BRIAN Hughes rode a lot of placed horses in the period under review but his sole success came at Sedgefield last Thursday week in the extended three and a quarter mile handicap chase on the 5/4 favourite Upfordebate.

Bringing up a double for owner Eamon McElligott and trainer Patrick Neville, the six-year-old Mount Nelson gelding was returning to winning ways, his bid for a hat-trick under Hughes having come undone when he was one of many who pulled up at Hexham in early October.

As mentioned when he won previously this season, Upfordebate was bred in Co Down by Gail Kidd and is the fourth of eight foals out of the five-time winner Mrs Peachey (by Brian Boru), dam also of the five-time-winning September Storm gelding Duke Of Deception.

Her late May-born foal of this year, a colt by Marcel, sold for €7,000 at the recent Tattersalls Ireland’s November National Hunt Sale. This is also the family of Court Leader, Mighty Mogul and Ballynagour.

Down to Cheltenham on Saturday where the featured Paddy Power Gold Cup Handicap Chase was won by the Dan Skelton-trained, Harry Skelton-ridden Panic Attack, who was recording his seventh win in total and his third over fences.

Banbridge

A nine-year-old gelding by Canford Cliffs, Panic Attack was bred by Banbridge’s John and Margery Adams out of the bumper-winning Galileo mare Toto Corde Meo.

At Navan on Sunday, the two-mile handicap hurdle saw the Ian Donoghue-trained St Denis’s Well score by four and a half lengths from fellow 3/1 joint-favourite Cowper Hall.

The winner, a seven-year-old gelding by Famous Name, was bred outside Newry by Andrew McNally out of the unraced Indian Haven mare Annie Greene, a half-sister to the Desert Prince gelding My Tent Or Yours (whose 10 wins included five in Graded hurdles) out of a half-sister to Conduit.

On Tuesday at Lingfield, the Olly Murphy-trained Scorpio Rising justified odds of 5/6 when winning the near two and a half mile handicap hurdle by four and a half lengths as he followed up his first jumping success at Perth last month.

Doran-bred

The five-year-old Jukebox Jury gelding, who was also bred in Co Down but by Danny Doran, is out of the unraced Tikkanen mare Sixofone, the dam of three other winners headed by the Sageburg gelding Half Dozen.

Consigned by Doran and King Bloodstock to the recent Tattersalls Ireland November National Hunt Sale, Sixofone’s foal of this year, a full-sister to the Lingfield winner, was knocked down for €21,000 to Jamestown House Stud while, back in June, a 2022 full-sister to the pair was purchased for €30,000 at Goffs Arkle Sale Part 2 by Rob James.

Five in a week for McMenamin

DOWNPATRICK native Danny McMenamin once again takes the plaudits on the jockey front this week as the very busy CosyRoof-sponsored rider partnered five winners between last Thursday week and Tuesday just gone.

The first of these wins came at Market Rasen where, riding for his boss Nicky Richards, McMenamin landed the opening extended two-mile maiden hurdle on the 100/30 shot Japetus, who was winning on his jumping and seasonal debut having landed two bumpers from three runs last year.

The four-year-old Sea The Moon gelding, a half-brother to two flat winners by Oasis Dream out of a dual-winning half-sister to Famous Name, runs in the colours of Pat Sloan having been purchased by the family’s Sycamore Horse Farm for 50,000 guineas at last year’s Guineas Horses In Training Sale at Tattersalls Newmarket.

Flat winners

Also over jumps across the water, there were single wins for Caoilin Quinn at Fontwell on Sunday and for Daire McConville at Leicester on Monday, while Derek Fox recorded a double at Kelso on Tuesday. At home, Simons Torrens was on the mark last Thursday week at Punchestown.

On the flat in England, at Newcastle to be exact, Barry Hugh struck on both Monday and Tuesday of this week. At home on the level, at Dundalk last Friday, Luke McAteer won the opening Irish Stallion Farms EBF six-furlong race for two-year-olds on the David Marnane-trained Elzaam colt Gavoo.

The concluding extended 10-furlong handicap at that Dundalk meeting was won by the five times previously raced No More Kisses. This three-year-old Mastercraftsman filly is trained for the Twelve Lengths Clear Syndicate by Andy Oliver, who gave just €3,000 for the bay at Part Two of the 2023 Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale.

Two days later at Navan, Stuart Crawford saddled the Landmark Syndicate’s Paddy’s Milestone to win the Bar One Racing Handicap Hurdle over two miles, five furlongs in the hands of stable amateur Stephen Connor.

The six-year-old Malinas gelding was previously trained by Crawford for John Bamber, who parted with €4,000 when buying the bay as a yearling at the 2020 Tattersalls Ireland November National Hunt Sale.

Paddy’s Milestone was bred by James O’Loughlin out of the unraced Winged Love mare Wings At Dawn who is dam of two other track winners.

Turleys’ winning Koktail

WE’RE not going to discriminate, and as long as they are breeding and/or buying and selling winners, does it matter if we are referring to the senior and/or junior versions of Downpatrick’s Patrick, Paddy or Pat Turley.

Anyway, one of them, or both, was responsible for breeding Dontspoilasale who won the six-furlong handicap at Dundalk last Friday evening, initiating a double for his Co Tipperary trainer Denis Hogan at odds of 13/2.

The five-year-old Kuroshio gelding, who was recording his fourth career success, is out of the winning Naaqoos mare Destiny’s Kitten.

Turley junior definitely holds the licence at the family’s Kingsfield Farm, where a recent track winner was trained during his point-to-point days.

Now in the care of Gordon Elliott, the French-bred Koktail Brut landed the two-mile maiden hurdle as the 10/11 favourite at Punchestown last Thursday week on his first appearance over jumps on the racecourse.

Racing in the colours of Gigginstown House Stud, the Cokoriko bay was purchased for €250,000 by Gordon Ellliott Racing at last year’s Goffs’ Punchestown Sale following his success just weeks earlier at Castletown-Geoghegan.

25 lengths

There, on his sole start for Turley and ridden by Deckie Lavery, Koktail Brut won the four-year-old maiden by 25 lengths from the only other finisher in the eight-runner field.

At Uttoxeter on Saturday, the concluding two-mile, four-runner bumper was won by the track newcomer Rathkenny who, at odds of 4/6, made all to win by eight and a half lengths.

The Masked Marvel bay ran twice here for owner Philip McBurney and trainer Gerald Quinn, being beaten a short-head on his debut in a four-year-old geldings’ maiden at Loughanmore in October 2024 before winning a five-year-old geldings’ maiden at the same venue in April. On both occasions, he was ridden by Noel McParlan.

Now trained in Wiltshire for Robert Waley-Cohen, Rathkenny completed a double for his Co Antrim-born trainer Neil Mulholland who brought his seasonal total to 19 with another brace at Plumpton on Monday.

THE team at Down Royal racecourse are encouraging racegoers to purchase tickets now for their Boxing Day meeting which, this December 26th, falls on a Friday.

They are also advertising their 2026 membership the benefits of which include admission to all 14 meetings next year, access to the members’ only car-park and access to reciprocal meetings in Britain and Ireland.