OWNER Patrice Dorney and rider/producer P.J. Casey, who have had a lot of success together at the Dublin Horse Show, got off to a winning start when the first racehorse they bought in partnership won on his debut at the Killinick Harriers’ point-to-point at Lingstown last Sunday.

Trained by Thomas Dreaper, who has recently taken over the licence at his family’s famed Greenogue yard, and ridden by North of Ireland amateur Conor Abernethy, Shabby Hill got up close home in the concluding maiden to win by a neck from Lig Tara who was running for the sixth time.

Shabby Hill, a five-year-old Kalanisi gelding, was a €17,000 buy at the 2022 Tattersalls Ireland July Sale. “I broke him myself, got him going and even gave him a day’s hunting,” said P.J., who was a very fine amateur jockey as well as show horse rider and whose previous purchases at Tattersalls included the 2022 BoyleSports Irish Grand National winner, Lord Lariat.

“I bought Shabby Hill because he was a really fine specimen of a horse, big and scopey, and he turned out to be a powerful jumper. I’d love to hold on to him and bring him on like Lord Lariat but he’ll probably go to one of the sales. When he was ready to go into training we sent him to Tom who I went to school with and who I also played football with.”

When P.J. was asked to name the Dublin winners he produced for Patrice, he suggested it would be best to talk to the owner who, having expressed her delight at Sunday’s success, recalled Park Avenue (reserve champion riding horse 2015), Spellbound (champion riding horse 2016), True Colours (champion coloured horse 2017), Dawn Chorus (reserve champion riding horse 2017), Somerville (supreme champion hunter 2018), Regal Reflection (champion small hunter 2019) and Wallstreet (reserve champion riding horse 2019).

Patrice was present at Lingstown and celebrated Shabby Hill’s win in the company of P.J., his wife Sonya and their two children Sean (14) and Emily (12) who both ride but, more often than not, prefer playing football.