IN Britain, Brian Hughes moved on to the 93-win mark for the season last Saturday at Newcastle, where his single victory came after a treble at Sedgefield two days earlier.
Also over jumps across the water, there were single wins for Danny McMenamin at the same Newcastle meeting on Saturday, for Daire McConville at Hereford on Sunday and, on Monday, for Derek Fox at Ayr and for Caoilin Quinn at Plumpton.
On the level, the only rider to partner more than one winner in the period under review was the currently Hong Kong-based Dylan Browne McMonagle, whose wins came at Sha Tin on Sunday and at Happy Valley on Wednesday.
Others to score on the flat beyond these shores were Barry McHugh (at Newcastle last Thursday week), Martin Harley (at Doomben on Saturday) and Patsy Cosgrave (at Kempton on Wednesday).
Dundalk
At home, Paddy McGettigan landed the seven-furlong maiden at Dundalk last Friday afternoon on the 11/2 shot Battle Borne, who scored by a short head in the colours of his trainer Pat McKenna, who had claimed the Acclamation bay out of the Gavin Cromwell yard in early December.
As he was “lying up on the couch at home” having recently undergone knee replacement surgery, Pat was represented at Dundalk by his assistant, son Emmet, whose interview was just as entertaining and informative as one his father would have given.
Three locally-bred winners we must mention are the Charles Foy-bred eight-year-old mare Game Colours (Shantou - Islandbane, by Orpen) at Exeter on Friday last; the Colm McHenry-bred nine-year-old gelding Keable (Fame And Glory - Sarahs Quay, by Witness Box) at Chepstow on Saturday; and, also on Saturday, the J.P. and Leonard King-bred 10-year-old gelding Grangeclare West (Presenting - Hayabusa, by Sir Harry Lewis) in the BAR 1 Betting Bobbyjo Chase (Grade 3) at Fairyhouse.
THE last leg of the 2026 Baileys Horse Feeds flexi eventing series at The Meadows was staged by the Northern Region of Eventing Ireland last Saturday at the McCusker family’s Lurgan venue.
The majority of the prizes were presented by the Irish face of Baileys, Judy Maxwell, but Treo Eile, who sponsored the leading thoroughbred in the league, turned to regional chairperson Georgia Stubington to present its prize to Ellie Hynds.
The 15-year-old had finished 11th in the league on the 10-year-old Lynn Lodge Stud-bred gelding Justbecool (Canford Cliffs - Centenerola, by Century City), on whom she took over the ride from Rachael O’Callaghan last autumn; you can read her plans for the bay on page 88.
Ellie’s father Noel was unable to travel to The Meadows on Saturday, as he was busy with breakers at their Loughbrickland yard, but she was accompanied by her mother Fiona plus brothers, Rhys (13) and Ronan (10).
The last-named finished 14th in the league with the 18-year-old 133cm working hunter/show jumping mare Willow.
Ellie secured this Treo Eile win though her results at the final points-scoring round of the series, as both she and Erin McClernon had amassed 34 points apiece over the six weeks.
Erin was on board the former Stuart Crawford-trained seven-year-old French-bred gelding Jumper d’Ainay, who she competed four times last year with Eventing Ireland.
LOCAL bloodstock agents Harold Kirk and Kevin Ross both purchased lots at last Friday’s Tattersalls Cheltenham February Sale, the latter giving £125,000 for the Maxios bay Loughmourne, who won the five-year-old geldings’ maiden at Nenagh earlier this month on his only start for owner/trainer Stuart Crawford.
Two graduates of Newlands Farm scored between the flags in Britain last Saturday. Largy Shark, who won hurdle races at Ayr (November 2022) and Carlisle (April 2023) for Crawford, landed the Level 3 conditions race at Alnwick for the Easterbys - Tom (rider), Will (trainer) and their mother Sarah (owner).
The Califet nine-year-old was bred in Britain by Alfred Buller out of the Zaffaran mare Lady Of Scarvagh.
On the same afternoon, but at Brocklesby Park, the Level 3 conditions race for eight-year-olds and upwards was won by the 2018 Sholokhov gelding Largy Pearl who, in the colours of Raymond Scullion and Martin McGrogan, finished second under Stephen Connor in a five-year-old geldings’ maiden at Moira in April 2023 on his only start for Crawford.
10th success
On Sunday at Duncombe Park, where six of the seven winners carried an IRE suffix, the Tom Foy-bred 10-year-old gelding Camdonian (Shantou - Miss Garbo, by Bob Back) recorded his 10th point-to-point success when landing the mixed open for the second year running in the hands of Christy Furness.
At home, there was a five-length success in the concluding winners of three at Ballygogue House on Saturday for the Campbell Massey-bred, Robert Armstrong-owned Yewtree Hill (Kalanisi - Yewtree Girl, by Gamut). Now in the care of Cian Collins and ridden by Barry O’Neill, the nine-year-old gelding was previously trained by Brian Hamilton junior, Brian Hamilton senior and Paddy Turley.
Yewtree Hill won a six-year-old geldings’ maiden at Tattersalls in December 2024 under Sam Hamilton, who had competed with the gelding three times under Eventing Ireland rules.
With O’Neill riding at that Laois Foxhounds’ meeting, Deckie Lavery partnered two horses for David Christie at The Folly, where they landed the winners of two with John Hegarty and Jenny O’Kane’s six-year-old Soldier Of Fortune gelding Fortune Lad.
At Tyrella in 2016, Whinstone Dee was part of a treble for Mark O'Hare jumping to win for trainer Eamon McCann \ Healy Racing
NEXT Saturday, the East Downs hold their second spring point-to-point at Tyrella, after which the Corbett family’s seaside estate will be the focus of the Northern Region of Eventing Ireland, starting with their two-phase event on Saturday, March 14th.
Ten years ago, this meeting took place on Saturday, March 5th when, on soft to heavy underfoot conditions, there were just 38 runners in total in the six races, three of which were won by horses ridden by farrier Mark O’Hare.
He joined forces with Katesbridge trainer Jerry Cosgrave to win the five and six-year-old mares’ maiden with Pauline Whitten’s Winged Love bay Isn’t She Lovely and the winners of three with Carnglave Racing’s Clondaw Frisby. O’Hare completed his treble in the confined hunt race on the Eamon McCann-owned and trained Whinstone Dee.
The same trainer/jockey combination were represented in the nine-runner five and six-year-old geldings’ maiden by the pointing debutant Champione but this Tikkanen bay, who had been sent off 5/4 favourite on the back his hurdling career, could only finish fourth to the 3/1 shot Kilinakin.
The latter, a chesnut son of Definite Article, was bred by Elizabeth Hamilton, ran in the colours of her partner David Mitchell and was trained by Stuart Crawford, whose brother Ben was in the saddle.
The concluding six-year-old and upwards maiden for novice riders was won by the William Gault-owned and trained Lisnagreggan, who scored by a neck in the hands of Mark McCrory.
The only race not won by local connections was the opening four-year-old maiden, where the Barry O’Neill-ridden, Colin Bowe-trained Newtown Craig scored on his only start.
Good to firm in 2006
Twenty years ago, on Saturday, March 4th when the going was described as good to firm, there were 84 runners in total, with 14 starters in both divisions of the concluding seven-year-old and upwards maiden, the same number in the five and six-year-old mares’ maiden and 16 in the five and six-year-old geldings’ maiden.
Mark O’Hare had five rides during the afternoon, but only partnered one winner on this occasion, that being in the nine-runner open on David Christie’s great charge, Arctic Copper.
In the preceding five and six-year-old geldings’ maiden, where he got the leg up on Frances Savage’s Independent Trader, O’Hare was beaten a length into second by the James Smyth-ridden Inishrush.
The only other local rider to win during the afternoon, and mentioned elsewhere in this page, was Noel Hynds, who comfortably landed a division one of the older horses’ maiden on his own Dramater. On board his own Uncommitted, Hynds had earlier finished second in the five and six-year-old mares’ maiden to the Andrew Duff-ridden favourite Champagne Only.
Derek O’Connor won the opening four-runner confined hunt race on the Lavery family’s 4/7 favourite Fogonthetyne; Caroline Moody landed the 13-runner winners of two on the Slevin family’s Rory’s Comet; and Peter Toole upset favourite-backers when winning the second division of the older horses’ maiden on his mother Fidelma’s Never Enough Time.