IT was great to see four locally-trained winners at the Route point-to-point outside Portrush on Saturday but there was only one elsewhere on Sunday when, as expected, much of the focus was on Downpatrick.
Stuart Crawford brought two newcomers to the Ballymacad meeting in Oldcastle. Miss Master, who won the opening Goffs Punchestown Sale four-year-old mares’ maiden, and Largy Dart who pulled up before the last in the following Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale four-year-old geldings’ maiden. Both British-bred runners were ridden by Stephen Connor.
Miss Master ran in Crawford’s name and colours but is, in fact, owned by leading sport horse producer Emma Jackson and her partner Aaron Ross who were on hand to greet their winner.
The bay daughter of Masterstroke is out of the point-to-point-winning Shantou mare Shalltoo who comes from the family of Dedigout, Springwell Bay, etc.
Go again
“Aaron loves his racing and we had a pointer before with Stuart, A Moments Madness, who we sold after he finished second (to Jacob’s Ladder) on his only start for us at Oldtown in the spring of 2024. We then decided we’d go again so we both went over to Doncaster with Stuart and bought this mare (for £6,000) at last year’s Spring Store Sale.
“We brought her home to our place and I broke her and got her going. As we don’t really have the facilities here for racehorses and I don’t have a handlers’ permit, we sent her over to Stuart to put the finishing touches on her and here we are.
“She’s entered in the Goffs Aintree Sale next Thursday and we’re going to make a day of it as A Moments Madness (a seven-year-old Conduit gelding bred by Hugh Suffern) is to run in the Foxhunters that day.”
While they may not be considering – as yet – having as many horses with Crawford as Largy Bloodstock or Simon Munir and Isaac Souede, Jackson and Ross will reinvest their money once Miss Master is sold.
Balmoral Show
Emma, who rode in a few point-to-points back in the day and used to ride out for Colin McBratney, has qualified a few horses for next month’s Balmoral Show where she will also have entries in the non-qualifying classes.
She has two stallions qualified for the performance Irish Draught section, Janice Reddy’s 10-year-old Ardnacashel Monarch, who was reserve champion last year and won the title in 2024, and Roy Shields’s four-year-old Rockrimmon Free Spirit.
Britain
Seven point-to-points were held in Britain last weekend but I could only find one locally-bred winner and that was the Teresa Clark-trained Ninth Wave who landed the three-runner mixed open at Cotley on Sunday under Jack Stenhouse.
The 12-year-old September Storm gelding, who has never won on the track but now has a dozen wins between the flags to his credit, was bred by Martin McCaughey out of the winning Cloudings mare Royale Pearl who comes from the family of Royal Derbi.
Best of Times at Downpatrick
WHILE it was disappointing that there were no locally-trained winners at Downpatrick on Saturday, the meeting got off to the perfect start for Randox’s Dr Peter FitzGerald when his Willie Mullins-trained Robertjames justified even-money favouritism in the Tote Every Day’s A Money Back Day Maiden Hurdle on his debut.
The owner had his colours carried to victory the previous Thursday at Clonmel on the Henry de Bromhead-trained Tangara Bay.
Back to Downpatrick where I was pleased to see my friend Sandra McCarthy’s Better Times win the Kevin Ross Bloodstock 110 Series Final Handicap Hurdle while Born Braver landed the featured Randox Ulster National in the colours of another friend, Judy Duffy.
Polly parade
The meeting also attracted sponsorship from Hood McGowan Kirk, Caherty Stables and Boardsmill Stud while local racegoers were delighted to see Philip Polly’s Cheltenham bumper winner, The Mourne Rambler, parade especially as the Well Chosen gelding started his racing career in the centre of the track with Paddy Turley.
Flat winners
Local owners to enjoy success on the flat in the period under review were Nigel O’Hare et al whose Natalia Lupini-trained Bishopton landed the seven-furlong handicap at Dundalk last Friday, and David Laverty whose colours were carried to victory in the opening six-furlong handicap at Navan on Saturday by Alnofoor whose trainer, Claire O’Connell, bred the aforementioned Randox Ulster National winner Born Braver.
There were wins also at Dundalk on Wednesday for Mark Devlin et al, whose Ado McGuinness-trained Clonmacash landed the six-furlong handicap, and for Seamus Ross whose Tony Martin-trained Sir Callisto claimed the concluding mile and a half handicap.
Back to the Co Louth track on the Friday, when there was a win for jockey Paddy McGettigan and, on the same day for Barry McHugh at Newcastle. On to The Curragh on Saturday when Luke McAteer was on the mark and earlier in the day, Martin Harley recorded a win at Doomben.
Over jumps, there was a win at Fontwell on Friday for Caoilin Quinn and at Limerick on Tuesday for Simons Torrens. On the same afternoon, Danny McMenamin landed a treble at Newcastle.
On the breeding front, there was a win at Wolverhampton on Monday for the Tom Foy-bred six-year-old gelding Bossy Parker (Kodiac – Cute, by Diktat) and on Tuesday at Bangor for the Liam Cosgrave-bred five-year-old gelding Halftheworldaway (Jet Away – Ballela To Moscow, by Kalanisi).
THE East Antrims hold their spring point-to-points today and on Monday at the beautiful venue of Loughanmore where, back on March 28th and 29th 2016, they were still running on Easter Monday and Tuesday.
Over both afternoons only four of the 12 races attracted field sizes in double digits. There were seven locally-trained winners, six partnered by local riders.
Mark O’Hare recorded a treble, starting on the Monday when the Colin McBratney-trained, Rose Boyd-owned Mystic Theatre won the five-year-old mares’ maiden.
The following geldings’ maiden went the way of the Rodney Arthur-owned and trained, Jason McKeown-ridden Black Op.
On the Tuesday, O’Hare landed the opening four-year-old mares’ maiden on the Jerry Cosgrave-trained, Fred Mackey-owned Mollyking and the geldings’ maiden on the George Stewart-trained, Stephanie Metcalfe-owned and Aaron Metcalfe-bred Ravenhill.
Aaron bred a second winner that afternoon in Bridge End who, trained by Ian Ferguson for his wife Jane and son Paul, scored by a length in the adjacent hunts’ winners of two partnered by Noel McParlan.
Open to McConville
The open was won by Anseanachai Cliste, trained by Stephen McConville for his son Michael, owner and rider of Bach gelding, while Paul McAleese turned to Co Cork’s Johnny Barry to ride William Logan’s Kinnacally to victory in the mares’ winners of one.
O’Hare also rode three winners over April 17th and 18th 2006 when, on the Monday, there 19 runners, but only five finishers, in the four and five-year-old mares’ maiden and, on the Tuesday, a divide to the five and six-year-old geldings’ maiden.
Other local riders on the mark 20 years ago were Willie Rankin, Holly Curran, Paul Cosgrave, Jimmy Henry and James Smyth.
Landowner Wilson Dennison saw his colours carried to victory three times, twice when worn by Derek O’Connor, who recorded a four-timer over the two days, and once by O’Hare.
Down Royal ready for Family fun
FIBRUS Family Race Day returns to Down Royal on Sunday next, April 12th.
Now firmly established as one of the most popular fixtures in the racecourse’s calendar, this year’s event promises another unforgettable day out for families, combining top-class National Hunt racing with entertainment. From a petting farm and pony rides to bouncy castles and face painting, the enclosure will ensure a magical day out. Pre-meeting excitement kicked off in local primary schools across Lisburn and Hillsborough with the ‘Design a Jockey Silk’ competition. One lucky pupil will see their artistic vision brought to life as a professionally-manufactured set of silks will be displayed at the track on race day.