WHAT a Christmas for Sam Ewing!

At Leopardstown’s St Stephen’s Day meeting, he and Danny Gilligan appeared out of the fog on two Gordon Elliott-trained runners fighting out the finish of the Grade 1 Racing Post Long Distance Novice Chase, which our man from Co Antrim won on Gigginstown House Stud’s Croke Park by a head.

In the same livery and similar weather conditions the following day, Sam landed the opening contest at the south Co Dublin track, the Paddy Power I Have No Idea What Day It Is 3-Y-O Maiden Hurdle, on Wendrock.

This two-length success initiated a double for the jockey and Elliott, which they completed in the less cleverly-named, but Grade 1-rated Paddy Power Future Champions Novice Hurdle with KTDA Racing’s Romeo Coolio.

After three placings, but no wins from six rides at Limerick this day last week, Ewing spent Sunday at Leopardstown where he again recorded a double for Elliott and this time on two Gigginstown House Stud-owned runners, The Enabler in the opening Grant Fit Out Maiden Hurdle and the hugely impressive Brighterdaysahead in the Grade 1 Neville Hotels Hurdle.

As he is such a popular figure at both Downpatrick and Down Royal, we must congratulate Elliott on recording his 2,000th Irish National Hunt win with The Enabler, while the victory of Brighterdayshead marked the Co Meath trainer’s 100th at Grade 1 level.

Also on Sunday, the novice handicap hurdle was won by the 2019 Ol’ Man River gelding Ol Man Dingle, who completed a hat trick in the colours of Co Armagh’s Brian Caherty, who had a big support crew in attendance (see page 40).

AS it was so difficult to see what was happening in the fog elsewhere, it was just as well that three locally-trained horses won consecutive races at the well-attended Boxing Day meeting at a clear and bright Down Royal.

The Metcollect Handicap Chase fell to the Martaline gelding Le Malin, who was recording his first racecourse success for owner/trainer Sean McParlan and his son Noel.

Unraced since winning his maiden at Castlelands in March for Sean Doyle, after which he changed hands for £60,000 at Tattersalls Cheltenham, the 2019 Soldier Of Fortune gelding Big Interest landed the Metcollect Oil Recycling Hunters’ Chase. He is now trained by David Christie for Ray Nicholas and was ridden by Barry O’Neill.

The last-named partnered the Gordon Elliott-trained favourite Theflyingking (a Loughanmore maiden winner in April for Donnchadh Doyle) in the bumper.

However, on his track debut, the Jukebox Jury grey was beaten three-parts of a length into second by the newcomer Kilwaughter, ridden by Stephen Connor for owner/trainer Stuart Crawford.

IN Limerick on St Stephen’s Day, Anthony McCann sent out the Aine O’Connor-ridden Shesakindamagic to win the bumper on her third start.

The cheaply-purchased (€8,000) 2018 Mahler mare runs in the colours of Paddy McBride, chairman of Blackhill Emeralds GAA, who won the Ulster football Junior title in 2019.

At the southern track the following day, Apologise landed one of the handicap hurdles on his debut for the Oakleaf Lads Syndicate and Maghera trainer Gary McGill, whose son Dara was in the saddle.

This Fascinating Rock gelding was even more cheaply bought, being a £1,000 private sale purchase at Goffs UK’s Summer Sale.

Simon Torrens also rode a winner that day at Limerick, where he was on the mark again last Saturday, both wins coming in the colours of J.P. McManus.

Across the water, Brian Hughes recorded a double at Aintree’s St Stephen’s Day meeting and a treble the following afternoon at Wetherby, where Derek Fox also partnered a winner on December 26th, as he did at Haydock last Monday.

Danny McMenamin rode winners at Wetherby and Haydock, while Caoilin Quinn’s sole success over the period came at Fontwell’s Boxing Day fixture.

AS there was no View From Above column in The Irish Field published on Tuesday, December 24th, there was no opportunity to congratulate Brian Hughes on being a member of Harry’s Team, who won the Markel Jockeys Jumping Challenge at the London International Horse Show in the ExCel Arena on the evening of Friday, December 20th.

Earlier in the day, Hughes drew a blank at Uttoxeter, but Caoilin Quinn was on the mark at Ascot. The following afternoon, Danny McMenamin returned to the winner’s enclosure once at Haydock; and Simon Torrens landed the opening Molony Cup Handicap Chase at Thurles on the Golden Lariat gelding Cullenwaine.

Trained

The following Adare Manor Opportunity Handicap Chase was won by the 2018 Territories gelding Prairie Dancer, who is trained by Joseph O’Brien for his Co Down breeder Sean Sweeney and Kieran O’Hare.

Further afield, Dylan Browne McMonagle rounded off his ‘winter’ stint in Australia with a win in the 2,400m handicap at Randwick on Saturday, December 21st, on the Ciaron Maher-trained Gilded Water, a 2021 British-bred gelding by Fastnet Rock.

On the same day but at Eagle Farm, Martin Harley recorded a double, which he initiated on the Bevan Laming-trained Savour The Dream and completed in the Listed 1,200 Magic Millions Falvelon Stakes (Listed) on the five-year-old Cannonball, who is trained by Tony Gollan.

THE list of former Northern-trained pointers, who won on the track over the extended Christmas/New Year period was headed by Constitution Hill and Banbridge, winners of consecutive Grade 1 races at Kempton Park’s Boxing Day meeting.

Having his first start for 366 days, the 2017 Blue Bresil gelding Constitution Hill maintained his 100% track record, when landing the Ladbrokes Christmas Hurdle for the third year in succession, his eighth at Grade 1 level.

Constitution Hill ran just the once when in the care of Warren Ewing, being beaten a head in a four-year-old maiden in April 2021 at Tipperary, where he was ridden by a 5lb-claiming Ben Harvey. The following month, he was consigned to the Goffs UK Spring sale of horses-in-training and point-to-pointers where he was sold for £120,000 into Henderson’s Seven Barrows yard.

Trained by Joseph O’Brien and ridden by Paul Townend, the Ladbrokes King George VI Chase winner Banbridge likewise failed to win his point-to-point maiden, when trained by Colin McKeever for Wilson Dennison, for whom he had been purchased as a yearling by Ian Ferguson.

Loughanmore

In the hands of Stephen Connor, he was beaten a length into second on his third start in a four-year-old geldings’ maiden sponsored by his owner at Loughanmore in October 2020.

Although the son of Doyen failed to change hands at Tattersalls Cheltenham that month, when he next appeared in public, in a bumper at Thurles in March 2021, the chesnut did so in the colours of Ronnie Bartlett.

Also on December 26th, Stuart Crawford’s former charge Imperial Saint (won an adjacent hunts’ maiden at Toomebridge in May 2023 under Ben Crawford) landed a handicap chase at Aintree for the Philip Hobbs/Johnson White yard.

The Gordon Elliott-trained, Gigginstown House Stud-owned Kovanis made a winning racecourse debut last Saturday at Leopardstown where, in the bumper, the French-bred grey justified even-money favouritism.

The 2020 gelded son of the Polish-bred sire Tunis was purchased for £330,000 by Gordon Elliott racing at Tattersalls Cheltenham last November, following his impressive debut win for owner Philip McBurney, trainer Gerald Quinn and rider Noel McParlan in the four-year-old maiden at Portrush the previous month.

McKeever/Dennison

Two geldings who started their careers being trained by Colin McKeever for Wilson Dennison at Loughanmore scored on either side of the Irish Sea since Christmas.

The 2013 Gold Well bay Skyhill, who was placed five times in eight starts for McKeever mainly during the 2017/2018 season, recorded his 10th track success for the Alison Hamilton yard, when landing the amateur jockeys’ handicap chase at Kelso last Sunday.

On Tuesday at Punchestown, the Henry de Bromhead-trained, Cheveley Park Stud-owned Ballyadam, the 7/2 outsider of three runners, who was having his first start since late April, led on the run-in under Rachael Blackmore to see off the 8/13 favourite Saint Sam by half a length in the conditions hurdle.

The 2015 Fame And Glory bay landed the second division of the Dennison Commercials four-year-old maiden at Portrush in October 2019 on his only start in the sponsor’s colours. He was then consigned to the Tattersalls Cheltenham Sale, where he was knocked down for £330,000 to Gordon Elliott Racing.