WE could lead off this column with some locally-trained winners since last Thursday week but, instead, we are starting with a mare trained in Co Kildare by Philip Dempsey who landed the opening Total Event Rental Beginners Chase at Punchestown on Sunday, Kates Hill.

The nine-year-old Jeremy bay, who justified 15/8 favouritism by half a length under Donagh Meyler runs in the colours of her breeder, Patsy Smyth, for whom she landed a mares’ maiden and a mares’ winners’ race in the 2020/’21 season, when trained by Patrick Turley, and who he saddled himself to claim a mares’ open in December 2021.

While Kates Hill’s wins between the flags came under Deckie Lavery (two) and Noel McParlan, Smyth’s colours were carried to many successes under his son, James, whose agility springing into the saddle would be the envy of many a cowboy in western movies.

Their greatest successes together came in 2014 when James partnered Tammys Hill to victory in the Foxhunters Chase at Cheltenham. The Tamayaz gelding, who won by three and a quarter lengths from the McParlan-ridden, Colin McBratney-trained Carsonstown Boy, was then trained by Liam Lennon who had won a maiden on the bay’s dam, Hillside Lass.

Kates Hill, who had a large support team at Punchestown, is the last recorded produce out of Tammys Hill’s Montelimar half-sister Hillmar.

Winners

The in-form Stuart Crawford and Anthony McCann both sent out winners in the period under review.

At Catterick last Thursday week, the Crawford-trained Brucio, who was despatched as the 11/4 favourite, won the opening near two-mile Watch Racing TV Now Mares’ Maiden Hurdle by 10 lengths under Daryl Jacob. The six-year-old British-bred daughter of Authorized is owned by Simon Munir and Isaac Souede.

At the re-scheduled meeting at Naas on Friday, the McCann-trained Simply Shabra landed the two-mile handicap hurdle in the colours of Rita Shah.

Pat Sloan’s colours were carried to victory in the two-mile handicap chase at the same fixture by the Gordon Elliott-trained Getaway gelding, Pats Choice. The afternoon’s maiden hurdle over the same trip was won by the Willie Mullins-trained Tullyhill who, on his only point-to-point start, won a Moira maiden under Cormac Abernethy in October 2022 when trained by Colin McKeever for Wilson Dennison.

While Fairyhouse didn’t get to run on Thursday, they were able to race there last Saturday when the Mullins-trained, Munir and Souede-owned Hunters Yarn, the 8/15 favourite, won the extended two-mile, one-furlong Irish Stallion Farms EBF Beginners Chase by 10 lengths under Paul Townend. Previously the winner of a bumper for Pat Doyle plus two bumpers and two hurdle races for Mullins, the seven-year-old Fame And Glory gelding was bred by Callie Berry and is one of six winners out of her Epervier Bleu mare Full Of Birds.

Campaign

Also on Saturday, the one-time McKeever-trained, Dennison-owned Banbridge opened his seasonal campaign with a win in the Grade 2 Coral Silviniaco Conti Chase at Kempton for owner Ronnie Bartlett, current handler Joseph O’Brien and jockey J.J. Slevin.

On the flat, the Leanne Breen-trained James Henry followed up his first win at Dundalk on December 13th with a second at the same venue on Tuesday. Going down a furlong in trip, the Varland Syndicate’s five-year-old Kodiac gelding overcame a sluggish start to get up in the final strides in the hands of Scott McCullagh to win the six-furlong handicap by a head from Pat McKenna’s charge No Speed Limit who had tried to make all the running.

ON the jockey front, the big winner over the past week or so was Donegal native Martin Harley who landed last Saturday’s A$3m Gold Coast Magic Millions 3yo Guineas, a restricted listed race over seven furlongs on turf.

Harley, who had three unplaced rides at the lucrative Australian fixture, won on the Robert Heathcote-trained Abounding, a 6/1 shot who finished a head, a neck and a short-head in front of Sovereign Fund (30/1), Flying Trapeze (40/1) and Pure Paradise who was a 60/1 chance.

On Wednesday, at Doomben, Harley won a $38,000 handicap on the Kevin Kemp-trained Artful Girl.

With so many National Hunt meetings in Britain being called off because of the weather, there are few wins to report for northern-born jockeys but Danny McMenamin did visit the winner’s enclosure at Sedgefield on Friday and at Kelso on Sunday.

The reigning champion, Brian Hughes (who is only lying fourth at present in the jockeys’ table) also partnered a winner at Sedgfield.

He had no luck in the saddle on Sunday, but ended the day on a winning note when overseeing the victory in the concluding hunters’ chase of the Nick Orpwood-ridden Super Citizen.

The 4/5 favourite, who scored by neck in Scotland’s first hunters’ chase of 2024, is in the care of Brian’s wife Luci and was providing her with her first racecourse success as a trainer on his first start for the yard. The 2014 Multiplex gelding won four point-to-points and two chases for his previous handler, Eugene O’Sullivan.

Sheriff Hutton

Luci was delighted with the victory but wasn’t there to see the horse win as she had travelled to the Yorkshire Area point-to-point at Sheriff Hutton where the family’s Mount Mews dead-heated for first under Roisin Leech in the 10-runner ladies’ open.

“It was a wonderful day and the whole family got such a kick from it,” Luci told The Irish Field.

“They are the only two horses we have to run in points and after I broke my arm in November, Sunday seemed unachievable but we pulled it off!

“I went to the point-to-point with the children, my head girl Kaitlin and my grandparents, while my parents took Super Citizen to Kelso with Brian. Brian is a massive part of the yard – I’m so lucky, I have the best work rider and schooling jockey in the country – and he saddled Super Citizen. We had a great time celebrating on Sunday night with friends.”

Also at Sheriff Hutton, the opening Level 2 conditions race for five-year-olds and upwards was won by the former Mark O’Hare-trained, Ian Moore-owned Lagan Valley who was sourced for his present connections by Downpatrick’s Richard Curran.

At Ampton on the same afternoon, the first division of the maiden was won by Arkle Rua who ran three times here for Maeve Carlin in the spring of last year, finishing second last time out under Stephen Connor in an adjacent hunts’ maiden at Toomebridge in early May.

MONEY raised at Down Royal racecourse last year for its charity partner, Friends of Parkview, will go towards improving the on-site hydrotherapy pool at Parkview Special School, Lisburn.

Jillian McGarry, chairperson of Friends of Parkview, extended her heartfelt thanks, saying, “The generosity shown by Down Royal and all those who donated is truly remarkable.

“This significant contribution will allow us to update everything from the hoist to the thermostat, and will have a direct impact on the lives of the children at Parkview, providing them with enhanced facilities for their therapy to protect their overall wellbeing.

“The collaboration in 2023 between Down Royal and Friends of Parkview showcases the power of partnership between local business and the community as a force for positive change. Our sincere thanks to everyone who made a contribution to this staggering total.”

Emma Meehan, Chief Executive of Down Royal, expressed her delight, stating, “Racegoers have surpassed themselves with their generosity in 2023 (over £23,000 was raised). We would like to thank our customers for their unwavering support. Everyone who contributed to collections on one of our 13 race days in 2023 has made a difference to a young person locally. That’s something to be really proud of.”