WHAT a week it was, one filled with joy, celebration and a large degree of sadness.

On Tuesday, Willie Mullins saddled Masons Daughter, with his son Patrick aboard, to win at Ballinrobe, a racecourse he had not been to for some years. In the excitement of the post-race euphoria it went unnoticed and unreported that this was the trainer’s 50th victory of the season -– and by some way the fasted ever half-century recorded in Ireland.

This is already way ahead of the 38 wins Mullins had clocked up in the first three months of last season, on his way to setting an all-time best of 212.

It shows that the Closutton master is not planning to relinquish his domination of the trainers’ championship and is as hungry as ever. It is another landmark for a man who continues to set the bar.

Last Sunday I had the pleasure of attending the horse and pony racing meeting in Taghmon, Co Wexford, and what an enjoyable day it was. While clashes resulted in smaller fields than ideal, it was fascinating to see the action up close, and most of the young riders would not have looked out of place at the Curragh 24 hours earlier.

As I have written before, the pony circuit is the starting point for so many of our top jockeys, and I am proud of the coverage we give it in The Irish Field.

The enthusiasm of the participants was striking, as was their ‘professional’ approach.

I have no doubt that more than one of the jockeys last Sunday will be gracing the winners’ enclosures in Ireland and Britain in the years ahead.

SYMPATHY

News filtered through at the weekend of the death of bloodstock agent Edward Daly, and his obituary appears elsewhere. My sympathy to all of his extended family, but especially his son Peter. The young man must have been comforted at a very difficult time to hear so many people share their personal stories and tributes to his dad.

Fr Liam Morgan conducted the funeral mass and spoke of Edward’s struggles and about the tragic nature of his death. It was a stark reminder to us all that life is short, no matter how it is measured in years, and that we owe it to everyone to take care of each other. It was a tribute to Peter and his family that they allowed Fr Morgan to speak so openly. We all need to do so.