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TAKING Friday and Monday into account, it was a good extended weekend on the training front for local handlers.
There were two winners on Friday, the first being Cave Court who brought up a hat-trick of victories when landing the two and a half-mile handicap chase at Listowel under Jody McGarvey.
Bred by Niall McGrady, the six-year-old Court Cave gelding is trained for the TSM Racing Syndicate by Noel Kelly who had a long drive down to Co Kerry from his Draperstown yard.
Later in the day at Dundalk, Natalia Lupini continued her winning run when saddling Paul Nolan’s 2/1 favourite Nikki Swango to claim the six-furlong maiden for two-year-olds on her fifth start.
Ridden by Billy Lee, this chesnut daughter of Galileo Gold is out of the Compton Place mare On Simple Thing, a half-sister to the German Group 2 winner Donnerschalg (by Bahamian Bounty) among others.
Caledon’s Andy Oliver trained his ninth winner of the season on Sunday at the Curragh where the Jim Nicholson-owned, Billy Lee-ridden Gibbs Island, who was having his third start, battled bravely to land the opening mile maiden for two-year-olds at odds of 16/1.
A chesnut colt by Iffraaj, the winner is out of the unraced Sea The Stars mare Dream Book whose 2016 foal, the Shamardal colt Dream Tale, won two races here for Oliver in 2021. This is the family of Islington, Greek Dance, etc.
Early start
David Christie, who is set to have an early start to the 2023/’24 point-to-point season at Castletown-Geoghegan tomorrow, sent out the Darragh O’Keeffe-ridden Menindee to win the near two-mile, six-furlong handicap chase at Roscommon on Monday.
The seven-year-old Yeats mare was welcomed back to the No 1 spot by her Moneymore breeder David Kells.
On the jockey front over jumps, there was a double for Derek Fox and one winner for Danny McMenamin at Perth on Wednesday while, on the flat, there were wins for Luke McAteer at Lisowel on Thursday last and for Oisin Orr at Ayr on Friday and at Hamilton on Sunday.
Dylan Browne McMonagle keeps booting home the winners and this week was on the mark at Down Royal on Monday and at Cork the following afternoon.
Crawfords prepare for the new points season
STUART and Ross Crawford have recently registered hunters’ certificates for some of the point-to-pointers in their care, five of whom are down to run in the handlers’ own colours.
Well, saying that, just one horse at present is listed as being trained by Ross for Ross, Annaghbeg, a five-year-old gelding by Conduit.
Meanwhile, Stuart, whose last start as an international event rider was in France, at Le Lion d’Angers in 2009, continues to show his liking for that country with three four-year-old geldings carrying an (FR) suffix due to run in his name as well as the five-year-old Leading Light gelding Sawdust.
Sophie Bell’s six-year-old Fame And Glory mare Ambush Annie, Alan Topping’s six-year-old Dylan Thomas gelding Josies Dylan plus Raymond Scullion and Martin McGrogan’s five-year-old Ask gelding Largy Ask are being trained by Stuart while Ross is handler of David Laverty’s eight-year-old Elzaam gelding Wowsham.
Stuart is also training the four-year-old geldings Kinbara Firstdraft (by Koropick) and Sheriff Haskell (by Leading Light) for brother Ben while the four-year-old Flemensfirth gelding Drumnasoo is being trained by Ross for his wife Kelly.
In the most recently published list at time of writing, we note that Noel Kelly has registered certs for Lindsay Woods’ four-year-old Soldier Of Fortune filly Cherry Brave and for Conor Mohan’s seven-year-old Shantou gelding Shantou Show.
James (owner) and Robert (handler) Brown Kerr will be represented by the seven-year-old Watar gelding Knocky while the year younger Dawn Approach gelding Perfect Arch is set to carry the colours of owner/trainer Stephen McConville.
There are locally-trained horses entered in all but one of the races tomorrow at Castletown-Geoghegan where the 2023/’24 point-to-point season gets underway.
The first meeting in the northern region is the Mid Antrim fixture at Toomebridge on Saturday next, October 7th, which will be followed seven days later by the Route meeting outside Portrush.
IN conjunction with Racehorse to Riding Horse Ireland, the Narrow Water Equestrian Centre outside Newry is staging a racehorse to riding horse show on this day fortnight, Saturday, October 14th.
There are eight classes advertised starting with two retraining classes (for raced and then unraced horses), two similarly-divided open ridden classes, an in-hand class and finally three dressage classes at Intro (British Dressage Intro A), Preliminary (BD 7) and Novice (BD 27) levels.
If there are sufficient entries, there will be ridden and in-hand classes for horses aged 15 and upwards.
Michael Boyd of Narrow Water EC is running a dressage league, with prizes sponsored by Botanica, which starts tomorrow, Sunday, October 1st, and continues each Sunday until finals day on October 29th.
Again in conjunction with Racehorse to Riding Horse Ireland, there is a prize on offer for the highest-placed thoroughbred in the league. Narrow Water and Botanica have been nominated for the Best Product and Equine Centres sections of the Equine Awards NI, the winners of which will be announced at a black-tie gala in The Titanic Belfast next Saturday night.
NI Bookmakers send a Downpatrick invite
WITH warnings to be vigilant for imposters and not to follow links on social media, Downpatrick Racecourse is inviting racing enthusiasts to visit its website to claim complimentary general admission tickets to the track’s end-of-season raceday and party on Friday next, October 6th.
This generous offering comes courtesy of the Northern Ireland On-Course Bookmakers Association (niocba.co.uk) and ToalsBet.com plus raceday sponsors Silotank, McGrady Financial Services, J.P. Corry, the Irish European Breeders Fund, C. Russell Auto Sales and J. Murdoch Contracts. The first race is scheduled for 1.50pm.
The feature race on the card, the INH Stallion Owners EBF Maiden Hurdle of €13,000 over two miles, five furlongs and 110 yards, was won last year by the Willie Mullins-trained Inclusion.
The only locally-trained winner was Harry Smyth’s Willyouwalkwithme who scored by one and a quarter-lengths under Shane O’Callaghan in the two and a quarter mile handicap hurdle.
However, there were wins also for the Cathal McGuckin-owned No Trouble in the two mile, three furlong rated novice hurdle and for the Elizabeth ‘Hammy’ Hamilton-bred Sanibel Island in the concluding Downpatrick End Of Season Handicap Chase over just short of three miles.
WE were delighted to see Holly Ross, daughter of Newtownabbey bloodstock agents Anna and Kevin Ross, finish fourth in the 31-runner two-star class for ponies at last weekend’s Ballindenisk International Horse Trials in Co Cork.
The 14-year-old and her parents’ 11-year-old dun gelding picked up 6.8 cross-country time penalties to compete on a total of 41.2 behind the British winner, Florence Drewitt, riding Crossgales Into The Blu (31.4).
Others with racing connections who finished in the top six were Sarah Smullen who placed second on Cloughreagh Charlie (34.2) and Isabelle Walsh who was sixth on Lucky For Some (44.1).
Holly was a member of the Ireland Gold quartet who won the Youth Exchange Team Challenge.
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