out, finished second in a listed bumper for four-year-olds at Limerick towards the end of March.

Between that run and her win on Saturday, Familiar Dreams filled the runner-up spot on two occasions and placed fifth on her other start.

On the road

McCann had spent the previous two days in England, saddling a brace of runners at Newcastle on Thursday, who were both unplaced, before travelling on to Friday’s meeting at Wolverhampton where Rita Shah’s Muhalhel finished third in the extended nine-furlong apprentice handicap and Circles won the first division of the concluding seven-furlong handicap.

Running in the trainer’s own colours, the five-year-old Holy Roman Emperor mare was recording her third win, the previous two having been at Dundalk last February. The first of McCann’s post-Christmas winners was Starman, who landed a two-mile novice hurdle at Limerick on December 29th. The 2016 Sri Putra gelding, who is owned by Ken Farmer, was ridden by James O’Sullivan.

AT Cork on Saturday, the three-mile maiden hurdle was won by the 1/2 favourite Largy Hill who is now trained by Willie Mullins for Simon Munir and Isaac Souede.

The Flemensifth bay had one start in a point-to-point when in the care of Stuart Crawford, finishing third under the handler’s brother, Ben, in a four-year-old geldings’ maiden at Loughbrickland in November 2021.

He then ran in the colours of Raymond Scullion and Martin McGrogan who, as Largy Bloodstock, bred him out of the unraced Dr Massini mare Rowansgift, a half-sister to Emperor’s Choice (by Flemensfirth) whose nine wins included the Grade 3 Coral Welsh National. They, in turn, were out of a Broken Hearted half-sister to Old Vic.

On the same afternoon, Brian Hughes rode a winner at Newcastle where the extended-two-and-a-half-mile novices’ hurdle was won by Patrick Turley’s former charge Handstands - now unbeaten in one point-to-point appearance and two starts over hurdles.

Musselburgh returns

Danny McMenamin rode a winner the previous day at Musselburgh, where the bumper was won by the John McConnell-trained Lieutenant Mayne, making his rules debut.

The 2019 Soldier of Fortune gelding was ridden by Ben Harvey, whose younger brother, Alex, partnered the bay into third when he had his only point-to-point start in a four-year-old maiden at Farmacaffley last February.

Lieutenant Mayne was then in the care of former trainer Brian Hamilton, who had his first taste of working as a part-time racing official last Sunday at Naas where it was a short but stressful day thanks to the fog.

On Wednesday this week, Donegal native Martin Harley landed the five-and-a-half-furlong maiden handicap at Doomben Racecourse outside Brisbane on the Chris Munce-trained Bloodhawke. The three-year-old, I Am Invincible gelding was having just his second start.