PERHAPS because he is involved with so many winners, Co Antrim scout/bloodstock agent Harold Kirk is quite restrained when it comes to celebrating the winners he sources/buys for the Willie Mullins yard - at least it appears so when you are watching on TV.

Not so Co Down owner Philip Polly, who celebrates each success with gusto and, in the company of equally excited friends, was at his best on Wednesday following the two and a half length victory of The Mourne Rambler in the concluding Weatherbys Champion Bumper at Cheltenham.

Trained by Noel Meade, who was saddling his first Festival winner since 2021, the five-year-old Well Chosen gelding was ridden by six-time Irish champion Flat jockey Colin Keane on this, his second track start. When winning the four-year-old bumper at Leopardstown on St Stephen’s Day, the bay was partnered by Dara McGill.

Of course, before then, his name had struck northern point-to-point enthusiasts, as had his potential, when The Mourne Rambler, on his only start for Paddy and Mary Turley, and in the hands of Deckie Lavery, finished second, beaten a length by Rattlin Home, in a four-year-old maiden at Portrush last October.

He then changed hands, going from the ownership of one Downpatrick resident to another, and hopefully he will provide all with many more opportunities to celebrate in the future.

The Mourne Rambler, who is out of the Luso mare Lobinstown Girl, was bred in Co Meath by Christopher McKeever, a brother of former top point-to-point trainer, Colin McKeever.

The latter’s one-time charge Ballyadam ran another great race on Wednesday on his fifth visit to the Festival, where he has never finished worse than fifth and mainly in competitive, big field handicaps.

Now 11 years of age and trained by Henry de Bromhead, the Fame And Glory gelding won a division of the four-year-old maiden on his debut at Portrush in October 2019, when trained by Colin for Wilson Dennison and ridden by Stephen Connor. He changed hands shortly afterwards for £330,000. His enthusiasm for racing is no doubt down to his great start at Loughanmore.

Quinn at Sandown

Downpatrick-born jockey Caoilin Quinn, who is sponsored by Polly’s company CosyRoof and recorded a quickfire double at Sandown on Saturday for his retaining yard of Gary and Josh Moore, had a sad start to Cheltenham when, on day one, he had to pull up the same connections’ Hansard, who suffered a fatal injury in the Grade 1 Arkle Chase.

On Wednesday, Quinn had a good ride in the Grade 1 Brown Advisory Chase, where he finished third on the Moores’ charge Salver. Tagging on to Downpatrick, as we know him as organiser of the St Patrick’s Coast Ride, which starts and finishes at the racecourse, congratulations to David Cunningham who, last Friday, was elected as the 38th President of the Royal Ulster Agricultural Society.

CONGRATULATIONS to Campbell Massey, whose home-bred Jackson Court dead-heated for first in the five and six-year-old geldings’ maiden at the North Galway Foxhounds’ point-to-point in Belclare last Sunday.

The Court Cave gelding is trained in Co Kildare by Ross O’Sullivan, who gave the bay his first start at the end of December in Dromahane (finished third) and followed that up with a run in Belharbour (placed fifth as the 6/4 favourite).

Campbell wasn’t put off by the trip over to Belclare, leaving Hillsborough in the company of his good friend William Hunter at 6.15am to be on good time for the meeting. The journey home no doubt seemed shorter, but they got back about 8.30pm.

Jackson Court is the third of five foals out of the owner/breeder’s Yewtree Girl, who won two point-to-points and was placed over fences.

The 2008 Gamut mare is dam previously of the 2017 gelding Yewtree Hill (by Kalanisi), who recorded his fourth win between the flags at Ballygogue House last month, and the 2018 Califet mare Taxus Baccata (the botanical name for a yew tree).

Uttoxeter

The latter, who started off with Brian Hamilton (one of them and then the other), as did Yewtree Hill, won a Kirkistown mares’ maiden under Alex Harvey in February 2024 and, on her next start just over two months later, which was for British trainer Matt Crawley, a mares’ bumper at Uttoxeter.

Taxus Baccata won a novice handicap chase for the same yard at Plumpton in March 2025 and recorded her second chase success, on her second start for her new trainer Robbie Llewellyn, at Leicester last Friday.

Yewtree Girl had a filly in 2022 by Sumbal who, named Clover Hill Girl, is in training with Ross O’Sullivan and another filly in 2024 by Poet’s Word. She is currently in foal to the latest Boardsmill Stud stallion, Arrest.

Tyrella

Closer to home, at Saturday’s East Down point-to-point in Tyrella (where all six winners carried an IRE suffix and half of these were trained locally), the concluding INHS Committee older horses maiden for novice riders was won by the Barbara Hanna-bred six-year-old gelding Sledgehammer (Affinisea - Kegster, by Bach).

I could only find one winner between the flags across the water last weekend with a local connection and that was in the maiden at Guilsborough, which was won by the Colm McHenry-bred nine-year-old gelding Just Four Fame (Fame And Glory - Justfour, by Beneficial).

Doran-breds among the winners in Britain

AWAY from Cheltenham, there were three wins over two days at Ayr for Derek Fox, while Danny McMenamin, who was on the mark at Haydock last Thursday week, recorded a double on Sunday at Carlisle. Brian Hughes rode winners at Ayr on Saturday and at Sedgefield on Tuesday, Anna McGuinness partnered one at Thurles last Thursday week, Daire McConville did likewise at Hereford on Saturday as did Simon Torrens at Naas on Sunday.

Patricia and Danny Doran both bred winners in the period under review. The Patricia-bred 11-year-old gelding Lightonthewing (Winged Love - Neat ‘n Nimble, by Generous) struck at Exeter last Friday, with the Danny-bred six-year-old gelding Scorpio Rising (Jukebox Jury - Sixofone, by Tikkanen) winning the two and a half mile premier handicap hurdle at Sandown the following afternoon.

Hunter chase

At Carlisle on Sunday, the concluding hunter chase was won by the 10-year-old gelding Bellaney Lord (Kalanisi - Bellaney Lady, by Un Desperado), who was bred by the late Woods Rosbotham.

Back to the jockeys and, on the flat, there were wins for Darragh Keenan at Lingfield last Thursday week and on Saturday at Chelmsford, where Kyle McHugh also visited the winner’s enclosure.

Wednesday started earlier in Australia, where Martin Harley won a maiden handicap on a three-year-old Power gelding.

LET’s hope locally-trained horses fare better this year than last at next Tuesday’s Bluegrass St Patrick’s Day meeting at Down Royal.

Twelve months ago, four of the seven winners were trained in Co Meath by Gordon Elliott, one in the same county by Gavin Cromwell, one in the neighbouring Co Westmeath by Adrian Murray and one down in Co Waterford by Henry de Bromhead.

Dungannon-based Bluegrass Horse Feeds are sponsoring six of the seven races on Tuesday, the odd one out being the wordy Albert Bartlett Triple Crown Series At Punchestown Festival 2026 Qualifier Novice Handicap Hurdle, which is the second race on the card.

Mention of that sponsor prompts me to refer to Ronnie Bartlett, whose colours were carried to victory in the four-year-old maiden at the North Galway Foxhounds’ point-to-point in Belclare last Sunday by the newcomer Gold Steel.

The Derek O’Connor-trained and ridden French-bred gelding was purchased for €105,000 by Ian Ferguson at last year’s Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale.