YOU’LL read in the point-to-point pages all about the brilliant four-timer owner Philip McBurney and trainer Gerald Quinn recorded at Toomebridge last Saturday.

Four weeks earlier, Saturday, April 13th, the focus of attention at Caherty Stables was on the Aintree Grand National as, around the televised action of the main race and the rest of the card, McBurney had arranged a fundraising barbeque.

The proceeds of this were recently handed over to Air Ambulance NI, a service very much appreciated by those involved in racing, equestrianism, other sports and rural life in Northern Ireland

Back to those four Toomebridge winners, two of whom were ridden by Noel McParlan who cannot be caught in the race to be crowned champion rider in the northern region for the 2023/’24 campaign.

After six seasons’ domination by southern riders, it’s good to see a local back on top of the leaderboard. This is Noel’s fourth time to claim the title, having first done so in 2012/’13 (18 wins) and then again in 2014/’15 (22) and in 2016/’17 (26). Going into today’s final fixture at Taylorstown, he is on the 23-win mark.

Three of Caherty Stables’ winners have been entered in the upcoming Goffs UK Spring Sale at Doncaster. The five-year-old geldings’ maiden winner Getaway Vic is due to come up as Lot 393, the French-bred four-year-old maiden winner Manhattan Valley as Lot 479 and the six-year-old and upwards geldings’ maiden winner Wholly Boley as Lot 547.

The last-named, a 2018 Conduit bay, was bred by the late William Houston out of The Sophster (by Helissio) who won twice between the flags and was placed five times.

That concluding older geldings’ maiden was sponsored by Draperstown trainer Noel Kelly who earlier sent out Victor McCrea’s High Court Cave to land division two of the Dennison Commercials four-year-old maiden under Oran McGill.

That Court Cave gelding is not entered at Doncaster at present nor, of course, is the David Christie-trained Winged Leader who, in the colours of his Co Antrim owners, John Hegarty and Jenny O’Kane, recorded his 21st point-to-point win last Saturday.

ENGLAND-based, Co Antrim-born trainer Neil Mulholland continued his support for horse racing in Jersey last Sunday by sending four horses to run on the opening day of the season at Les Landes where three of them won.

Co Cork native Liam Kiniry sandwiched a fifth-place finish in the 10-furlong handicap on Man Of The Sea between wins on Chelsea Annie in the seven-furlong handicap and Mini Mildred in the mile and five handicap.

The Mulholland treble was initiated in the two-mile, one furlong handicap hurdle by the Charlie Todd-ridden Princess T. All four horses ran in the colours of Dajam Ltd.

The Jersey season runs throughout the summer with the last of eight remaining fixtures being Champions’ Day on Sunday, September 8th.

Nashville

Further afield, on the previous day, Banbridge-born former five-time champion US jumps jockey Paddy Young and his trainer wife Leslie saw their seasonal tally of wins increase by five while the healthy state of the yard’s runners was underlined by the number of placed horses saddled.

Three of the wins were recorded at the Iroquois meeting in Nashville, Tennessee, where first the Jamie Bargary-ridden Old Tom Morris (by Getaway) beat his stable companion, the Paddy O’Hanlon-partnered Walk The Warrior (by Walk In The Park) by two and a half lengths in the two-mile, one-furlong maiden hurdle.

The Keri Brion-trained Moonshine Time (by Sholokhov) made it a clean sweep for five-year-old Irish-bred geldings by finishing third.

For the same owners, Leipers Fork Steeplechasers, Young sent out the Bargary-partnered Ready To Wear (a five-year-old Milan gelding), to land the second division of that maiden hurdle before the same trainer/jockey combination landed the two-mile, two-furlong mares’ hurdle with the Potter Group’s French-bred six-year-old Right Tempo who is by the Capital Stud-based Authorized.

Among the yard’s placed horse was French-bred Vae Patron who, frustratingly for both Young and Bargary, went down by a neck to the Jack Fisher-trained Snap Decision in the Grade 1, the winner ridden by Graham Watters, once a regular rider on the northern point-to-point circuit.

The Youngs’ double at the Willowdale meeting outside Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, opened with a one and a quarter length victory in the two-mile, one-furlong claiming maiden hurdle for the Brian Barry-ridden Codigo, while Conor Tierney landed the three-mile apprentice timber race on the 10-year-old Court Cave gelding, Court Ruler.

The concluding maiden timber race over the same distance was won by Hero’s Return whose Co Waterford-born trainer, Mark Beecher, was another who spent much of his Irish point-to-point career on the local circuit.

Britain

Over jumps in Britain, Brian Hughes rode three winners in the period under review, one on Saturday at Hexham where Danny McMenamin was on the mark.

The latter also visited the winner’s enclosure a day earlier at Sedgefield. At home, Sam Ewing’s good run continued on Monday at Killarney where he recorded a double.

Staying in this county, but on the flat, Dylan Browne McMonagle rode the last two winners at Sligo on Wednesday for his boss Joseph O’Brien which brought his tally for the home campaign to that point to 26. Oisin Orr moved on to the 15-win mark in Britain when landing a double on Tuesday at Beverley.

IT’s something I’ve never thought about, the actual physical fitness of veterinary surgeons and their teams, but, having seen photographs on social media of Tullyraine Equine Clinic’s Hugh Suffern and Katie Parker competing in the Wild Atlantic Adventure Race (Run Bike Hike and Kayak on the Donegal Hills and Atlantic coastline) perhaps it’s something to consider in future!