THERE were plenty of locally-bred winners since last Thursday week up to the close of play on Wednesday.

On the track, these started on day one, firstly at Lingfield, where the Charles Foy-bred seven-year-old Game Colours (Shantou – Islandbane, by Orpen) landed the opening mares’ novices’ hurdle while, at Punchestown, the Colm McHenry-bred eight-year-old gelding Prophet’s Corner (Westerner – Knocklayde Rose, by Even Top) won the novice handicap hurdle there.

There were wins the following afternoon at Warwick for the Danny Doran-bred Lanesborough (Diamond Boy – Castlevennon, by Milan), on Tuesday at Leicester for the Mayne Kidd-bred Everyonesacritic (Hillstar – Loughbricklandrose, by September Storm) and the Alfred Buller-bred Shesupincourt (Court Cave – Supreme Cove, by Supreme Leader) and on Wednesday at Wetherby for the Gareth Metcalfe-bred De Legislator (Shirocco – Reynard’s Glen, by Old Vic).

British points

Between the flags in Britain, the Woods Rosbotham-bred Bellaney Lord (Kalanisi – Bellaney Lady, by Un Desperado) scored at Alnwick on Sunday, when the Danny Fitzsimons-bred Dr Rhythm (Kalanisi – Muscova Rose, by Sevres Rose) won at Badbury Rings and the Danny Doran-bred Getting Closer (Winged Love – Sixofone, by Tikkanen) recorded his 10th point-to-point success at Charing.

The only locally-bred winner on the Irish scene was the newcomer Soldierstown, who landed the Dalzells of Markethill, BEKO five-year-old mares’ maiden at Farmacaffley on Saturday.

The Solider Of Fortune six-year-old is trained by Peter Buchanan for his sister Jane, who bred the bay out of her Zaffaran mare Zaffarella, dam previously of the blacktype performers Windsor Avenue (by Winged Love) and Ravenhill Road (by Exit To Nowhere) and three other track winners.

At that Tynan and Armagh meeting, it was good to see Wilson Dennison’s colours carried to victory on the Cormac Abernethy-trained pair Skerry Hill and Bally Free, who were both partnered to victory by Orán McGill, while Thomas Kileff landed the Mullen Family winners of one for owner/trainer Ross Crawford.

David Christie saddled two Barry O’Neill-partnered winners starting with John Hegarty and Jenny O’Kane’s great Winged Love gelding Winged Leader, who equalled the 29-win record of Ah Whisht and Corryvreckan when landing the Armagh Construction open, with King In The Park getting off the mark on his 11th attempt in the concluding Philip White Tyres older geldings’ maiden.

FOLLOWING a short, relatively quiet period, Sam Ewing bounced back to form in the past eight days riding winners at Punchestown last Thursday week, at Naas on Sunday in the Grade 3 novice hurdle on the former Peter Buchanan-trained Jacob’s Ladder, and at Punchestown again on Monday.

Liam McKenna landed the two-and-a-half-mile handicap hurdle at Fairyhouse on Saturday on the Dermot McLoughlin-trained Barry Lyndon, who I napped back in January but not, of course, last weekend, while, on the same day across the water, Brian Hughes returned to the No. 1 spot at Newcastle. Derek Fox partnered a winner at Wetherby on Wednesday.

Kelly landmark

On the training front, Noel Kelly, who is featured by John O’Riordan in the Heart of Racing column this week (see page 9) saddled John O’Hagan’s Darkened to win the extended 10-furlong handicap at Dundalk last Friday evening. Based in England and Scotland, Neil Mulholland and Ian Duncan sent out winners at Chepstow on Saturday and Ayr on Monday, Duncan scoring at the Scottish track once again with Ronnie Lilley’s Libertarian gelding, The Jeweller’s Pet.

Colours carried

Other owners to have their colours carried to victory included Mark Devlin whose Clonmacash, who he owns in partnership with trainer Ado McGuinness’s wife Hazel, justified favouritism in the William Hill Top Price Guarantee Handicap last Friday evening at Dundalk.

At the same Co Louth meeting, there was a welcome success for Seamus Ross, who teamed up with his old ally Tony Martin to win the concluding mile and a half handicap with the five-year-old Siyouni gelding Sir Callisto.

Over jumps, the Pat Sloan-owned Young Getaway landed the maiden hurdle at Newcastle on Saturday, as the 6/4 favourite. Trained by Nicky Richards, the six-year-old Getaway gelding was bred by the owner’s husband, Joe, and is the second of just two recorded foals out of the unraced Alhaarth mare The Youngone, an own-sister to Iktitaf, whose nine wins included three Grade 1 successes over hurdles.

On Monday at Punchestown, the in-form trainer/jockey combination of Philip Rothwell and Tiernan Power Roche joined forces to win division one of the two-and-a-half-mile handicap hurdle with Without Exception, who scored by one and a half lengths for Co Down owner, John Leckey.

BEFORE the Northern Region of Eventing Ireland takes over the action at Tyrella with its two-phase events next Saturday and Sunday and three one-day events on March 22nd and April 5th and 19th, the East Down Hunt holds the second of its spring point-to-points at the Corbett family’s seaside venue today.

In 2005, this fixture took place on Saturday, March 5th when there were eight races, as both the five and six-year-old geldings’ maiden and the seven and upwards maiden were divided.

With a double apiece, the riding honours were split between that season’s ladies champion (when she partnered 21 winners) Claire MacMahon and Mark O’Hare.

There were single victories for Brian Hamilton, Andrew Lynch, Eamon Magee and James O’Farrell.

Not one single local rider managed to partner a winner at Tyrella on Saturday, March 7th, 2015 when the stand-out horse was Fagan who, trained by Ian Ferguson for race sponsor Ronnie Bartlett, justified favouritism by three and a half lengths in the five and six-year-old geldings’ maiden under Derek O’Connor.

WE featured Vina Buller’s unraced home-bred Bestman Bryan in this column last week, following the five-year-old Lauro gelding’s second place finish under Connor McClory in the Baileys Horse Feeds Flexi Eventing series at The Meadows, which secured the bay the Treo Eile prize for the leading thoroughbred.

The Co Kildare-based organisation was represented at last Saturday’s presentation day at the McCusker family’s Lurgan venue by Georgia Stubington, chairperson of the Northern Region of Eventing Ireland, mother of international rider Lucca, who is always happy to event thoroughbreds, and breeder, along with her late mother Patricia MacKean, of the great Florida Pearl.

Prize

Bestman Bryan won the Treo Eile prize having amassed 54 points, while other thoroughbreds who finished in the top 30 were the Jane Bruce-partnered locally-bred Minnie The Minx (37 points), an unraced seven-year-old mare by Court Cave; the Holly Rice-ridden Supreme Dream (34 points), a British-bred nine-year-old mare by Captain Gerrard; and the French-bred Jumper D’Ainay (27 points), a six-year-old gelding by Night Wish, who was campaigned by Erin McClernon.

Almost 600 combinations competed in over 2,000 activities, across the three phases of dressage, show jumping and eventing over the course of the seven-week series.