THAT’S racing.

How can just two little words so often sum up the ridiculous and relentless rollercoaster ride this sport takes its stakeholders on. Indeed, the saying is something of an unofficial code you have to accept if you’re involved in the sport. It’s the deal you have to do.

“That’s racing,” said Waterford owner Richie O’Hara when reflecting on his mare Kilbunny Pontic this week. He and his family’s Delton Syndicate saw her twice finish second in mares’ maiden hurdles from completely contrasting pre-race expectations; as a 33/1 shot and as 6/4 favourite. At Tramore last month, they were confident the mare could make it third time lucky and win for the third time in all.

She travelled up in the van all the way for Sean Flanagan, took it up before the second last and then fiercely fought off the challenge of two mares to secure her owners a first win over hurdles and a first ever Weatherbys ITBA National Hunt Fillies bonus.

Unfortunately the joy of the success was as short-lived as it possibly could be. Just after the line, as the camera panned to the mare, you could see Flanagan looking down in concern.

“It was elation to despair,” O’Hara says. “We knew something was wrong straight away. You’re being told she will be finished altogether but in fairness, the vet at Tramore is our own vet Chris McGrath and said to give her a chance.

“I went straight from the parade ring to get the horse box at home and took her straight up to Fethard (Equine Hospital). The treatment she got there was phenomenal from Ann Derham and the rest of the team, like second to none.

“She severed her tendon jumping the last. She completely did her deep flexor and half her superficial. When they saw her come in they couldn’t believe she had stayed on to win. I can’t reiterate what a brilliant job they did with her. Ann did unbelievable work.

“The feedback we received daily has been unbelievable - we get daily videos and full correspondence. Since the mare was discharged, Ann has been in touch with more than my surgeon was when I broke my leg. Pontic must be a better patient than me!

“It was great to win the bonus with her of course but I’d say it’s the first time the money has been used on veterinary bills straight away! It’s great that we still have her. She is in rehab now. She’ll come home and we’ll hopefully get her in foal next spring.

“That’s racing. It’s a tough old sport. After everything, I’d say relief is the overriding feeling now.”

Family

The Delton syndicate is made up of Richie, his father Richard and his brother and sisters who have small shares. O’Hara’s family have engaged with sport horses more than thoroughbreds down the years but they’ve always looked to keep racing mares at home, where Kilbunny church is on their land.

They bred Cusp Of Carabelli who won five times for David O’Brien, who has long been associated with them, and who took over the training from O’Hara for Kilbunny Pontic’s track career. It was Richie and David who picked out this mare at the sales and bought her for just €2,200.

“I’d love to say I picked her out but it was all David,” O’Hara recalls. “We actually bought two mares that day and David picked both of them. It was during Covid so I took out an amatuer handlers’ licence so I could go point-to-pointing with the two mares. So we trained them ourselves here at home and David was always there for help and advice.

“Kilbunny Aplasia won a five-year-old mares’ maiden at Liscarroll and we sold her on at the Tattersalls Cheltenham Sale but we decided to keep Kilbunny Pontic after she won her four-year-old mares’ maiden at Curraghmore.

“She dead-heated in her bumper first time out at Fairyhouse. It was the same bumper Envoi Allen won. We were hoping to get blacktype with her then but it didn’t work out in the better bumpers after that.

“In fairness to David, he wanted to go hurdling and I wanted to stay in bumpers. Lo and behold when she went hurdling, she wasn’t out of the first two in three starts. It’s a real pity for David really. You’d love for a small trainer like him to get the support of a bigger owner.”

With a bit more luck, Kilbunny Pontic could provide more horses for O’Brien and O’Hara to take to the track in the future.

“We’ll play it by ear,” O’Hara says. “In Tramore I was thinking of listed hurdles for her and that went down fairly quickly. We’re mainly a sport horse yard, we breed about 10 of our own every year.

“We’d possibly like to sell her foals but the only thing holding her back is that she didn’t get blacktype which was unfortunate, and her dam was unraced. We’ll see what happens.

“We’ve never had one like her and it has to be said, the bonus scheme is a lovely incentive for makes like her to keep in training.”