WHAT a Sunday it was for Stuart Crawford.

We’re going to start on the very positive note of him saddling the Eoin Mahon-ridden Untapped Potential to win the concluding six-year-old and upwards geldings’ maiden at Belharbour, reward for his journey from Larne down and across, or across and down, to the middle of the Burren.

While only having his third start on Saturday, Untapped Potential has already done a good bit of travelling. He made his debut in early November at Rathcannon, where he pulled up, before finishing third later that month in Ballindenisk.

On both of those occasions, he was partnered by stable amateur Stephen Connor.

The six-year-old Conduit bay won in the colours of well-known veterinary surgeon Inge D’Haese, who bred the bay out of the Generous mare Degenerous who won a Catterick bumper and a Down Royal handicap hurdle for the Sarah Dawson yard. Dam also of the dual-winning Sholokhov gelding Major Barry, Degenerous is a half-sister to the Winged Love gelding Joey Sasa, whose six wins included a Grade 3 hurdle.

Graduates

Up at Leopardstown, there was early reflected glory for the Crawford yard as one of its graduates, Talk The Talk, who is still owned by Simon Munir and Isaac Souede but is now in the care of Joseph O’Brien, justified favouritism by a half-length in the Grade 1 Tattersalls Ireland Novice Hurdle.

Then came the Grade 2 Coolmore N.H. Sires Los Angeles Irish EBF Mares INH Flat Race where the Crawford-trained Royal Hillsborough, who looked sure to succeed on her fifth start, was beaten by a short-head, with Stephen Connor admitting he had mistaken the winning post.

Owned by Trevor Campbell, this Conduit six-year-old was bred by another well-known veterinary surgeon, Hugh Suffern.

GIVEN the weather, it probably wasn’t too surprising that it was a quiet enough week on the jockey front with Brian Hughes partnering just two winners between last Thursday week and Wednesday just gone.

The second of these, the Patrick Neville-trained Follow Your Luck, landed the opening two-mile, four-furlong maiden hurdle on Wednesday at Sedgefield, where Danny McMenamin also struck on the Ann Hamilton-trained Double Digits in the extended two-mile handicap chase.

The previous afternoon at Fairyhouse, the concluding Get Daily Bet Boosts At BetVictor (Pro/Am) INH Flat Race was won by the Gavin Cromwell-trained Outofafrika who was given a good ride by Deckie Lavery.

The second here, the Willie Mullins-trained odds-on favourite Green Hint, won a four-year-old maiden under Stephen Connor at Daramona House last March on his only start for Ross Crawford.

Browne McMonagle

On the level, we head over to Hong Kong where Ireland’s champion jockey Dylan Browne McMonagle recorded a double at Sha Tin on Sunday.

Unfortunately, a bout of food poisoning forced him to miss Wednesday night’s meeting at Happy Valley where Romantic Son, who he rode to victory on his last start, won one of the four six-furlong handicaps on the nine-race card.

Staying on the flat, Ado McGuinness trained the first two winners at Dundalk last Friday and both have local connections.

The five-year-old Mehmas mare Una Matara, who justified favouritism in the opening seven-furlong claiming race, is owned by Mark Devlin, Mark McGuckin and Claire Wylie, while the three-year-old Invincible Army filly Beau Army, who won the following seven-furlong handicap, is owned by Martin White, Nigel O’Hare and the Kabin Racing Syndicate.

THE obvious place to start to acknowledge local breeders this week is at Sandown where, on Saturday, the Barbara Hanna-bred Sixmilebridge landed the Grade 1 Virgin Bet Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase by five lengths.

Trained by Fergal O’Brien and ridden by regular partner Kielan Woods, the seven-year-old Affinisea gelding was recording his third successive victory from three starts over fences.

The bay has also scored twice over hurdles and once in a bumper. Sixmilebridge is the second of just three recorded foals out of the unraced Hateef mare Luck Or Logic.

It was a good week for female breeders, starting last Friday at Catterick where the Jumps Look Better On Racing TV Handicap Chase was won by the 5/4 favourite, Always A Reason. This seven-year-old Elusive Pimpernel gelding, who was recording his third success from five runs this season, was bred by Stephanie Metcalfe out of the unraced Tikkanen mare Gaye Annie.

At Taunton on Tuesday, the extended two-mile handicap was won by the Jeremy Scott-trained 11/4 favourite Phoenix Risen. A nine-year-old gelding by Conduit, who was recording his fourth career success (his first since December 2024), the chesnut was bred in Britain by Hylda Mills and is the last of six foals out of the dual-winning French-bred mare Tchatchacoya (by Sin Kiang).

Fairyhouse

On the same afternoon, but at Fairyhouse, the opening two-mile Treo Eile Supporting Racehorse Aftercare Mares Maiden Hurdle was won by the Gordon Elliott-trained 9/4 favourite Dunsy Rock who had finished fourth of 18 on her only previous start in a maiden hurdle at Down Royal’s Boxing Day meeting.

The Poet’s Word five-year-old, who runs in the colours of her breeder Alan Dunlop, is the sixth of seven foals out of the unraced Jimble mare Inishanier, the best of whom, to date, was the first, Cote De Grace.

That 2014 Jeremy filly won three races over hurdles in France, including one at listed level while she was Grade 3-placed over fences. Sadly, she died at four. Inishanier was a half-sister to the Alflora gelding Central House, whose 11 wins included two Grade 1 chases.

THIS afternoon, the first of the season’s North Down spring point-to-points takes place at Kirkistown where 10 years ago, on heavy ground, there were just 31 runners in total.

Mark O’Hare, who had four rides during the afternoon of Saturday, February 13th, 2016, recorded a double. He landed the opening four-year-old maiden on the Warren Ewing-owned and trained Cesar Collonges and the five and six-year-old geldings’ maiden on the George Stewart-owned and trained Slemish.

The five and six-year-old mares’ maiden attracted the largest field of the day, eight, and here Stuart Crawford supplied his brother Ben with a winning ride on the Chris Johnson-owned and bred Red Con One.

Ben partnered the favourite One Cool Clarkson in the four-runner open, but this 4/5 shot was comfortably beaten into second by the Barry O’Neill-partnered Valmy Bai who was trained by David Christie for Ray Nicholas.

Out of luck

Local handlers were out of luck in the final two races although Redbridge Rudi, who landed the winners of one under Gary Murphy, was trained by Wexford-based, Northern native Ashleigh Murphy.

The concluding six-year-old and upwards maiden was won by Jim Dreaper’s charge Sizingdowntherhine (Jamie Codd).

The North Downs moved their point-to-point from Comber to Kirkistown in 2006, but the only meeting held at the new track that year was in March.