BALLYARE jockey Paddy McGettigan recorded his first win in Britain and the biggest success of his career to date, when landing the Club Godolphin Cesarewitch at Newmarket last Saturday by a short head on the Tony Martin-trained Alphonse Le Grande.
The Sea The Stars seven-year-old, who also won, lost and won the two-mile, two-furlong heritage handicap in 2024 when in the care of Martin’s sister Cathy O’Leary, was sent off as an 18/1 chance in the 24-runner field where his 18-year-old jockey carried out his instructions to perfection.
McGettigan was also on the mark on Friday evening at Dundalk where, by a neck, he was first past the post in the opening Irish EBF Median Sires Series Fillies Maiden, a seven-furlong race for two-year-olds, on the 50/1 shot Donner Dancer, an In Swoop newcomer trained by Robson De Aguiar.
Letterkenny trainer Paul Sweeney provided the jockey with his 17th winner of the home season, when the pair combined to land the mile and a half handicap at Roscommon on Monday with their recent Down Royal winner Pillar Of Hope, an eight-year-old Awtaad gelding who, at time of writing, held entries in two of the handicaps at Leopardstown tomorrow.
It was good to see the reigning champion flat jockey Dylan Browne McMonagle make his return from injury at that Roscommon meeting, where he had two rides.
Britain
Also on the level, but back across the water, Oisin Orr rode one winner on Friday at Newmaket and two at York on Saturday. Orr initiated his quick-fire double in the Sky Bet Extra Places Handicap over a mile and six on the 11/4 favourite Alfred Wincham.
That four-year-old Dubawi gelding is trained by Paddy Neville who, on the same afternoon but at Hexham, provided the first leg of a double for Brian Hughes who, having also scored at Market Rasen on Thursday week last, is on the 26-win mark for the season.
Between cancelled meetings and small fields, it’s tough for National Hunt jockeys in Britain at present, but Derek Fox also recorded a double at that Hexham meeting, while Danny McMenamin visited the winner’s enclosure twice at Wetherby on Wednesday. At home, there was a win for Simon Torrens at Fairyhouse on Saturday and one for Dara McGill at Punchestown on Wednesday.
Breeding
On the breeding front, there were wins for Barbara Hanna at Hexham on Saturday, for Neville Reid and Aaron Metcalfe at Cork on Sunday, for Peter FitzGerald and Cherrvalley Farm at Auteuil on Sunday and for Robert Armstrong at Southwell on Tuesday.
In addition to FitzGerald, owners who had their colours carried to success were Eamon Crawford (at Roscommon on Monday) and Nigel O’Hare (in partnership with the Kabin Racing Syndicate) plus Conor McGlone at Punchestown on Wednesday.
DROMARA’s Caroline McCaldin saddled her first winner of the new point-to-point season on Saturday at Castletown-Geoghegan, where Brian Dunleavy partnered the once previously raced Salvadorhill to a three-parts of a length success in the five and six-year-old geldings’ maiden.
The El Salvador bay is owned by the trainer’s father Wilson Dennison on whose behalf Ian Ferguson paid €17,000 for the winner as a foal at Goffs in December 2021. While his dam Getka (by Getaway) was unraced, there is plenty of blacktype on his page.
McCaldin saddled three Dennison-owned runners on the same afternoon at Portrush, where their best result came in the five-runner Specialist Group five-year-old geldings’ maiden.
Here, the Orán McGill-ridden Downpatrick Hill went down by half a length to the Stuart Crawford-trained, Eoin Mahon-ridden Tullynahill who, on his only previous start, had fallen at the first in a maiden hurdle at Downpatrick on the last day of August.
On a day of small fields, McGill landed the concluding two-runner Porter & Co six-year-old and upwards geldings’ maiden on his own pointing debutant Sutherland, a Flemensfirth bay who is now trained by the rider’s father Gary.
Tullynahill is owned by Elizabeth ‘Hammie’ Hamilton, whose partner David Mitchell bred the son of Capri. The grey is the second of six foals out of the unraced Flemensfirth mare Flemi following the 2017 Getaway mare Maimie’s Magic, a dual winner over hurdles. On Wednesday, the Mitchell-bred six-year-old gelding Tell The Tale (Order of St George - A Touch Of Sparkle, by Golan) won the three-mile novices’ chase at Ffos Las for the Neil Mulholland yard.
THE 2026 racing season at Downpatrick concluded last Friday, when Ross Crawford did his bit for local trainers by sending out Iamagetaway to land the McGrady Financial Services Beginners Chase.
Owned by Frank Reynolds and ridden by Danny Mullins, the seven-year-old Getaway gelding justified 3/1 favouritism by 12 lengths and three and a quarter lengths from Anthony McCann’s charge Rockstown Girl and the Stuart Crawford-owned and trained Oh Janey. McCann had some compensation at Cork on Sunday when Martymill, another Getaway gelding, obliged at odds of 5/6.
Back to Friday when, on the flat at Dundalk, Natalia Lupini recorded a training double.
She struck first in the Irish EBF Median Sires Series Maiden for two-year-old colts and geldings over seven furlongs with Condron Concrete’s The Pipeman, who was having his fourth start.
That Cotai Glory bay was partnered by Joey Sheridan, while Ben Coen rode Thehell Partnership’s Hellorhighwater, a four-year-old Sergei Prokovfiev gelding, to his third career victory in the Bar 1 Betting ‘First For Football’ Handicap over a mile.
HOW times have changed.
There are just four entries in the concluding six-year-old and upwards geldings’ maiden at today’s East Antrim Hunt meeting at Loughanmore while, 10 years ago, there were 13 entries, and 12 ran.
Just two finished, Gerald Quinn partnering his own Graham McKeever-trained League Of His Own to an eight-length win.
Back in 2006, 24 of the 37 entries were declared resulting in a divide. James Gault came out on top in division two, while Mark O’Hare’s success in the first division was the middle leg of a treble for the rider, who ended the day winning the older mares’ maiden.
O’Hare initiated his hat-trick in the second division of the winners of two.
A regular visitor from Co Clare, Brian Hassett landed division one, having earlier won the first division of the geldings’ maiden where the riding honours in division two went to Stephen Magee.
Shane Byrne started his day with victory in the opening mares’ maiden with multiple ladies’ champion Clare MacMahon winning the open on the even-money favourite Hume Castle.
Ten years later, on the six-race card, Derek O’Connor recorded a double in the colours of the day’s host, Wilson Dennison, on the Colin McKeever-trained pair Jerrysback (four-year-old maiden) and Ballyhome (five-year-old geldings’ maiden), while there was a double also for Barry O’Neill and Colin Bowe in the five-year-old mares’ maiden and the winners of two.