TWO of the three opens at last weekend’s point-to-points were won by horses trained in Northern Ireland and, while Winged Leader had to work hard to score at Cragmore on Sunday, he was forced to do so by another northern raider.

Making his seasonal debut, the Barry O’Neill-ridden Winged Leader recorded his 10th victory between the flags when winning by one and a half lengths from the Noel McParlan-partnered Le Malin who, owned and trained by the rider’s father Sean, was having his third start of the campaign.

Winged Leader, trained by David Christie for John Hegarty and Jenny O’Kane, will now be targeted at the Foxhunters St James’s Palace at Cheltenham where, last year, the 2014 Winged Love gelding was beaten a neck into second by Billaway.

Brain Power could well be among the pair’s challengers at Prestbury Park on Friday, March 17th as he notched up his fourth success of the campaign in the Cosy Roof open at Tyrella on Saturday when beating the McParlan-ridden, Caroline McCaldin-trained Samurai Cracker by two and a half lengths.

Ewing/McGill double

A 12-year-old gelding by Kalanisi, Brain Power was bringing up a double for owner/trainer Warren Ewing and rider Dara McGill following the five-length success in the Dennison JCB five-year-old geldings’ maiden of the Mahler newcomer Bective Abbey.

After the East Down meeting, Ewing and McGill’s attention was focused on Cheltenham where, on just his second track start, their Castletown-Geoghegan four-year-old maiden winner of last October, Rock My Way, now under the care of Syd Hosie, landed the Grade 1 Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle.

McCaldin and McParlan did hit the scoreboard at Tyrella in the F.S. Herron winners of three with Wilson Dennison’s seven-year-old Rail Link gelding Gorthill.

There is no local point-to-point today but there is one next Saturday when the North Down Foxhounds stage the first of two spring meetings at Kirkistown.

In 1993, the pack’s sole fixture was held on Saturday, March 27th at Craigantlet where, on a six-race card, John Bright recorded a treble, his wife Jayne landed the opening hunt race and the above-mentioned Warren Ewing partnered two winners.

Ten years later, Comber was the venue on Saturday, February 8th, for what turned into an eight-race meeting.

The only rider to score a double that day was William Rankin while there were single successes for the elsewhere-mentioned (page 3) Ronan McNally, the late J.T. McNamara, Aaron Stronge, Colleen Letters, Brian Hassett and Leo Gracey.

Ten years ago, the first of the North Down spring meetings at Kirkistown was cancelled.