RITA Polly. who died earlier this month, was a great stalwart of racing in the Downpatrick area, having been brought up on a farm over which Downpatrick Racecourse runs.

Rita was from a great National Hunt family: her brother Frankie Fitzsimons rode many point-to-point winners throughout Ireland as well as in hunter chases and under rules. She would attend a lot of point-to-points throughout Ireland to support her brother.

Rita would always attend racing at Downpatrick, her favourite racecourse. She loved to have a little bet and had many winners at the track, including Dark Trix and Koll Look, and most of them trained by her local trainer Jeremy Maxwell. She also enjoyed success with the late Bunny Cox.

Another trainer she had horses with was John Oxx and they had success at the Phoenix Park with Lined Reef, who gave Johnny Murtagh his second winner as a jockey. She also had horses in training with Richard Shaw in Newmarket. They had a marvellous triumph at Lingfield Park with See Now who won at 33/1.

Rita always had a very successful time with her great friend Noel Meade, firstly with Mountain Gale and then her most prolific winners Novello Allegro and Lear Fantastique.

Novello Allegro won 13 races including the Lismullen Hurdle at Navan twice and the Bookmaker Hurdle (now December Hurdle) at Leopardstown, after which she gave a speech at the winners’ dinner in The Coq Hardi Restaurant, Dublin.

Novello Allegro went on the finish second in the Irish Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown.

Lear Fantastique won six races including twice at the Galway Festival in 1991. Rita enjoyed further success on the flat with Regal Access trained by Noel Meade, twice a winner at the Curragh as well as being group-placed in the Gladness Stakes.

She is survived by her sons Brian (chairman of the Association of Irish Racehorse Owners), Colum and William who are all successful owners, and her daughters Angela, Regina, Rita and Kathleen. May she rest in peace.