TWO jockeys stood out over the past eight days, Sam Ewing over jumps here in Ireland and Oisin Orr on the flat across the water.

Ewing struck first when landing the two-mile, one-furlong maiden hurdle at Cork last Friday week on the five-year-old Snow Sky mare Disco Dancer. The following day, he was in action at Bellewstown where he landed the opening two-mile, one-furlong novice hurdle on Little Trilby and the following maiden hurdle, over the same trip, on Bridgehead.

On Sunday, Ewing rode four horses at Sligo, winning the opening extended two-mile, one-furlong maiden hurdle on the 2/5 favourite Mordor and, again over the same distance, the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Mares Handicap Hurdle on Gone For Tea. Disco Dancer, Little Trilby and Mordor are all trained by Gordon Elliott, sponsor of the children’s activity zone at Downpatrick on Monday.

Best at Beverley

Three of Oisin Orr’s five wins in the past eight days were recorded last Saturday at Beverley where he landed the five-furlong maiden for two-year-olds on Uncle Don who is trained by his boss Richard Fahey and was having his second start. He also scored on the short-priced favourites, Persian Blue and Little Rose who are both trained by William Haggas. Orr was also on the mark at Ayr on Sunday and at Catterick on Wednesday.

Also on the flat, Dylan Browne McMonagle rode two winners on Sunday at Limerick while there were wins also for Patsy Cosgrave at Beverley on Friday and for Darragh Keenan at Leicester on Saturday.

On the same afternoon, but here in Ireland under National Hunt rules, Declan Lavery landed the concluding bumper at Bellewstown on the Gavin Cromwell-trained odds-on favourite, The Passing Wife.

Bullish victory

Over jumps in Britain, on Tuesday at Uttoxeter in fact, the two and a half mile handicap chase was won by Forcing Bull who is now trained by Donald McCain but started his career at Loughanmore from where Colin McKeever sent him out to win a five-year-old geldings’ maiden at Loughbrickland in the colours of Wilson Dennison.

Forcing Bull was ridden by Brian Hughes whose five-year-old daughter Olivia featured briefly on the ITV Racing Home Schooling slot on Saturday jumping her much-loved 22-year-old pony Harvey. On Sunday, Olivia rode at Pottofields Show where, led by her mother Luci, she won her first showing sash having been judged reserve junior champion of the show on the flashy palomino Waitwith Texas Star, a Welsh Section A gelding.

There was a double on the day for the Hughes family as Luci’s Irish Draught mare Grey Goose On Ice, a four-year-old by Dunbeggan Grey Mist who was bred in Co Leitrim by James Fox, was crowned supreme champion of show in the hands of Kaitlin Mason.

LAST Friday, a day after son Dara won the qualified riders’ race at Bellewstown on the Bill Durkan-trained Eagle’s Way, Maghera trainer Gary McGill was also on the mark at the Co Meath track where he sent out Building Bridges to win division two of the concluding mile and half handicap.

The Taphouse Syndicate’s eight-year-old New Approach gelding, who was bred in Britain by the Niarchos family out of the Monsun mare City On Sea, was recording his fifth win (his seventh in total) since being purchased by Gary for just £3,000 at Goffs UK’s Autumn Horses in Training Sale in 2020.

Another locally-based trainer on the mark recently was Andy Oliver but his success was recorded as an owner and of an event horse not a racehorse. On page 87, you can read all about Cortynan’s win in the Pegus Horse Feeds EI100 class on Saturday at Becky and Declan Cullen’s one-day event where he was the only ride on the day for Clare Abbott.

Impending return

We don’t know whether we hope he is or whether we hope he isn’t, but perhaps Wilson Dennison is contemplating a return to the eventing saddle as he was very taken by the photograph which appeared in the Irish Horse Worldpages last Saturday of The Irish Field’s hunting correspondent, Noel Mullins.

The latter won the amateur cob class at the recent Flavours of Fingal Show and Wilson much admired the fact that a fellow 80-year-old would ride in a show class never mind ride a winner.

Dennison’s good friend, and fellow point-to-point sponsor, Ian Wilson has come on board through Wilsons Auctions as title sponsor of the Premier Grand Prix which takes place next Sunday at Balmoral Park. The Grand Prix will be the highlight of the National Balmoral Championships which start on Wednesday.

THE extended two and a half mile Adare Manor Opportunity Maiden Hurdle at Roscommon on Monday was won by the John and Thomas Kiely-trained, Danny Gilligan-ridden favourite, Major Barry.

This six-year-old Sholokhov gelding was bred by Inge D’Haese who is well-known in both the racing and equestrian worlds as one of the veterinary surgeons at the Tullyraine Equine Clinic. The bay is out of the Generous mare Degenerous who won a bumper (at Catterick in March 2014) and a handicap hurdle (at Down Royal in August 2015) when trained by Sarah Dawson. She is a half-sister to the Winged Love gelding Joey Sasa whose six wins included a Grade 3 hurdle at Tipperary.

“I sold him at Tattersalls November sales as a foal through Farnagh Stud where my good friend Susan Scott, soon to be Sarah Dawson’s daughter-in-law, prepared and presented him expertly for the sales,” revealed a delighted Inge.

Super owner

“He was bought by Morgan Sheehan for Anthony Murphy who is a super owner and has always believed Major Barry to be talented.

“Anthony has to be credited with giving the horse a super chance at racing and I’m thrilled for him that the horse is coming into his own now.

“I have three other progeny out of the mare: a five-year-old Mount Nelson filly who I have in training and will hopefully get to the track this autumn; a lovely four-year-old Conduit gelding who, broken last winter and put away again, is for sale as I can’t afford to have two horses in training; and a yearling Poet’s World filly.”

At Doncaster on Thursday, there was a second success, this first on the flat, for the Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero-trained Swift Tuttle. The five-year-old Fast Company gelding was bred by Hardys Of Kilkeel out of the Trempolino mare Lumiere Astrale who is dam of three other winners headed by the Cape Cross gelding Theme Astral.

MANY congratulations to equine physiotherapist Sharon Kelly whose Irish Sport Horse gelding Annaghmore Dunkirk won the prestigious All-Ireland three-year-old championship at the Bannow and Rathangan show on Thursday.

Leaving husband Wilson Murphy at home to mind all the cows and horses, Sharon travelled down to Co Wexford on Wednesday with ‘Michael’s’ producers, Shirley and Adrian Hurst, and the trio enjoyed their night away in Kilmore Quay.

On Thursday, Shirley and Annaghmore Dunkirk, a bay son of HHS Cornet who was reserve supreme young horse champion at Dublin last August, topped the final line-up in the All-Ireland with the Balmoral youngstock champion, Tullabeg Hello, standing reserve. A bay filly by Hiello, the reserve champion was shown for owner Paula Howard by Ballynahinch’s Davy Lyons. You can read all about Annaghmore Dunkirk and his connections, both human and equine, in pages 74 - 75 of the Irish Horse World. Sharon has been enjoying a great season with her horses and was particularly delighted with the fourth-place finish of her Olivia Roulston-produced and ridden show jumper Le Barantula in the four-year-old class at Omagh show last Saturday.