LIKE so many others, I was saddened to learn on Sunday of the death of Brian Lusk, one of the great characters on the Irish horse scene - across racing, all branches of equestrianism and sales - and an entertaining raconteur.

Brian was a great judge of a horse from top-class chasers, to leading eventers to the all-rounder suitable for an amateur rider. Following his successful career as a trainer (see page 4), he moved into the sport horse world and could be found at shows and events all around the country, sourcing horses for his extensive book of clients.

I met Brian only once last summer, at the Young Eventhorse Series qualifier in Orchard Lodge, but did speak to him on the phone following the gold medal win of one of his purchases, Brookfield Danny De Muze, at the world championships for young event horses at Le Lion d’Angers in France (see page 66-67).

Following cremation, a celebration of Brian’s life will be held at 2pm today (Saturday) at his home on the Knockany Road, Carr. I would like to take this opportunity to extend my sympathy to Brian’s family, especially his brother Harold.

I would also like to extend my sympathy to the family of the late David McBratney of Crossgar who died on January 3rd. His funeral on January 8th was very well-attended by the point-to-point and hunting fraternities throughout Northern Ireland.

IRISH-bred horses won most races across the six point-to-points held in Ireland and Britain last weekend apart from Turtulla, where three of the six winners carried an IRE suffix while the others were bred in France.

There were no locally-bred winners at the two meetings in Ireland on Saturday, but there was one at the Dunston Harriers’ fixture at Ampton in East Anglia where the concluding novice riders’ race went to the Hugh Lillingston-ridden All Loved Up (Winged Love - Rowdy Exit, by Exit To Nowhere).

The 11-year-old mare was bred by Deckie Lennon whose brother Liam sent her out to be placed second four times between the flags over four seasons. Through J.D. Moore, the bay, who is a half-sister to four winners on the track, was purchased at the end of 2023 by the Lillingston family of Mount Coote Stud for Hugh to ride while studying in England.

All Loved Up then moved into the care of Olive Nicholls who provided Hugh with a win on his first start when the mare landed a 12-runner novice riders’ race at Larkhill in March 2024 on her British debut. Hugh partnered the bay in seven other point-to-points before Saturday, winning an Intermediate and being placed five times.

While now trained by Harry Brown, All Loved Up is still based near Lambourn so she can be ridden out frequently by Hugh, who is studying business at Oxford. When he has some free time, the 20-year-old rides out for Nicky Henderson.

Double for Gina

Also at Ampton, the former Warren Ewing-trained six-year-old gelding Call Me Early (Lucky Speed - Vicky’s Music, by Old Vic) brought up a double for rider/trainer Gina Andrews in the restricted.

They only managed to run three races at Aghabullogue on Sunday. All three winners were Irish-bred with the last of them being the Callie Berry-bred Hunters Yarn (Fame And Glory - Full Of Birds, by Epervier Bleu) who landed the novice riders’ open under Emily Costello. Owned by Simon Munir and Isaac Souede, the nine-year-old is trained by Pat Doyle with whom he started his career before moving to Willie Mullins.

On the track, there were wins for the Siobhan Mackinnon-bred seven-year-old gelding Bobby’s Nelson (Mount Nelson - Bobby’s Taken, by Dr Massini) at Ffos Las last Thursday week and, a short time later that day, for the Fiona McStay-bred five-year-old gelding Crest Of Stars (Harzand - Ceol Rua, by Bob Back) at Taunton.

The feature race at Newbury on Wednesday, the near three-mile listed mares’ chase, was won by the Dan Skelton-trained, Harry Skelton-ridden favourite Panic Attack, a Canford Cliffs 10-year-old who was bred by John and Margery Adams out of the bumper-winning Galileo mare Toto Corde Meo.

WITH the weather causing havoc with National Hunt racing in Britain in the period under review (last Thursday week to Wednesday just gone), particularly in the north, the former three-time champion jockey Brian Hughes only got to ride at one meeting during that time.

That was at Ayr on Tuesday where, from five mounts, he recorded a treble for three different trainers on a trio of horses who had started their careers on the Irish point-to-point circuit. It was completed in the concluding bumper on the newcomer Diamant Dore who is trained by Adrian Keatley for Garry Wilkie Wilson.

The French-bred Martinborough gelding had just the one start when trained here for Philip McBurney by Gerald Quinn, the 4/5 shot having every chance when falling at the last under Noel McParlan in a four-year-old maiden at Kirkistown in November. Later that month, he changed hands at Goffs’ Coral Gold Cup Sale at Newbury for £125,000.

On the flat in Britain, there were wins for Patsy Cosgrave at Lingfield on Saturday and at the same track on Wednesday, for Barry McHugh at Newcastle on Tuesday and for Darragh Keenan at Lingfield on Wednesday. At home on the level, Paddy McGettigan visited the winner’s enclosure at Dundalk on both Friday and Tuesday.

At the second of those meetings, the six-furlong handicap was won by the Declan McDonogh-ridden French-bred gelding Winemaker (10/1). The Johnny Barnes six-year-old was having his first start for Letterkenny trainer Declan McGuigan, whose son Kyle Browne McGuigan claimed the bay here in early November.

Donegal-born jockey Martin Harley had two rides on the lucrative Magic Millions card on the Gold Coast in Australia last Saturday, winning the three and four-year-old fillies and mares’ race on the Chris and Corey Munce-trained Poster Girl.

SIMON Torrens visited the winner’s enclosure at Punchestown on both Sunday and Monday to bring his tally for the season to 18.

On Sunday, the Co Tyrone native landed the concluding Albert Bartlett Triple Crown Series Qualifier Handicap Hurdle on the J.P. McManus-owned, Jessica Harrington-trained Powerful while, on Monday, he won the near two-and-a-half-mile Matchbook Betting Exchange Novice Handicap Hurdle on Mojoe, who is trained for Jim Browne by Pat Foley.

The following maiden hurdle over the same trip went to the seven-year-old Shabby Hill, who was having his second start for Charles Byrnes having finished fifth over a slightly shorter trip at the same track early last month. On his only other outing, the Kalanisi gelding, who is now owned by Newry’s Peter Makin, won a maiden at Lingstown in March 2024 when trained by Thomas Dreaper for leading show horse producer/rider P.J. Casey and owner Patrice Dorney. He was then ridden by Cormac Abernethy and was sold shortly afterwards at Goresbridge for €50,000.

The following two-mile, six-furlong handicap hurdle was won by the nine-year-old Sans Frontieres gelding Lough Nigara, who is trained by Eoin Griffin for the Dunglen Racing Syndicate headed up by Newtownhamilton’s Brian Caherty.