THE Co Down Hunt is holding its spring point-to-point today at Moira but, roughly 30 years ago – on Wednesday, April 21st 1993, in fact – the meeting was at the pack’s usual venue of Loughbrickland where, on heavy ground over a right-handed track, there were just 34 runners in six races.

John Bright recorded a double, his second ride, Glynn River, noted as finishing tired when winning by a distance at odds of 1/3 in the four-runner open.

In a match for the concluding winners’ of two, where he made it look easy when scoring by a distance, Craigstown obliged at odds of 1/6 in the hands of Gary Clugston.

There were more runners but six races also on the good to firm ground over the left-handed track at Loughbrickland on Saturday, April 12th 2003 when the open, confined to lady riders, was won by the Brea Donnelly-partnered odds-on favourite Royal Toast.

Having been beaten by Aaron Stronge on Aran-Na-Pogue in the opening adjacent hunts’ winners’ of one, Brian Hamilton won the following four and five-year-old geldings’ maiden on the French-bred Kithou who was sent off favourite. Also despatched as market leader was the Robert Patton-ridden Gauppo Boy who landed the winners’ of two by eight lengths.

Compensation

Jim Keeling won the 19-runner older geldings’ maiden on the 20/1 shot Fair Kiowa by 10 lengths from the 2/1 favourite, Parnell McGlue. The latter’s rider, Simon McGonagle, received quick compensation as in the following, and concluding, 18-runner five-year-old and upward mares’ maiden, his mount, Nelsons Nell, was deemed to have dead-heated with the Mark O’Hare-partnered favourite, Whatdouno.

Having had to cancel in mid-March, the Co Downs ran their spring fixture on Saturday, April 13th 2013, when the going was good to soft and two races were divided.

Six of the eight winners were bred in Ireland but both horses who crossed the line first in the divisions of the Brightwells Bloodstock four-year-old maiden, the Barry O’Neill-ridden Man In Black and the Derek O’Connor-partnered Expresss du Berlais, carried an FR suffix.

O’Connor went on to complete a double on Owen Na View in division two of the five and six-year geldings’ maiden, the first half of which went to the Mark O’Hare-ridden Church Hall. The Crawford brothers, Stuart and Ben, combined to win the five and six-year-old mares’ maiden with Carrybridge.

While the open was open to both sexes, the finish was fought out between the Annie Bowles-ridden Carsonstown Boy and the Karen Ferris-partnered Carlanstown with the former rewarding punters by six lengths.

Harley Dunne landed the winners’ of two on Kilford while Jason McKeown won the concluding older horses’ maiden on Drum Bay.

AS the point-to-point season winds down, two hunter chases will feature on the card at Downpatrick on the evening of Friday, May 19th, both sponsored by the Down Royal Corporation of Horse Breeders.

The first of these, a maiden over nearly three miles with a value of €10,000, is confined to horses who have been placed either first, second, third or fourth in a point-to-point in Ireland or second, third or fourth in a hunters’ chase in this country.

The second, which will be run over nearly three miles, five furlongs and has a value of €17,500, is open to horses who have been placed either first, second, third or fourth in a point-to-point or in a hunters’ chase in Ireland or Great Britain and that have not won a race under any NH Rules or Rules of Racing after March 1st, 2022, other than a hunter chase or a farmers’ race.

While hoping the prize money stays in this country, it is also hoped that some British owners and trainers will avail of the travel subsidies on offer and take on the home-trained horses over the historic track.

Six days after the local season is due to finish at Taylorstown on Saturday, May 13th, this Downpatrick meeting will also feature the Northern Region point-to-point awards.

There is, of course, a hunters’ chase at Down Royal on Bank Holiday Monday next, May 1st, when the National Hunt card is sponsored by Club Mixers.