It was eerie that trainer Lucinda Russell’s Aintree Grand National plan for Corach Rambler came to fruition just weeks following the death of the yard’s former inmate One For Arthur who Derek Fox also guided to victory in the 2017 running of the race.

Designed by Randox’s Elizabeth Moran, the winner’s trophy was presented to The Ramblers syndicate of owners - which includes the Jeremy gelding’s Wexford breeder Paul Hillis - by Randox’s founder and managing director, Dr. Peter FitzGerald and his wife Nuailin. The couple also presented the winner’s trophy following the Randox Ulster National at Downpatrick earlier in the month.

Fox gives a good interview and so too does Danny McMenamin who landed the final race of the meeting, the Grade 2 Weatherbys nhstallions.co.uk bumper, on the Nicky Richards-trained Florida Dreams. This was the 39th success of the season for Downpatrick-born McMenamin who had partnered the five-year-old Doyen gelding to victory on his only previous start at Musselburgh in early January.

The Aintree fixture opened last Thursday week with the Racehorse Lotto Manifesto Novices’ Chase (Grade 1) which was won by the Joseph O’Brien-trained, J.J. Slevin-ridden Banbridge. Also by Doyen, Ronnie Bartlett’s now seven-year-old gelding started his racing career with Colin McKever at Loughanmore and was placed twice from three starts in Wilson Dennison’s colours.

Banbridge was purchased for €36,000 as a yearling at Tattersalls Ireland by Ian Ferguson.

Rolling back the years at ‘iconic’ Fermanagh point venues

TODAY’s local point-to-point takes place at the iconic venue of Castle Irvine, Necarne, and 30 years ago the Fermanagh Harriers held their meeting at another iconic venue, St Angelo Airport, Enniskillen. That fixture was actually held on Saturday, March 6th, 1993 when there was a nine-race card on the right-handed track.

The races which didn’t divide were the opening adjacent hunts’ race which was won by Paddy Graffin on Bajan Blues, the following 17-runner winners of two where John Bright partnered Fardross to a 15-length victory, and the open where the Graeme Martin-ridden Limeridge got the better of the Tony Martin-partnered Joey Kelly by a head.

Graeme was bringing up a double which he had initiated by a neck on Dunluce Castle in the first division of the four and five-year-old maiden. Tony landed division two of that maiden on Ben Doon and then went on to complete a double himself when his mount Torstar dead-heated with the Ian Buchanan-ridden Mr. Goldfinger in the first division of the maiden. The second division of that race went to Sandemall whose rider, Brian Hamilton, had earlier made all on The Dark Walk to win division one of the mares’ maiden, division two of which went to the John Quinn-partnered Lake Of Shadows.

The curtain came down on the Northern Region’s 2002/03 season at Necarne on Friday and Saturday, May 9th and 10th when the only one of the aforementioned riders to partner a winner was Brian Hamilton – who did so on both days. On Friday he landed the concluding six-year-old and upwards geldings’ maiden (10 runners) on Caislean Ui Cuain while his victory on Saturday came in the concluding seven-year-old and upwards geldings’ maiden (13 runners) on Dillons Cross.

Tommy Peoples rode one winner on Friday, Glenalla River in the four and five-year-old geldings’ maiden, and made it three for the fixture with a double on Saturday on Bluefire in the adjacent hunts’ race and Finoel in the open.

Ben Crawford and Noel McParlan rode three winners apiece at the two-day meeting on May 31st and June 1st 2013. Ben bagged a maiden winner both days for Warren Ewing but in the six-runner, two-finisher open on Saturday, where he rode for his brother Stuart, his mount Onefortheroad Mac went down by half a length to the Colin McBratney-trained Carsonstown Boy who gave Noel the middle leg of his treble.

The ladies’ open on Friday saw the Annie Bowles-ridden favourite, Derg Princess, score by seven lengths from her Gordon Elliott-trained stable companion Backstage, the mount of Rachael Blackmore. The final race of the season, Saturday’s seven-year-old and upwards geldings’ maiden, was won by the Eyssen Ross-owned and trained Top Flyer who was ridden by James Smyth.

Castle Irvine, Necarne, has been a busy place of late on the equestrian front with Dressage Ireland holding its national winter finals there two weekends ago. Last Saturday, the Irish Pony Society ran its spring show at the Irvinestown venue followed by the Enniskillen horse and pony jumping show on Sunday. Today, the Northern Region of Dressage Ireland is staging its winter finals in the estate’s walled garden where most of the action will have been completed before the flag goes up for the first race.

The Northern Region of Eventing Ireland will be hosting the EI National Championships at Castle Irvine, Necarne, in early September. Today, the Region holds the third and final of its Lightsource BP spring events at Tyrella where, at the time of writing, the entry was just three short of the 300 max. If anyone would like to school around the track there is a Go-As-You-Please at the Corbett family’s seaside estate tomorrow, running from 10 am to 3 pm.