PRIDE of place on the breeding front has to go to the Northern Bloodstock Agency who were responsible for two winners last Saturday and another on Tuesday.

First up on Saturday, the concluding 10-furlong handicap at Newbury went the way of the three-year-old gelding Atherstone Warrior (Coulsty – Hollow Green, by Beat Hollow).

Later in the evening, the seven-furlong nursery at Wolverhampton was won by the 9/4 favourite Fanjove (Nando Parrado – Company Jeed, by Fast Company) who was recording his second career success.

On Tuesday at Wolverhampton, the concluding six-furlong handicap was won by the seven-year-old gelding Crocodile Power (Slade Power – Ramamara, by Trans Island) who justified 9/4 favouritism by one and a quarter lengths.

Under National Hunt rules, there was a win at Cheltenham on Saturday for the Michael and Leonard Cave-bred six-year-old gelding Ma Shantou (Shantou – Ma Pretention, by Great Pretender), on the same afternoon at Kelso for the Gail Kidd-bred eight-year-old gelding Duke Of Deception (September Storm – Mrs Peachey, by Brian Boru) and for the Robert Duncan-bred eight-year-old gelding Thistle Ask (Ask – Thistle Lane, by Exit To Nowhere) and at Newton Abbot on Wednesday for the Fiona McStay-bred four-year-old gelding Crest Of Stars (Harzand – Ceol Rua, by Bob Back).

IT was great to see Sammy Wilson send out a winner last Friday week at Sligo where the Patrick O’Brien-partnered Kinbara Hills landed the two and a half-mile handicap hurdle on his third outing for the Comber trainer.

Running in the colours of the handler’s wife Linda, the six-year-old Hillstar gelding was previously trained by Stuart Crawford for the North Star Syndicate.

There has been plenty of racing recently at Dundalk where Natalia Lupini saddled her 13th winner of the year when Cathal McGuckin’s Fleetfootsolidier recorded his fourth career success by getting up late to land the opening one-mile claimer in the hands of Ben Coen.

The seven-furlong maiden for two-year-old fillies was won, on her third start, by the Invincible Spirit bay Anushka who is trained by Henry de Bromhead for Peter FitzGerald.

The Mark McGuckin, Claire Wylie and Mark Devlin-owned Nikki Swango justified 9/4 favouritism in the seven-furlong handicap under Adam Caffrey. The four-year-old Galileo Gold filly is trained for the trio by Ado McGuinness for whom she was having her second start.

WE’LL make more of a fuss next week when he’s back from the Breeders’ Cup meeting at Del Mar but many congratulations to Dylan Browne McMonagle who, on Monday, was confirmed as champion flat jockey for 2025.

This first title was a childhood dream of the now 22-year-old Co Donegal native and, at this stage, many will have watched – or re-watched – the short 2015 documentary film ‘Five Stone Of Lead’ during which he laid out his ambitions for the future.

There were no wins for Browne McMonagle in the past week but, on the flat here at home, there were visits to the winner’s enclosure at Dundalk on Friday last for Paddy McGettigan and at the same Co Louth track on Wednesday for Luke McAteer.

On the level in Britain, there were wins for the Orr brothers on Tuesday, Oisin being on the mark during the early afternoon at Catterick while Conor struck that evening at Wolverhampton.

Jumps wins

Over jumps, Sam Ewing partnered winners on both Saturday and Sunday at Galway. His first success came in the afternoon’s feature race, a handicap hurdle over two miles, six furlongs on the 1/5 favourite Sportinthepark, a six-year-old Walk In The Park gelding trained by Noel Meade for Downpatrick owner Philip Polly. On Sunday, Ewing landed the opening two-mile mares’ maiden hurdle on the Thomas Cooper-trained Amen Kate, the 1/3 favourite.

Simon Torrens was on the mark at Sligo last Friday week and, across the water on Saturday, so too were Derek Fox and Caoilin Quinn at Cheltenham plus Brian Hughes at Kelso.

Finally, apologies to Anna McGuinness who I failed to credit with recording a win last month at Clonmel on the Tony Mullins-trained Ballycashin.

AS there was no nearby point-to-point last weekend, local handlers had to travel to find opportunities for their yards’ inmates and four of them made their journeys worthwhile with a winner apiece.

At the Island Foxhounds’ meeting at Peppards Castle on Saturday, one of the five Irish-bred winners on the six-race card, the 2020 Idaho bay Idaho Express, won the five and six-year-old mares’ maiden in the colours of her Derrylin trainer David Christie.

There was a similar number of Irish-bred winners on Sunday’s six-race card at Curraghmore where, trained by Stuart Crawford and partnered by Stephen Connor, Largy Bloodstock’s eight-year-old Getaway gelding Carnfunnock landed the open by one and a half lengths.

Sunday

There were just four Irish-bred winners on Sunday at Tattersalls, one being the Jukebox Jury bay Trial By Jury who, on his debut, won the five-year-old geldings’ maiden for owner Mary Turley, trainer Patrick Turley and rider Deckie Lavery.

Making his seasonal debut, and making it third time lucky, the French-bred Fort Bastiani landed the concluding unplaced maiden by three-parts of a length under Orán McGill.

The five-year-old Kapgarde gelding is trained for her father Wilson Dennison by Caroline McCaldin who, as a former event rider, would have been delighted that the trophy was presented by this year’s European individual gold medal winner Laura Collett.

She was in Ireland for Kim Ronan’s hen party and attended Sunday’s point-to-point in the company of flat jockey Gary Carroll and his wife Joanne Quirke.