MANY congratulations to Cara McGoldrick who recorded her first point-to-point success, on just her fifth ride, at Dromahane last Friday.

The Portglenone native, who has also had one ride in a bumper, landed the two-runner open by two lengths on the Ellen Doyle-trained Woodbrook Boy, a 2014 Doyen gelding on whom she had finished ninth of 12 behind Warren Ewing’s Brain Power in a similar race at Borris House last month. The chesnut was previously in the care of Shark Hanlon for whom he won two point-to-points, one hurdle race and two chases.

Cara (21) wasn’t a member of a Pony Club Branch when she was younger nor did she take part in any affiliated competitions. Rather, she produced half-bred ponies, cobs and horses on her own, always trying to make a bit of profit as she moved them on.

First experience

She had her first experience of thoroughbreds when working with the Conways in Magherafelt one summer but then heard of a job going with Colin McKeever in Loughanmore and has been there ever since. “It’s a brilliant set-up and Colin is great to work for,” said Cara.

“Last summer, when things were a bit quiet, I went down to Ellen Doyle’s yard in Wexford – for the craic as much as the riding – and fell in love with the place. So now, I do Monday to Thursday with her, drive back up north on Thursday evenings and then work with Colin. I’m really busy but I don’t mind the driving at all and I’m now hoping that, having that first win under my belt, I might come in for more rides – especially in ladies’ and novice riders’ races.”

Cara is the only one in her family who is interested in horses but says that her parents, Clare and Enda, have been extremely supportive all the way along. Unfortunately, they weren’t at Dromahane to see their daughter win on Woodbrook Boy but did make the journey down to Borris House before Christmas so had an idea of what the horse looked like!

THERE have been two very high-profile wins recently for former locally trained point-to-pointers, the more recent being that of Hermes Allen who justified 11/10 favouritism by four and three-quarter lengths in the Grade 1 Coral Challow Novices’ Hurdle at Newbury on Saturday.

This was a third win in three racecourse starts for the 2017 Poliglote gelding who, on his previous outing at Cheltenham in November, had landed the Grade 2 Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle under the same jockey, Harry Cobden.

Now trained by Paul Nicholls for a group of four owners including Sir Alex Ferguson (who celebrated his 81st birthday on Saturday), the French-bred bay was previously in the charge here of Caroline McCaldin.

Having finished third first time out in a four-year-old maiden at Rathcannon in October 2021 in the hands of Noel McParlan, Hermes Allen carried the colours of his trainer’s father, Wilson Dennison, to victory three weeks later at Kirkistown where he scored by five lengths under the same rider. His next appearance was at Tattersalls Cheltenham where he was sold for £350,000 to Aidan Murphy and Paul Nicholls.

Ewing

At Kempton’s Boxing Day meeting, it was the British-bred Constitution Hill who did more than his bit for pointing locally although this bay gelding, who comes from the 2017 crop by Blue Bresil, had his only outing for owner/handler Warren Ewing when finishing second in a division of the four-year-old maiden at Tipperary in April 2021. Following that head defeat, he was sold at Goffs UK’s Spring Sale for £120,000 to Nicky Henderson’s Seven Barrows yard.

The winner now of four Grade 1 hurdles in five racecourse starts, a sequence which began with a novices’ hurdle success at Sandown in December 2021, Constitution Hill is odds-on favourite for the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham in March with the reigning and dual champion, the British-bred Honeysuckle, lying third in the market.

Sadly, that 2014 Sulamani mare’s brilliant run of 16 straight successes under Rachael Blackmore came to a halt at the beginning of December at Fairyhouse where, bidding for a record fourth success in the Grade 1 Bar One Racing Hatton’s Grace Hurdle, the Henry de Bromhead-trained bay could only finish third.

Prior to being purchased for €110,000 at the 2018 Goffs Punchestown Sale by Rathmore Stud, Honeysuckle had won her point-to-point maiden at Dromahane where she was ridden for his wife Sara by Banbridge farrier Mark O’Hare who had given €9,500 for her at the previous year’s Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale.

Last Friday, Mark was back at Dromahane but this time as handler and watched on as Sara’s Spindleberry (a fast-growing native bush) landed the four-year-old mares’ maiden in the hands of Noel McParlan. The Dermot Day-bred Policy Maker bay, who is out of the dual hurdle winner Sapphire Rouge (by Alderbrook), was knocked down to O’Hare for €11,000 at Tattersalls Ireland in May 2021.

AIR Ambulance Northern Ireland will be the beneficiary of funds raised in a raffle being organised by show jumper Joanne Sloan Allen who refers to the service as “an amazing charity”.

The raffle is being run in conjunction with a three-day clinic (January 13th to 15th) Joanne is hosting at Sycamore Stables where the coaches are Charlie Hutton (dressage), Sameh El Dahan (show jumping) and Sandie Robertson (equestrian mindset).

Disappointingly for readers, the clinic is full – as is the fun demonstration evening on the Friday. However, as proceeds from the latter are going to AANI you can help boost the amount raised that evening by buying plenty of raffle tickets for what we are told are some amazing prizes. Please contact Joanne through her Facebook page or on her mobile 07721-537373.

STUART Crawford may not have had any luck with his runners at any of the Irish meetings post-Christmas but he did enjoy some success in Scotland.

Last Thursday week, the Larne trainer sent out the Horsplay Syndicate’s Maimie’s Magic to land Kelso’s two-mile-two-furlong mares’ handicap hurdle under Sean Quinlan. This was a first win on her fifth start for the 2017 Getaway chesnut who was bred by David Mitchell out of the Flemensfirth mare Flemi, a half-sister to three winners from the family of Mendip Express, Jetstream Jack and Fiddling The Facts.

The Crawford yard struck twice at Ayr on Bank Holiday Monday with horses trained for Simon Munir and Isaac Souede whose retained jockey, Daryl Jacob, partnered the French-bred pair. First up, the 2016 Turgeon gelding Gold Cup Bailly completed a hat-trick of victories when justifying 6/4 favouritism in the three-mile handicap chase. The double came up in the two-mile maiden hurdle where, on his second racecourse start, L Anamour also rewarded favourite backers.

No other northern-trained horses visited the winner’s enclosure in the period under review but there were wins for the Gareth Metcalfe-bred De Legislator (at Kelso on December 29th), the Hugh Hazzard-bred Fine Casting (Haydock, December 30th), the Elizabeth Hamilton-bred Henry Box Brown (Uttoxeter, December 31st), the Patricia Doran-bred Lightonthewing (Exeter, New Year’s Day), the Lois Eadie-bred Storm Nelson (Ayr, January 2nd) and the Tom Foy-bred Endofastorm (Newcastle, January 4th).