REGISTERING your first winner under rules is special in any circumstances, but especially so when family is at the heart of the success.

That is exactly what materialised for Co Waterford-based trainer Richie O’Hara when making only his fourth runner under rules count at Wexford last month. Kilbuny Supersonic’s facile, 18-length victory in a mares’ maiden hurdle came in the colours of the Denton Syndicate, an ownership group involving Richie and his father Richard.

While it was new ground for the handler, this certainly wasn’t the first time these red and white silks were carried to victory. The Denton contingent memorably struck at the 1992 Cheltenham Festival with the Harry de Bromhead-trained Fissure Seal in the American Express Gold Card Final. The O’Hara family’s passion for horses and racing runs deep.

“I’ve always had a love for racing,” delighted joint-owner Richard says.

“My father was a racing fanatic and used to go racing practically every week when living in Waterford. He’d go to Cheltenham every year; a keen punter but never an owner. This mare runs for the Delton Syndicate, and how that group started was through having four people in the dental industry in it.

“All the names of the horses had something to do with dentistry - that’s where the likes of Fissure Seal came from. Delton were manufacturers of dental materials, they made sealings for children’s teeth.

Novel idea

“One of the guys involved with Fissure Seal, a great character from Enniscorthy called Sean McCarthy, had an idea that we’d call the horse that, and then go to Delton looking for some sponsorship from them. He rang them up anyway and he told them that this horse was going to go on to Cheltenham, and that he’d win there. This was all while the horse had never run!

“We didn’t get any sponsorship from them at the time but we kept the name together. The best known member of our syndicate then, a man who started in horses with our group, is Con O’Keeffe. He’s obviously a very successful stallion owner now.”

There was also an equine family tie for the O’Haras with their up-and-coming mare, who previously won a five-year-old-and-up maiden point-to-point at Lingstown in March. Kilbuny Supersonic is a half-sister to the same connections’ Kilbunny Pontic, a point-to-point, bumper and maiden hurdle winner.

It was through that link up that Richie O’Hara sourced Kilbuny Supersonic for €10,000 at part two of the 2023 Tattersalls Ireland July Store Sale. Kilbunny Pontic was another sales ring bargain as a €2,200 store at the 2020 Tattersalls Ireland August National Hunt Sale.

“Kilbuny Supersonic is a lovely mare from a lovely family that we know well,” says trainer Richie, a well-known sport horse breeder, producer, owner and rider.

“We were delighted to win with Kilbunny Pontic but unfortunately she broke down on the day she won her maiden hurdle at Tramore. It was on the back of Pontic that we ended up coming across this mare. When Supersonic popped up, we were fortunate enough to be able to go and get her after the sister had been so lucky for us. She’s a lovely one to have and hopefully we’ll have a bit of craic with her now.”

Richard has been getting plenty of enjoyment out of this thoroughbred venture with his son.

He explains: “I had a bypass in 2020. It was always showjumping and breeding that Richie was doing but there was no showjumping going on then and we saw that the only horses who were really moving were thoroughbreds.

“He went and bought a couple at the sales. One won a point-to-point and was sold on at Cheltenham, then there was Kilbunny Pontic. Now Kilbuny Supersonic is doing her bit.

“Kilbunny is the place where we live. We’ve never changed our colours and have had horses with David O’Brien down the years too. We’ve got a lot of help and advice from David. He’s trained a nice few point-to-point winners for us.”

Bonus boost

What made the breakthrough win at Wexford all the more sweet was the €7,500 payout that came for connections as part of the Weatherbys ITBA National Hunt Fillies Bonus Scheme - one of 10 mares to collect through the initiative during the month of May.

It continued a tradition of bonus wins in the family, with Kilbunny Pontic a double bonus winner through her Fairyhouse bumper and Tramore maiden hurdle victoriess.

“It certainly is a help for keeping horses on the go,” says Richard.

“The interest in people having mares in training looks to be very much on the up all the time. People used to look down their nose at mares and didn’t want them but it’s not the same now. We had been buying mares because they were cheaper, and then you always have the option of crossing her with a sport horse alternatively too.

“Kilbunny Pontic has already had a foal, though, and is in foal again to Diamond Boy. Richie loves going to the sales and looking at breeding. I’m sure any extra cash he comes across will be reinvested again!”

On what lies ahead for the daughter of Harzand, Richie adds: “We’ll possibly bring Supersonic back for a rated novice hurdle, maybe at Downpatrick, but we’ll see. It’s always possible that the handicapper could have a hold of you as well when you win by a big margin like she did the last day.

“We don’t have a lot of thoroughbreds, only a couple, and Pontic was nearly half the reason we got out the training licence. It’s myself and my father who do this together, really. He’s in his 80s and I’m delighted to see him enjoying it.”