IT was a difficult choice who to lead with on the jockey front this weekend but I came down on the side of Noel McParlan, who’s not really a jockey but a qualified rider, as he gave the Gavin Cromwell-trained Hascoeur Clermont an excellent ride to win the amateur jockeys (!) handicap chase at Cheltenham last Saturday.

On the same afternoon, but at Navan, Co Meath-based Cromwell provided Deckie Lavery (another qualified rider) with a winning mount in the Bar One Racing-sponsored bumper on another French-bred, Springt De La Mare, who was making his racecourse debut.

This grey son of No Risk At All, who scored by a head, won a four-year-old maiden at Necarne in April on her only previous start.

Also at Navan, Sam Ewing recorded his third win in three days when he partnered the Gordon Elliott-trained What’s Up Darling to land the Grade 3 Bar One Racing For Auction Novice Hurdle by a neck.

The previous afternoon at Wexford, the Templepatrick jockey won the BoyleSports Maiden Hurdle on hurdling debutant Sportinthepark who is trained by Noel Meade for Philip Polly.

First over jumps

At Punchestown on Thursday, Ewing’s win came in the three-year-old maiden hurdle which he landed on J.P. Ledwidge’s Semblance Of Order. This Buratino gelding gave Caledon trainer Andy Oliver his first success over jumps in over five years.

On his hurdling debut, It’s For Me justified favouritism in that meeting’s four-year-old and upwards maiden hurdle for the Willie Mullins yard.

The 2018 Jeu St Eloi chesnut won a four-year-old geldings’ maiden at Loughanmore in April 2022 when trained by Stuart Crawford who, at Navan on Sunday, saddled his own and Sean McElroy’s Dorking Cock to win the two-mile, six-furlong handicap hurdle.

The nine-year-old Winged Love gelding was bred by Danny Doran out of the French-bred Cadoudal mare Kiss Jolie and is thus a full-brother to the dual-winning hurdler Hidden Dilemna, who was also trained by Crawford.

At the same Co Meath meeting, the two-mile handicap hurdle was won by the Ian Donoghue-trained St Denis’s Well, a five-year-old Famous Name gelding who was bred by Andrew McNally out of the unraced Indian Haven mare Annie Greene who comes from the family of My Tent Or Yours and Conduit.

At Sedgefield last Thursday week, the three-mile, three-furlong handicap chase was won by the nine-year-old Jeremy gelding Largy Nights who, as a pointer, was trained by Stuart Crawford and was bred by Deckie Lennon out of his dual point-to-point winner Rowdy Nights (by Miner’s Lamp).

On the flat, Oisin Orr won the Group 2 Bahrain International Trophy, with its £500,000 first place prize money, on the Richard Fahey-trained Spirit Dancer while his fellow Co Donegal-born, jockey Dylan Browne McMonagle, who is spending the winter in Australia is due to have his first ride there on Sunday, at Kilmore Park, Victoria, on the Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained Flamin’ Romans.

IT was a very quiet weekend on the point-to-point scene from a local perspective with David Christie being the only northern region trainer to saddle a winner and that was at Turtulla on Sunday.

Having his third start of the campaign and his second in a novice riders’ open, the eight-year-old Shantou gelding Ramillies scored in the colours of the Ramillies and Christie Family Syndicate and in the hands of Alan O’Sullivan who had partnered the grey to finish third in similar company at Tattersalls last month.

There was just one points meeting in Britain last weekend, which was the East Cornwall fixture held at Great Trethew, where there were five Irish-bred winners on the seven-race card.

The middle leg of a treble for owner/trainer Tim Vaughan and his 16-year-old rider son Edward came in the nine-runner restricted where State Of Fame scored by 12 lengths.

The seven-year-old Fame And Glory gelding, who was running for the first time in a point-to-point, was previously trained here by Ross O’Sullivan for his Co Donegal breeder, Amanda Torrens.

The bay, who won a Sligo bumper in July 2021, is out of the Kornado mare Nirphania who won four times on the flat in her native Germany and twice over hurdles in this country where she was also listed-placed.