THE race to secure the champion point-to-point horse title honours is certainly heating up.

The record-breaking Winged Leader became the first horse to double up in that particular division last year, when he proved to be the dominant force in the category.

The 12-year-old finds himself down the table this time around, with three wins from five runs, which has opened up the possibility of a much tighter title race this time around.

Currently, it is Ian McCarthy’s Hearts And Spades who sits at the top of the standings. The seven-year-old has enjoyed a rapid rise through the ranks, progressing from winning an older maiden at Peppards Castle in late October, to a first triumph in open company at Lisronagh a fortnight ago.

That latest victory was a sixth consecutive success for the Maxios gelding, who has remained unbeaten this season.

That latest victory at the Tipperary course could ultimately prove to be particularly important, as crucially, it was one of his chief title rivals, Magic Sadler, whom he defeated at Lisronagh, in a two-length success which could prove to be key by the season’s end.

Pat Doyle’s charge is one of two horses that is just one winner adrift of Hearts And Spades, as he sits alongside The Great Unknown on the five-winner mark.

Unbeaten

Like Hearts And Spades, The Great Unknown is unbeaten this season and, having bypassed a potential tilt at yesterday’s Festival Hunter Chase in Cheltenham for a prioritised domestic campaign, she is already likely to become the champion mare.

Given her superiority over the current crop of mares, she does have the benefit of mares’ open races, although the loss of tomorrow’s fixture in Daramona House, which was due to host one of those races, has denied her what, in all likelihood, would have been a victory which brought her level with Hearts And Spades.

Interestingly, despite having amassed a combined career tally of 25 victories within the sphere, the three title contenders are all without a single track success, but an even bigger prize likely awaits one of them come the season’s end.

GOLIATH Du Berlais was a Grade 1 winner over fences at Auteuil as a four-year-old, and his stock has been excelling within that age division in recent weeks.

The likes of Borris House and Lingstown may seem a far cry away from that Parisian course, but those two point-to-point venues have been the setting for three notable four-year-old maiden winners for the young stallion within the space of seven days.

Pat Doyle’s Monzon Sport was a first point-to-point winner in the Jet Bloodstock colours with his 20-length triumph at the Carlow course, and last Sunday, Cormac Doyle’s double in Lingstown was recorded with two offspring of Goliath Du Berlais.

Palinca made a winning debut in the four-year-old mares’ maiden, followed 30 minutes later by fellow first-timer Monster Truck in the opening split of the geldings’ maiden.

Fee skyrocketed

With a covering fee that has skyrocketed of late, jumping from €7,500 in 2024 to €20,000 for 2026, his stock does not come cheap. Monster Truck was a €90,000 Derby Sale purchase, with Monzon Sport fetching €67,000 from the same sales ring.

The results, however, would seem to justify those outlays. Last season, Love Sign D’Aunou was the first offspring of the Haras de la Tuilerie stallion to win a point-to-point on these shores, with his four-year-old maiden success in Loughanmore.

At the time of writing, that pointing graduate was due to be sent off as the favourite for Wednesday’s Grade 1 Champion Bumper.

Meanwhile, these three four-year-old maiden winners this month have seen Goliath Du Berlais match the great Walk In The Park, as they are the two stallions who have each sired a trio of four-year-old maiden winners in the 2026 term. The three winners for Goliath Du Berlais in the category have come from just four runners, with Mon Missel finishing second at Tyrella last month.

It will be interesting to see if his select band of four-year-old pointers can extend these results beyond this particular seven-day period.

THERE has been no shortage of handlers who have been putting forward the final of the Gain Mares Series as a likely target for their maiden winners, when speaking in the winner’s enclosure in recent weeks.

The lucrative final takes centre stage at Ballynoe next weekend and, whilst the landscape of point-to-pointing has changed considerably in the 35-plus years that the series has been in existence, it has stood the test of time. The number of handlers who continue to aim their horses at it each year is proof of that.

A bonus of €3,000 will once again be presented to the lucky owner of the final winner next Sunday, and it will be one of three races on that particular card that will feature a financial bonus for winning connections.

€1,000 bonus

The five-year-old and upwards mares’ maiden will carry a €1,000 bonus for the race winner, which has been put forward by the O’Keeffe family, whilst the six-year-old and upwards geldings’ maiden will carry the €800 INHSC bonus.

Ballynoe is one of four fixtures scheduled to take place next weekend, with Kirkistown, Ballycrystal and Durrow all hosting point-to-point action.

Owners and handlers looking to run at any of those four fixtures should take particular note of the entry deadline.

With St Patrick’s day falling on Tuesday, the entries for all four fixtures will close a day earlier, at 12 noon this coming Monday.

Point-to-point ratings

THE characteristics of the sharp course at Tyrella, with its typically drier ground, ensure that it can be difficult for a horse to separate themselves from the field in younger age maiden races.

That is evident in the average winning margin of the 77 four-year-old maiden and five and six-year-old geldings’ maiden races run there, coming in at 5.9 lengths.

Given that, the fact that Newgrove (93++) was able to quicken 13 lengths clear of his seven rivals has to be considered as impressive.

He did that after jumping to the front with a particularly quick leap three out, before producing a turn of speed that none of his rivals could live with, to suggest that he is a horse who will drop back in trip under rules.

Unlucky

His handler, Denis Murphy, was unlucky not to also claim the four-year-old mares’ maiden at Castlelands.

Soleretta (85+) was going best when coming down at the last, which handed victory to True To My Word (83+). The pair had pulled clear of their rivals in any case.

It was a similar story in the geldings’ equivalent. Koaly Play (90+) benefited from the final-fence departure of the likely winner, Max Potential (91+).

Impressive

There was no shortage of impressive performers at Lingstown. Palinca (85+) was chief amongst them, as she put the race to bed in a matter of strides at the end of the back straight. From there, she won as she pleased and has to hold serious blacktype prospects.

The same could be said for Monster Truck (93+), who was doing all of his best work late on, whilst Got To Be Real (91+) overcame a stumble on landing to win a steadier-run division by 10 lengths.

At Belclare, Gold Steel (92+) had to be niggled along on the final circuit, but he ultimately finished best of all.