THERE looks to be no danger of the current point-to-point season ending in a whimper.

The trend of bumper entries in recent weeks shows no sign of slowing down as evidenced by the 189 entries that were made for tomorrow’s fixture in Ballindenisk.

Of the 11 fixtures that have taken place over the past four weekends, all bar two have had an entry in excess of 150, and even those two fixtures which fell below that lofty mark still attracted the not insignificant numbers of 133 and 140 entries, which incidentally were the largest for either venue in over a decade.

Wisely, with the prospect of multiple divides again likely for another consecutive weekend, the Ballindenisk committee have elected to bring their start time forward by one hour, with racing there now set to commence at 1pm.

Such strong demand was only to be expected however when the programme of fixtures for May was whittled down so significantly this year to just a handful of fixtures across three weekends of racing.

Twelve months ago, when the June Bank Holiday weekend was removed from the fixture list, the season ended with a nine-race Tralee fixture that had attracted a total of 200 entries.

Pressure

The season has been shortened by a further week this year, and this consolidation to the back end of the season is putting the pressure on the remaining fixtures at this point in the calendar, particularly those with popular tracks, as handlers seek to maximise the limited opportunities that are still open to them.

This is most acute within the younger age maiden division, with the four-year-old maiden, five-year-old geldings’ maiden and mares’ maiden categories.

These races have been dividing regularly in recent weeks and have contributed to the two 10-race fixtures and a further two nine-race fixtures that have taken place in the past three weeks.

This in a season where of the 93 fixtures that have been staged thus far, only seven have featured a divide, with four of those seven coming in the past three weeks exemplifying the imbalance that has been created at this point in the calendar.

After all, point-to-point fixtures are dependent upon the volunteer manpower to enable the meetings to take place.

Marathon fixtures that have been finishing after 7pm in some instances, can stretch that good will, and it has to be hoped that the authorities can work towards rebuilding the May fixture list to bring some balance to the May calendar and limit the likelihood of more marathon fixtures from future seasons.

Twists and turns in the champion horse honours

THE race for the champion point-to-point horse title looks set to go right down to the wire after the devastating victory of Bold Enough at Toomebridge on Monday.

That 22-length success took him level with Rocky’s Howya on the seven-winner mark, with the reigning champion mare La Feline just one further win adrift in third. With the trio all holding entries this weekend, there could be many more twists and turns to come before the outcome of the title is decided in the next eight days.

Heading into today’s action, Declan Queally’s Rocky’s Howya is still in pole position to claim the title on the countback rule, which counts the number of second place finishes when two or more horses are tied on the same number of wins.

His first taste of defeat this season may have come as a surprise to racegoers at Dromahane last month, but it could be key in his title bid against Bold Enough.

David Christie’s charge has seven wins from seven runs, however that leaves him with no placed finishes to be factored in, and he must win again to jump ahead of Rocky’s Howya if he is to claim the title, or at least finish second to earn a share of the title spoils.

The eight-year-old will be the first to have the opportunity to move in front as he is among seven horses entered for the open in Taylorstown this afternoon. It will then be the turn of Rocky’s Howya tomorrow as he is entered at Ballindenisk following a three-week break.

Interestingly, both races also feature the Punchestown Champion Hunter Chase winner Its On The Line, and whichever venue Emmet Mullins elects to send his leading hunter chase winner to could well have quite a big impact on which way the title pendulum swings.

That said, the joker in the title race pack could well be La Feline. Sam Curling has already achieved the champion point-to-pointer and champion mare double in the same season with Longhouse Poet back in 2019 – could he repeat the feat in 2023?

Although La Feline is the outsider of the three title contenders, she is entered in what on paper is a very weak mares’ open in Stradbally tomorrow.

That would bring her to the seven-winner mark, and should Rocky’s Howya and Bold Enough fail to get their head in front in their respective races, she also has a second and two third placings to her name this season which could trump the geldings.

Point-to-point Ratings

Chauffeur Driven handles conditions

STAYERS came to the fore at Bartlemy last Sunday with the race times coming in at well over seven minutes.

It is notable that the quickest winning time on this card was the slowest by such metric for the season thus far with the exception of the two Necarne meetings, highlighting how stamina was very much at a premium.

Chauffeur Driven (93+) seemed to enjoy the test that it presented and won snugly at the line in the first division of the four-year-old geldings’ maiden. He has the potential to develop into a smart chaser in time.

Patient tactics saw Harbour Highway (92+) outstay Just One Surf in the second division, while Realta Liath won going away in a four-year-old mares’ maiden that featured no fewer than 15 horses.

She asserted swiftly after the penultimate fence and had the race wrapped up in a matter of strides.

In contrast, Grennan offers a much sharper test, and it is one that saw Irelands Call (89+) bounce back to the promise he had shown prior to falling two out at Borris House in March.

The second division saw Chance Another One (89+) have too many gears for Valleyview Tommy who was turned out a week after his debut in Stowlin. That speed will allow him to drop back in trip under rules.

Eye-catching performance

Twenty-four hours later at Toomebridge, Davidoc (91++) put up an eye-catching performance in the five-year-old maiden. He had been well held in some smart heats earlier in the campaign, but he looked to take a further step forward here.

Setting a strong gallop, few of his rivals were ever involved as he clocked the quickest time on the card to beat two proven benchmarks by a wide margin with 35 lengths covering the first three home. That deserves a great deal of respect.

Jorah D’Alma (91+) was aided by a particularly swift round of jumping which is a notable asset, particularly at this venue, and he looks a racy individual who should be able to make an immediate impact on the track now.