THERE are few superlatives that can do justice to what Derek O’Connor has achieved in his career thus far, and it’s a story that shows no sign of reaching its conclusion just yet, with the latest chapter added to this remarkable career at Quakerstown last Sunday.

The 11-time champion won six of the eight races on offer at the Co Clare venue, meeting defeat just once from his seven rides across the day.

These feats are rare, and their difficulty ensures that the accomplishment is undoubtedly among the career highs for those who have achieved them.

Adrian Maguire, Jamie Codd and Mark O’Hare are others from recent decades who can lay claim to having a six-timer on their CVs.

But O’Connor, like with so much of his riding career, has taken it a step further. This latest six-timer was the fourth of his career, over 16 years after he first achieved that momentous feat at the Christmas fixture in Dromahane back in 2008.

That was a marathon 10-race card with 137 runners, where O’Connor rode in all 10 contests, and he went on to repeat the feat three years later when riding a brace of six-timers within a fortnight of each other at Loughrea and Loughanmore in October 2011.

Despite a gap of over 13 years up to this latest feat, last Sunday’s six-timer still had considerable links back to those previous three.

Siblings combined

The penultimate leg of his Quakerstown six-timer was achieved aboard Stanners Glen for the former three-time champion handler Robert Tyner, who had supplied him with four of the six winners on his initial six-timer in Dromahane, whilst his brother Paurick had contributed to his six-timers at both Loughrea and Loughanmore, and the siblings combined successfully once again last Sunday to win both divisions of the five-year-old geldings’ maiden.

The one new addition was in O’Connor’s own role as a handler. That continues to go from strength to strength, as he supplied three of his own winners on Sunday from that growing operation.

Harry Lowes and Sound As A Bell, a pair of J.P. McManus-owned geldings, claimed both divisions of the four-year-old maiden on the card, as the stable was responsible for sending out four winners across the weekend, a not insignificant feat in itself.

It is tough competition for any one day’s racing to make an impact on Derek O’Connor’s career highlights, but you get the impression that last Sunday’s six-timer at his local track, with his family by his side, and the significance of who each of those six winners were for, that it was a day that would definitely have to be in the running.

THE busy Easter period of racing began at Ballyknock 10 days ago, when Colin Bowe launched a notable assault on the popular mid-week fixture with a hat-trick of maiden victories.

That may not seem like a particularly significant accomplishment given all that he has achieved in the sport, but rather remarkably, each of Bowe’s three winners on the card was chased home by a stablemate.

In the four-year-old mares’ maiden, Frost Moon led home Push Push, before Speculateur got the better of Robyn’s Jet in division two of the four-year-old geldings’ maiden, whilst in the five-year-old geldings’ maiden, it was Detroit Maverick and Devilsrollthedice that filled the top two positions.

The stable’s number one rider, Barry O’Neill, picked correctly in each instance, and that trio of one-twos for the stable at Ballyknock was followed four days later by Grangeclare Park putting up one of the more notable winning performances of the season within the four-year-old maiden division, when winning his division by an emphatic 18 lengths.

Recent weeks have marked a notable change in fortunes for the stable, with nine winners already in April.

Mid-season slump

Having made a flying start to the season, with 18 winners across the opening eight weekends of the campaign, there was a notable mid-season slump, with just four winners across the next 12 weekends of racing, prior to the recent uplift.

Back on the right track, and clearly making up for lost time, Bowe is once again on course to lift the leading handler’s prize for a record-extending 13th time.

Not only that, but the stable’s fortunes have reverted so drastically of late that they are on course for potentially their best season to date.

Bowe’s personal best tally stands at 46 winners, a total he reached in consecutive years in 2022 and 2023. That saw him fall just one winner short of matching Robert Tyner’s record of 47 wins from 2009.

However, the Wexford handler currently sits on 35 winners, nine ahead of where he entered the final five weekends of the season, the last time he matched his personal-best tally.

With 48 entries for this weekend’s action, the Milestone Stables team is sure to be out in force over the closing weeks, with that number in their sights.

THE monster 239-strong entry for Curraghmore last Sunday produced a number of particularly notable performances within the four-year-old maiden division, as the arrival of rain gave connections the confidence to take the wraps off a number of very smart-looking performers.

Lime On Gin (88+) was among them in the opening four-year-old mares’ maiden, as she was one of two horses in the 14-strong line-up to pull clear early in the home straight.

Once picking off the long-time leader, she kicked on in the style of a horse who has all the ability to back up her pedigree, in what was one of the most impressive performances by a mare this season.

Grangeclare Park (95++) continued that theme in the first division of the four-year-old geldings’ maiden. Always to the fore, he made his move from two-out and, from there, immediately lengthened clear of his rivals to win as he pleased by 18 lengths. He looks very exciting.

Smart prospects

Minella Machine (92+) also secured a winning debut by a significant margin, although that was exaggerated by the final-fence departure of Bande Organisee (91x). That should not take away from his victory, as the pair look like two smart prospects.

The Easter maidens at Loughanmore are always keenly anticipated, and this year was no different. Lennon Grove (83+) had the form in the book, and she had too many gears for the somewhat unlucky runner-up.

The first division of the four-year-old geldings’ maiden was steadily run. As such, a whole host of horses held chances coming to the last, where Loves Sign D’Aunou (91+) was left clear.

In contrast, the second division was run to a much stronger pace, and it showed off Mister Pessimistic (93+), who eased clear off the home bend, and only had to be pushed out hands and heels.

There was a similar contrast in how both divisions of the four-year-old maiden at Quakerstown was run. Harry Lowes (94+) came from off the pace in the first division to win a shade snugly. He and runner-up Mighty Park, both look above average.

Meanwhile, in the second division, Derek O’Connor was able to slow the gallop right down aboard Sound As A Bell (90+), who showed plenty of pace to quicken off that gallop and win going away.