JOHN Murphy has made headlines in recent years for his handling of the Group 1 Tattersalls Gold Cup winner White Birch, but all the while, the point-to-point sphere has remained on the radar of the Cheltenham Festival-winning trainer.

Ably assisted by his son George, the pair have taken a more selective and targeted approach to their runners between the flags in recent times. Two seasons back, they ran three horses in the sphere, producing a four-year-old maiden winner in Rubber Ball and a five-year-old runner-up, Sheer Joy.

Last season, Ballindenisk was their only foray into the pointing arena, and after finishing third on debut at Kildorrery, that Walk In The Park gelding went two places better at Lisronagh.

Those two campaigns, which were limited to the spring term, lived up to that selected and targeted approach, with strike rates of 33% and 50%, respectively, from those small pools. The evidence of recent weeks suggests that it has stepped up a gear this season. Consecutive four-year-old winners across the past two weekends of action in this sphere have left the Highfort Stables team with a 100% strike rate this term.

New Rules, a Walk In The Park gelding that had cost €105,000 at last year’s Derby Sale, made a winning debut at Ballindenisk last weekend, a success which followed on eight days after another newcomer, Old Coast Road, landed a similar event in Boulta.

Not only has the strike rate multiplied, but so too, it seems, has their number of runners this season.

Their stable had active hunter certificates for a further nine four-year-olds at the start of the week, and three of those horses could be seen in action this weekend.

Lecanvey Lady features among the entries for the four-year-old mares’ maiden at Dromahane this afternoon, with her stablemates, Hunting Call and The Old Head, entered in the geldings’ equivalent on the card. The trio are also all entered in those respective categories at Tattersalls tomorrow.

The Murphy team look set to remain a potent force into the coming weeks.

THE penultimate weekend of the season typically produces particularly well-contested open lightweight races, and last Sunday’s action certainly delivered upon that.

No fewer than 27 horses took part in the two open races between Ballindenisk and Borris House, as Bartlemy Boy and Magic Sadler recorded hard-fought victories at those respective venues.

With no winners’ race for geldings last weekend, that category of horse gets a plethora of opportunities this weekend, with races available to them at all three venues, whereas tomorrow’s card in Ballycrystal stages the sole open of the weekend, in a near reversal of last weekend’s scenario.

The winners’ unlimited category was only introduced in December 2023, but its value is evident in the large number of entries for tomorrow’s contest in Tattersalls, which has attracted the single largest entry of the 18 winners’ races throughout the autumn campaign.

Not only do these new races provide opportunities for the existing pool of horses that are eligible to run in the established one-winner, two-winner, or three-winner races, but they can also provide a crucial competitive opportunity for those horses that are pushed into open company following their fourth victory.

This can be a significant leap for what, in many cases, are often still largely inexperienced horses that must now take on battle-hardened former track performers in open company.

There are some exceptions to this, and whether previous open winners should be penalised in these races remains a consideration; however, if many of those horses entered take their place in the line-up tomorrow, it should prove to be a cracking contest, highlighting the value of this relatively new category.

BOTH of last weekend’s fixtures featured divisions within the four-year-old maiden division as the autumn term heads towards its conclusion.

Borris House hosted the sole mares-only race within the age group, which resulted in a healthy turnout of 11 runners. A runaway leader here ensured that it was a contest that was run to a good gallop throughout.

The first two home had found themselves in the final trio for much of the journey, which allowed them to see it out strongly.

Despite being half a length down at the last, Norristown Lady (83+) finished best of all to make a winning debut.

Despite clocking a similarly quick time, the margin of victory for Quest For Answers (92++) was significantly larger in the first division of the geldings’ maiden, as he made much of the running in a race where few rivals, if any, ever got into a position to challenge, as their conqueror kicked clear from the second-last in impressive fashion. He looks a sharp prospect for the track.

Front-running tactics also proved to be the winning approach for Gold Star Status (88+) in a more slowly run second division. He had been well beaten in three previous efforts, so this represented a significant step up.

At Ballindenisk, the first division saw New Rules (92++) impress in a steadily run opener. He was one of several horses to race keenly due to the slow early pace, but once asked to quicken, he did so smartly and was well in command at the line, with the six-length margin doing little to highlight his superiority.

The second division clocked a much quicker time, as the race began to develop a lot further out, and it saw two horses pull clear. Dancing Soldier (93+) just had enough in reserves to hold off fellow newcomer Too Hot To Trot, and both look smart prospects.