WHILE there were wins in the period under review for northern-born flat jockeys and their National Hunt counterparts, the spotlight has to be on Sam Ewing who maintained his excellent strike rate in both codes over the weekend.

On the level at Dundalk on Friday evening, the Templepatrick native landed division one of the extended 10-furlong apprentice handicap on the Matt Smith-trained Mads Black Eights, a six-year-old Zoffany mare he was riding for the first time.

It was then over to Wales where, at Chepstow on Saturday, he won the near three-mile Native River Handicap Chase by a neck on the 12-year-old Peregrine Run. The King’s Theatre gelding, who beat the seven-year-old favourite Tea Clipper by neck, is trained by Peter Fahey who is more than happy to book the jockey when available.

On Sunday, when remaining in the Principality, Ewing was in action at Ffos Las where he joined forces with rookie trainer Cian Collins to land the DragonBet Welsh Champion Hurdle with the seven-year-old Lovelace mare Effernock Fizz who made all the running.

Smyth still walks the walk

THE 2022 racing season at Downpatrick concluded last Friday afternoon when there were two locally-owned winners over hurdles and a locally bred winner over fences.

First up, Co Meath-based trainer John McConnell, a now regular at the Co Down track, saddled the Kieren Buckley-ridden No Trouble to land the McGrady Financial Services Rated Novice Hurdle in the colours of Co Tyrone’s Cathal McGuckin.

This was a first success on his eighth start over jumps for the six-year-old No Nay Never gelding who has six flat wins to his credit.

Ballyclare’s Harry Smyth, who is soon to turn 86, intimated that he might not be renewing his licence when interviewed following the one-and-a-quarter-length success of his own Shane O’Callaghan-partnered Willyouwalkwithme in the Roadstud Installations Handicap Hurdle.

The seven-year-old Morozov gelding was bred by Kieran Magee out of the unraced Winged Love mare Scent With Love who is dam also of the three-time winner Another Frontier (by Darsi).

Although nothing to do with Friday’s winner, we’ll take the opportunity to say that Magee is selling three well-related foals, a colt (Lot 976) and two fillies (Lots 977 and 978) from his Chapeltown House at next month’s National Hunt sale at Tattersalls Ireland.

The final race at Downpatrick for the year, the near three-mile handicap chase, saw the Michael Hourigan-trained Sanibel Island win by a nose from Gordon Elliott’s charge Walking The Walk.

Ridden by Darragh O’Keeffe, as he was when scoring at Killarney earlier in the month, the 10-year-old Scorpion gelding, who was recording his fifth track success, was bred by Elizabeth ‘Hammy’ Hamilton out of the dual hurdle-winning Topanoora mare, Topanberry, who comes from the family of Mendip Express, Fiddling The Facts, etc.

McGuinness winners

Also on Friday, the Ado McGuinness-trained Pierre Lapin got up close home to beat his stable-companion, Cordouan, by a nose in the mile handicap at Dundalk.

This was a first win in Ireland for the five-year-old Cappella Sansevero gelding who runs for a syndicate of owners comprising Gary Devlin, Nigel O’Hare, Joe McCrory and Shamrock Thoroughbreds.

On Monday at Killarney, McGuinness saddled Mark Devlin’s five-year-old Harbour Watch gelding Skontonovski to win a division of the extended mile handicap.

Kelly success

On Tuesday at Punchestown, the French-bred six-year-old Gaius recorded his second success over hurdles, his fifth in total and his first for Draperstown’s Noel Kelly when landing the extended two-and-a-half-mile handicap hurdle in the colours of his trainer’s wife Shauna.

At the Co Kildare track the following afternoon, Derrylin’s David Christie saddled Menidee to win the three-mile amateur handicap chase on just his second start over the larger obstacles.

The six-year-old Yeats mare, who was adding this chase success to one over hurdles in August, was bred by his Moneymore owner David Kells out of the Kaldounevees mare Silver Tassie.

She won on the flat in her native France where among her many successful siblings was the Pampabird gelding Pamparetto who won and was placed in multiple listed hurdles and chases.