LAST Saturday, Downpatrick owners Anne McCartan and Frances Smyth were at Gowran Park, where they welcomed their Dermot McLoughlin-trained, Paddy O’Brien-ridden Finnians Row back to the No 1 spot following his win in the concluding two-mile, two-furlong handicap chase.

This was a second win for the eight-year-old Famous Name gelding but, as Anne and Frances had missed seeing the bay score at their local track in September last year, this one meant a bit more to the owners. Finnians Row, who made all on Saturday, was sent off as the 4/1 favourite following some good runs over the summer months, which included a second-place finish on his previous start at Downpatrick in late August.

Elsewhere in the country

At Clonmel last Thursday week, there was a win for the Brian Caherty-owned Ol Man Dingle in the two and a half mile maiden hurdle, while on the same afternoon, but on the flat at Bellewstown, the second division of the concluding mile and a half handicap was won by the Territories filly Prairie Angel, who landed a three-year-old maiden hurdle at Ballinrobe in August.

The chesnut three-year-old, who is owned by Sean Sweeney and Kieran O’Hare, was bred in Co Down by Sweeney out of the Galileo mare Polka Dot. A winner on the flat herself, Polka Dot has bred two other winners along with the six-year-old Territories gelding Prairie Dancer, who has scored three times on the flat, four times over hurdles and once over fences, and the five-year-old Holy Roman Emperor gelding Raging, a winner on the flat.

It was all about darts for BoyleSports this week but, at Tipperary on Sunday, the Dundalk headquartered bookmakers sponsored the Grade 3 two-mile novice hurdle, which was won by the Paul Townend-partnered 11/10 favourite Gaucher. The five-year-old Frankel gelding is trained by Willie Mullins for Rose Boyd and Marie Armstrong.

DONEGAL native Dylan Browne McMonagle again displayed his riding talent to French racegoers last Friday when, at Saint Cloud, he landed the Prix Matchem, a listed race over seven furlongs for three-year-olds, on the Joseph O’Brien-trained Kodiac colt Atlantic Coast.

The previous afternoon, the jockey recorded a double at Bellewstown while, following a winless but busy weekend at Longchamp where he had five rides, he won the mile auction maiden for three-year-olds and upwards at Killarney on O’Brien’s charge Castanets, a 2021 Gleneagles filly, who was having her fifth start.

Also on the level, Oisin Orr rode a winner at Redcar on Saturday while, in the period under review, Martin Harley partnered three winners in Australia, two at Ipswich on Thursday week last and one on Wednesday of this week at Doomben.

Over jumps, Danny McMenamin struck twice at Hexham last Friday and also hit the mark on Sunday at Kelso while, here at home, Sam Ewing partnered a winner at Gowan on Saturday, at Tipperary on Sunday and at Fairyhouse on Monday.

ANDY Oliver saddled the first two home in the six-furlong maiden for three-year-old and upwards at Navan on Wednesday, both horses running in the trainer’s own colours.

Partnered by a jockey much favoured by Northern trainers, Billy Lee, the winner was the 7/2 shot Sweet Thing, a three-year-old Starspangledbanner filly who had finished second on her only previous start, which was over seven furlongs, at Down Royal last month.

Gary Carroll was on board the similarly-aged Bated Breath gelding Keepcalmandsailon who, too, had made his only public appearance in that Down Royal maiden, where the chesnut finished last of the seven runners. Oliver had another runner-up on Wednesday in the Lee-partnered Red King, a Camelot colt, who was beaten three and a half lengths into second in the two-year-old maiden by the Aidan O’Brien-trained Justify colt Isambard Brunel.

Sweet Thing and Keepcalmandsailon are among 14 horses Oliver is consigning under his Stragrane House Stables banner to the horses in training sale at Tattersalls Newmarket at the end of this month. The Caledon handler obviously needs the space, as he purchased eight yearlings at Tattersalls Ireland late last month and a similar number at Goffs at the start of this month.

Christie’s double

Also on the training front, but over jumps, David Christie sent out Jack Holiday to win the two-mile, one-furlong handicap chase at Killarney on Sunday. The 10-year-old Jeremy gelding is owned by Flor McCarthy, whose nephew Philip Byrnes was in the saddle. On the same afternoon, the Christie-trained Au Fleuron won the novice riders’ open at Castletown-Geoghegan, where the seven-year-old Crillon gelding, who is owned by Ray Nicholas and Sam Campbell, was ridden by Josh Williamson.

Christie didn’t have a runner the previous afternoon at Toomebridge where, on the opening day of the 2024/25 point-to-point season, Noel McParlan recorded a treble. This he initiated in the Dennison Commercials four-year-old maiden on the Philip McBurney-owned, Gerald Quinn-trained newcomer Shabalko d’Herm.

In Wilson Dennison’s colours, McParlan landed the following Raymart five-year-old geldings’ maiden on another French-bred, Jim The Wolf. That Joshua Tree grey, who has having his eighth start, is trained by the owner’s daughter Caroline McCaldin, who also supplied the rider with his third winner on the day, Hornet Nolimit, yes another French-bred, in the concluding James Kernohan & Sons older geldings’ maiden.

Stateside

In the States, Leslie Young sent out the former Joseph O’Brien-trained High Definition to win a training race last Sunday at Charlottesville, where the Galileo six-year-old had his stable-companion Old Tom Morris a head back in second. The latter won a four-year-old geldings’ maiden in January at Turtulla where he was ridden by his trainer Rob James and was sold at Tattersalls Cheltenham later in the month for £150,000.

On the same card, the two-mile, one-furlong $40,000 maiden hurdle was won by I Can Only Imagine who, on his debut, won a five-year-old geldings’ maiden at Moira in April 2023, when trained by Noel Kelly for his wife Shaura and ridden by Dara McGill. The Malinas bay is now in the care of Mark Beecher.

THE second Northern Region meeting of the 2024/2025 point-to-point season takes place today at Portrush where, once again, there will be a strong raiding party from Co Wexford. Should there be a divide, it will only be in the opening Dennison Commercials four-year-old maiden, which has attracted 24 entries.

The pack didn’t hold a meeting in October 2014, but did the previous year at Limavady, where David Christie saddled two winners and Jamie Codd recorded a double. Noel McParlan landed the six-year-old and upwards geldings’ maiden on the Colin McBratney-trained Itsnoteasyted, while the Graham McKeever-trained, Steven Clements-ridden Chosen Dream carried the colours of the late Peggy Hagan to victory in the five-year-old geldings’ maiden.

Next Saturday, October 19th, the action moves on to Loughanmore where the East Antrims didn’t hold an autumn fixture 10 years ago, but did on October 16th 2004, when the six-year-old and upwards geldings’ maiden was divided to give a seven-race card. Derek O’Connor recorded a treble while there were single wins for Brian Hamilton, Paul Cosgrave, Johnny Farrelly and Hannah Kelly.

The last-named claimed the four and five-year-old mares’ maiden on her own Hidden Storm who, bred and trained by the rider’s father, James Kelly, had filled the runner-up spot in a similar race at Ballymena a fortnight earlier.