DOWNPATRICK native Danny McMenamin takes the lead this week when it comes to discussing locally-born jump jockeys riding winners in Britain.
The CosyRoof-sponsored McMenamin recorded a double last Thursday week at Newcastle where he also finished second twice during the afternoon. He didn’t have a ride on Friday while his sole engagement on Sunday saw him down at Cheltenham when he was beaten three and a half lengths into fourth in the mares’ handicap chase on the Nicky Richards-trained Ruby Island.
Back up north on Sunday, McMenamin brought his seasonal tally to 41 with a treble at Carlisle. Two of his winners, Pitwood Road and Nab Wood, were trained by Richards while the third, Fostered Phil, is owned and trained by William Young.
Brian Hughes rode winners at the same northern tracks as McMenamin.
Last Thursday week, he too landed a double at Newcastle, partnering one winner for Nicky Richards and the other for Jedd O’Keeffe.
On Saturday, he stayed closer to home and was on the mark at Doncaster where he won the Listed bet365 Doncaster Mares’ Hurdle on the Ruth Jefferson-trained Lavida Adiva. On Sunday at Carlisle, Hughes’s sole success came in the concluding mares’ bumper on the John Dawson-trained Capricciose, a Capri four-year-old having her second start.
Having partnered one winner at Warwick last Thursday week, Downpatrick’s Caoilin Quinn had two rides for his retaining yard of Gary and Josh Moore on Friday at Doncaster where, by a neck, he won the extended two-mile juvenile hurdle on the Frankel gelding Dissident.
Home wins
At home, Liam McKenna partnered two winners on Sunday at Navan for Co Tipperary trainer Martin Hassett, viz Battle Of Ridgeway in the two-mile handicap chase and Soloman Lane in the extended two and a half-mile handicap chase.
The first of these, a seven-year-old bay gelding by Califet, was bred by Kieran Magee and is the sixth foal and third winner out of the unraced Winged Love mare Scent With Love.
This was a third chase win for Battle Of Ridgeway who has also scored twice over hurdles.
At the same Navan meeting, Sam Ewing landed the opening two-mile handicap hurdle on the Gordon Elliott-trained Spinola Bay.
On the flat, Patsy Cosgrave rode winners at Southwell last Friday, at Wolverhampton on Monday and at Lingfield on Wednesday. Barry McHugh struck once at Newcastle on Saturday, some hours after Martin Harley had visited the winner’s enclosure at Eagle Farm, Brisbane.
Last Friday, Luke McAteer partnered the 5/6 favourite Liberation Date to win division one of the two-year-old fillies’ maiden at Dundalk.
The second division went to the Andy Oliver-owned and trained Gonna Be Golden, a Kodi Bear bay having her second start.
WHILE there were no point-to-points in Ireland last weekend following the cancellation, and then abandonment, of the re-scheduled Louth Foxhounds’ fixture at Tattersalls, there were three meetings in England.
Irish-breds held a marginal advantage over the two days. From 19 races, nine of the winners carried an IRE suffix, six were bred in Britain and four in France. The other who caught my eye as having been bred locally was Sailor McKay who landed the concluding seven-runner maiden on Saturday at Charing, where he brought up a quick-fire double for trainer Luke Price and rider James King.
Unplaced in four outings between the flags here last season, the five-year-old Affinisea gelding was bred by Peter Boyd out of the once-raced Milan mare Katy McKay who comes from the family of Mary O’Malley, Tartan Tailor and Good Thyne Tara.
In Boyd’s colours, the dam won a grief-stricken four-year-old mares’ maiden by a distance at Largy in April 2010 when trained by Stuart Crawford whose brother Ben was in the saddle.
National Hunt breeding
On the National Hunt breeding front on the track, there were wins for the J.J. Taylor-bred five-year-old gelding Chief O’Hara (Doyen - Folly Dat, by Generous) at Taunton last Thursday week and for the Barbara Hanna-bred six-year-old gelding Sixmilebridge (Affinisea - Luck Of Logic, by Haatef) at Cheltenham on Friday.
Danny and Patricia Doran both bred winners in the period under review. Danny was the first to strike through the Ben Pauling-trained six-year-old gelding Lanesborough (Diamond Boy - Castlevennon, by Milan) who justified 5/4 favouritism in the extended two-mile handicap hurdle at Doncaster on Saturday.
On Tuesday, Sue Gardener sent out the Patricia Doran-bred 10-year-old gelding Lightonthewing (Winged Love - Neat ‘n Nimble, by Generous) to win the three-mile-one-furlong conditional jockeys’ handicap chase at Wincanton.
AMONG the large crowd who enjoyed the recent Saintfield Christmas Charity Ride was Downpatrick trainer Paddy Turley who was on foot.
With his movements tracked photographically by either his wife Mary or his mother Briege, Paddy led his son Rory (who was four this week) riding the Shetland pony Noddy while also keeping a close eye on six-year-old Patrick who partnered Harvey Nichols.
The boys and their mounts won best-dressed Santa awards while their year-old sister Orla really caught the eye in her Christmas red. The trio’s older brother Cathan attended the ride but avoided the camera.
Organiser Joan Cunningham was delighted with the turn-out, the support of Father McHugh of Mary Mother of the Church where participants gathered, Hugo Duncan, Box Car Brian and Gerard Dornan who provided the entertainment, Tommy and Sammy Irwin of Denamona Carriages who ensured the safe arrival of the ‘real’ Santa, ride sponsors, etc. All money raised will go to the Ugandan Project Fund.
CONGRATULATIONS to Lucca Stubington who was on the winning Randox team at last week’s Horse Racing Ireland/Treo Eile Classic at Emerald Equestrian in Co Meath.
Riding her mother Georgia’s unraced, John Kidd-bred Quingenti, a 15-year-old September Storm gelding she competed up to 4* level in eventing, Lucca only got to jump once in the indoor arena but her first round clear proved crucial.
Team captain Paul Townend completed a double clear on the once-raced 11-year-old Alkaadhem gelding Murphs Legend while 11-year-old Emily Flavin-Redmond, who had two fences down in round one, left all the poles intact in round two on the very inexperienced Connemara mare Galtee Honeysuckle who is just rising five.
The fourth team member was Connolly’s Red Mills Head of Marketing Jane Davis. She partnered her French-bred gelding Tiffany’s Gold, a 2018 grey by Bated Breath who ran once as a two-year-old at Dundalk.
IT was a busy few days for Holly Ross who, alongside Jack Kennedy, Joseph Murphy and Danny Considine, rode for Team Gordon Elliott in the Horse Racing Ireland/Treo Eile Classic at Emerald last Thursday week and, on Monday, made her track debut in the bumper at Naas on her grandmother Mary Moore’s See Some Stars.
As well as riding out at home for her father Kevin Ross, 17-year-old Belfast Royal Academy student Holly, who evented ponies to 2* level, has ridden out for Stuart Crawford and Gordon Elliott and for her grandfather Arthur Moore, trainer of See Some Stars, a five-year-old Intello gelding having his second start. Holly finished eighth of 15 on the bay and is due to partner him again at Fairyhouse on New Year’s Day.
Holly didn’t lack support at Naas with both her bloodstock agent parents, Kevin and Anna, being in attendance along with Arthur and Mary Moore plus the latter’s brother Dominic Jones.
One of Holly’s own brothers, 12-year-old Harry, got the day off school to go racing, but Mark didn’t travel down as he had rugby training.
AS this is my closing column of 2025, I would like to wish everyone a very Happy Christmas and a peaceful and prosperous New Year. Good punting if you are going racing and sit tight if you’re hunting!