THERE’s no doubt that the biggest win for a locally-bred horse last weekend – or ever if we’re talking prize money – was that of Facteur Cheval in the Group 1 Dubai Turf at Meydan on Saturday. The nine-furlong race was worth £2,283,464.57 to the winner.

Ridden by Maxime Guyon, the five-year-old Ribchester gelding, who was sent off as a 20/1 shot, won by a short-head and three quarters of a length from the Japanese entries Namur (25/1), a mare getting 5lb, and Danon Beluga (12/1).

Facteur Cheval is trained in France by Jerome Reynier for Team Valor International and Gary Barber who purchased him privately as a three-year-old from Hubert Honore. The latter had given 145,000 guineas for the bay at the 2019 December Foal Sale at Tattersalls Newmarket to which he had been consigned by his breeders, McCracken Farms.

Saturday’s winner is the second of five recorded foals out of the unraced Shamardal mare Jawlaat who comes from the family of Tantheem, Santiago and Tamayuz. He didn’t run until he was three when he landed a newcomers’ race at Saint-Cloud in early April 2022. He then went on to win four more races before the Meydan success, including a listed and Group 3 contest, and recorded some excellent results in defeat such as second and third place finishes at Group 1 level.

On a less lucrative scale, the Andrew McNally-bred Ziggy’s Missile (2021 colt by Blue Point – Shafaani, by Green Desert) won at Southwell on Sunday.

On the jockey front, there was a win at Lingfield last Friday for Oisin Orr who partnered the Ian Williams-trained Aqwaam to a one-and-a-quarter-length success in the two-mile handicap.

The Co Donegal-born jockey then flew over to Meydan for one ride but the Richard Fahey-trained Spirit Dancer was found to be lame having finished 11th of 12, beating only Auguste Rodin, in the Group 1 Sheema Classic.

WHEN you heard that the Northern Region of Eventing Ireland couldn’t run the first – and now the second – of their one-day events at Tyrella, you knew point-to-pointing was definitely going to be in trouble, and today there is another blank day following the cancellation of the Newry Hunt’s meeting at Taylorstown.

Of course, the problem isn’t confined to the local scene as there have been other cancellations throughout the country with racecourses too suffering the effects of heavy rain. And it’s the same story in Britain where numerous meetings, both on track and between the flags, were cancelled or abandoned last weekend and again this.

Nonetheless, we did notice some locally-connected point-to-point winners such as the David Christie-trained Winged Leader who, ridden by Maxine O’Sullivan in the colours of John Hegarty and Jenny O’Kane, landed the Connolly’s Red Mills ladies’ open at Quakerstown on Sunday.

Fourth

In recording his fourth consecutive success of the season, and 21st win combining track and point-to-points, the 10-year-old Winged Love gelding scored by six and a half lengths from the Toni Quail-partnered De Nordener.

Across the water there were wins for the Francis Small-bred Shanes Passion (2017 gelding by Dabbers Ridge – Red Nose Lady, by Teenoso) at Higham on Friday and for the Aaron Metcalfe-bred Goleirihem (2016 gelding by Shirocco – Corona Moon, by Presenting) at Kimble on Saturday.

On Monday, the Martin McCaughey-bred Ninth Wave (2014 gelding by September Storm – Royale Pearl, by Cloudings) landed the opener at Cothelstone while the Tom Foy-bred Camdonian made it three wins from three starts this season in the mixed open at Thorpe Lodge.

We spotted three Northern Ireland-bred winners in Britain the previous weekend. There were two at Overton on Saturday, March 23rd, viz the Woods Rosbotham-bred, ex-Stuart Crawford-trained Bellaney Lord (2016 gelding by Kalanisi – Bellaney Lady, by Un Desperado) and the Hugh Suffern-bred Eagles Rock (2018 gelding by Conduit – Insanity Of Love, by Winged Love) who was winning for the first time on his third start.

At Kilworthy the following afternoon, one of those who dead-heated for first in the members’ race was the J.P. King and Patrick Turley-bred Takeabid (2014 mare by Jeremy – Zolotaya, by Kayf Tara).

On the track over the past eight days there were wins for the Paul and Margaret Haughey-bred Aworkinprogress (2019 gelding by Soldier Of Fortune – Reine d’Or, by Presenting) at Fontwell last Thursday week; for the Bill Doran-bred, Tyrella maiden winner Mousey Brown (2017 mare by Califet – Desperado Queen, by Un Desperado) at Fairyhouse on Saturday; and, on the same afternoon at Haydock, for the Gail Kidd-bred Duke Of Deception (2017 gelding by September Storm – Mrs Peachey, by Brian Boru).

On Sunday, the Stone Electrical-bred Wade Out (2019 gelding by Shantou – Whats Up Britta, by Milan), a Lisronagh maiden winner under Dara McGill last November, landed the concluding bumper at Market Rasen.

McMenamin

In the saddle, there was a win at Wetherby last Thursday week for Danny McMenamin who was also on the mark on Saturday at Carlisle where Brian Hughes too visited the winner’s enclosure.

The reigning champion jockey partnered two winners at Market Rasen on Sunday and followed up with a treble at Fakenham on Monday.

Under a brilliant ride from Aine O’Connor, the Anthony McCann-trained Familiar Dreams comfortably landed the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Total Enjoyment Mares’ INH Flat Race (Listed) at Fairyhouse on Saturday.

THE 2024 jumps racing season in the USA commenced a couple of weeks back and already the reigning champion trainer, Leslie Young, has shown her team to be in good order.

In addition to a number of placed-horses, Young has sent out two winners, Secret Soulmate who landed a maiden claiming hurdle under Jamie Bargary at Aiken, South Carolina, on Saturday, March 23rd, and the Freddie Procter-partnered Court Ruler, a 10-year-old Irish-bred gelding by Court Cave, who won a three-mile timber race at Unionville last Sunday.

Young has also sent out a couple of point-to-point winners in Eternal Story and The Butler Yeats, who scored at the Piedmont meeting on Salem racecourse, Upperville, on Saturday, March 23rd, while, on his US debut, High Definition won a training flat race at the Green Spring Valley point-to-point last Sunday.

BRITVIC will once again serve as soft drinks partner to Down Royal, the longstanding relationship with the supplier continuing into 2025.

As part of the partnership Britvic, whose portfolio includes the iconic range of Club mixers, will retain naming rights on the Club Mixers May Day meeting (Monday, May 6th), including all seven scheduled races.