NATALIA Lupini’s good recent run continued at Fairyhouse on Monday, when her charge, Rebel Diamond, brought up a hat trick of wins in the featured Listed Ballyhane Blenheim Stakes over six-furlongs. The Cotai Glory colt is owned by Nigel O’Hare.

The colours of Mary Turley were carried to victory on the Lupini-trained Call Me Captain, who made a winning debut at Naas last Thursday week in the concluding Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden over seven furlongs.

The two-year-old Calyx gelding was purchased for €17,000 at last year’s September yearling sale at Tattersalls Ireland by Dan Astbury for Kingsfield Stud.

Andy Oliver recorded a quickfire double at Dundalk last Friday evening, when saddling J.P. Ledwidge’s Marble Angel to justify 6/5 favouritism in the mile handicap before Francis Campbell’s Squire Danagher landed the following mile and a half apprentice handicap (see P31).

First winner

At the same meeting, Letterkenny-based Declan McGuigan sent out his first track winner when the Kodiac gelding Anjah obliged in the colours of the trainer’s son, Kyle.

Earlier in the day at Downpatrick, the Harry Smyth owned and trained-Portnacoo landed the Caleb & Ezra Starkey Handicap Hurdle by two and three-quarter lengths. This was a second win on his third start for the Ballyclare yard by the Morozov gelding, who was bred by Liam Cosgrave out of the Generous mare Lady Shanrod.

It took 5m 27.80 secs for Gary Rushe’s Champagne Kid to win the bumper at Listowel on Wednesday but, the journey to and from the Co Kerry track from trainer Pat Collins’s Bessbrook yard was spread over three days, according to the trainer’s son and assistant Sean.

There were plenty down in the Kingdom to celebrate this fourth-time-out success of the five-year-old Vadamos gelding.

TEMPLEPATRICK native Sam Ewing rode three winners in the period under review, starting last Friday at Downpatrick, when he landed the opening two and a quarter mile maiden hurdle on the Noel Meade-trained Tell Nobody Nothin, who was having his second start.

The four-year-old Doyen gelding was bred by his Belfast owner Patricia Hunt and is the second foal out of the Beneficial mare Bonny Kate, who won a bumper, two hurdle races and three chases.

A full-sister to two other winners headed by Mala Beach, Bonny Kate had fillies in 2022 and this year by Jet Away.

On Sunday, Ewing was down at Listowel, where he won the opening three-year-old hurdle on the Gordon Elliot-trained Zaynab. The jockey had no rides on Monday or Tuesday, but did have four on the Wednesday, coming in for a winning spare in the mares’ novice chase on the Elliott-trained Shecouldbeanything.

Also over jumps, there was success for Brian Hughes at Sedgefield on Monday, for Caoilin Quinn at Fontwell on Tuesday and for Derek Fox at Perth on Wednesday. At that Scottish meeting, the six-year-old Blue Bresil mare Happy Index, who provided jockey Sean Bowen and trainer Olly Murphy with the third leg of a four-timer, ran for an Irish ownership in Dennis Tumelty, RTV’s Gary O’Brien who sourced the mare, Aidan Kerin and Brian Sheerin.

Flat successes

On the flat, Dylan Browne McMonagle rode two winners at Naas last Thursday week (including the Natalia Lupini-trained, Mary Turley-owned Call Me Captain), while he was also on the mark on Saturday at Gowran, where he landed the featured Denny Cordell Lavarack & Landwades Stud Fillies and Mares Stakes (Group 3) on the Joseph O’Brien-trained Je Zous.

Martin Harley won a three-year-old maiden at Eagle Farm outside Brisbane last Friday, Luke McAteer scored at Listowel on Tuesday and fellow Co Donegal-born jockey Oisin Orr rode a winner at Newbury on Saturday and at Redcar on Wednesday.

Stonethorn Farms were listed as one of the breeders of the Aidan O’Brien-trained Psalm, who won the concluding maiden at Dundalk last Friday while, on the same day, the Linda Gault-bred Glynn brought up a hat-trick of wins over fences at Newton Abbot.

Dipping into Co Monaghan, the Breda Jones-bred Lion Ring won on the flat at Chelmsford on Thursday week last while, at Fontwell on Tuesday, the Padraig McKernan-bred Call Off The Dogs won for the third time in four starts over fences.

TO other equestrian sports and congratulations to Omagh’s Niamh McEvoy, who won a gold medal in the five-year-old competition at the world breeding championships for young show jumping horses in Belgium last Sunday.

A massive field of 232 horses started in the first qualifying round on the Thursday, with 54 going through to Sunday’s final. Niamh’s winning ride came on the Dutch Warmblood mare Orange de Baugy, who is owned by the rider’s retaining yard of Greg Broderick’s Ballypatrick Stables.

At the four-star international horse trials at Blenheim Castle in England, the Judith McClelland-bred Black Ice, who was first produced on the event scene here by Caroline McCaldin, finished third in the CCI4*-L under Germany’s Jerome Robine, while the Catherine Abbott-bred Dassett Arthalent, who was previously ridden by the breeder’s daughter Clare, placed fourth in the CCI4*-S for eight and nine-year-old horses under Britain’s Piggy March.

FANS of Aussie Rules and family and friends of Conor McKenna, who haven’t travelled out for the match, will be up early this morning (5.30am start time I believe) to watch the AFL Grand Final at the famed Melbourne Cricket Ground, the MCG.

McKenna, who is bidding to add a Premiership medal to the All-Ireland medal he won with Tyrone in 2021, plays for the Brisbane Lions, who are taking on the Sydney Swans.

Last season, the Lions were beaten 90-86 in the final by Collingwood so McKenna et al will be out to redeem themselves today. In the team’s last three games, the Tyrone man came into the action off the bench and made an impact.

IT’s once again an all-flat meeting at Down Royal next Monday for the Molson Coors Race day, which has a 2.05pm start time, although the gates open at noon.

There was no locally-trained winner at last year’s fixture, when the only double was recorded by Joseph O’Brien, who sent Sluice out to win the featured Irish EBF Auction Series Fillies Maiden, while Cavallo Pazzo rewarded favourite backers under Dylan Browne McMonagle in the Molson Coors Beverage Company Handicap.

The Co Kilkenny handler has entered seven horses for next Monday’s meeting including three in the featured maiden – I Can Imagine, State Of Joy and Vanilla Baby.

The in-form Natalia Lupini has made two entries for the same seven-furlong contest, Akashaa and Endless Dawn.

THE 2024/25 point-to-point season commences next Saturday at Toomebridge, where the Mid Antrim Hunt is being supported through race sponsorship by all of Noel Kelly Racing, Wilson Dennison Commercials, Raymart, Wilson Dennison JCB and Jamie Sloan Racing.

Entries close at 12 noon on Tuesday next, October 1st.