THE only place to start looking at locally-trained recent winners on the track is at Down Royal on Sunday when Liam Lennon sent out Willie Anderson’s Kalsman to land the Adare Manor Opportunity Handicap Hurdle under Caragh Monaghan.

There were two locally-bred winners at that Fibrus Family Race Day fixture.

The opening two-and-a-half-mile mares’ maiden hurdle, which was sponsored by the Co Antrim-based Carsena Bloodstock, was won by the Henry de Bromhead-trained Miss Doyenne, who scored by seven and a half lengths as the 8/11 favourite.

The Doyen six-year-old was bred just down the road from the track by the Berry family out of the unraced Generous mare Miss Generosity. This half-sister to the multiple graded performers Value At Risk and Battlecry, is dam also of the 2011 mare Miss Eyecatcher (by King’s Theatre), whose seven track successes were broken down into three bumpers, two hurdle races and two chases.

Co Limerick trainer Colm Ryan saddled Duce Bigalow to land the Fibrus Says Neigh To Price Hikes Handicap Hurdle over three miles. The winner was a €55,000 buy by David Mullins when consigned to the 2022 Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale by The Glebe Farm.

This seven-year-old Pour Moi gelding was bred by Brenda Cunningham out of the Bob Back mare Bobbina who, when trained for Cunningham by Brian Hamilton, was placed in a bumper and won two hurdle races. The second of those victories came in 2013 at Limerick where she was partnered by Deckie Lavery under whom, next time out, she was graded-placed over hurdles.

On the National Hunt riding front, Danny McMenamin partnered four winners between Saturday and Tuesday, while Liam McKenna was on the mark at Clonmel on Tuesday. On the level, Luke McAteer partnered three winners at Dundalk on Friday. This treble was preceded by wins on Thursday for Oisin Orr at Southwell and for Jamie Orr at Wexford and followed by a win for Paddy McGettigan at Bellewstown on Saturday.

WHILE it was very disappointing that the Newry Hunt meeting at Taylorstown was abandoned on Saturday at least local owners, trainers, riders and point-to-point enthusiasts didn’t have to travel too far on Sunday to attend the Louth Foxhounds’ fixture at Tattersalls.

All seven winners were Irish-bred and the first two were trained by Paddy Turley and ridden by Deckie Lavery, who jointly-owns the first of the pair, All Noise, with the handler. The Maxios bay, who was despatched as the 2/1 favourite, landed the opening Tattersalls Cheltenham April Sale four-year-old mares’ maiden on her debut.

Lavery wore Mary Turley’s colours when winning the first division of the following Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale four-year-old geldings’ maiden on another newcomer, Less Said. This Kew Gardens bay was catalogued as Lot 5 at the Tattersalls Cheltenham April sale on Thursday this week.

Two graduates of Turley’s Downpatrick yard visited the winner’s enclosure on the track recently via the Bathyrhon five-year-old Miracles Do Happen who landed a mares’ handicap hurdle at Taunton last Thursday week and the 10-year-old Valirann gelding My Rockstar, who scored at Wincanton on Saturday.

Back to the Louth point-to-point, where the Country Fresh five-year-old geldings’ maiden was won by the Stephen Connor-ridden, Paul McAleese-trained Eazy Breezy. The once previously-raced son of Jet Away is owned jointly by McAleese and John Mooney, who bred him out of the Witness Box mare Nosey Box. The dam won once and was placed seven times over hurdles, was placed six times over fences and won an older mares’ maiden at Loughanmore in April 2012, when trained by McAleese for Mooney.

THERE were four point-to-point meetings in Britain last Saturday and the same number on Sunday but, between them all, I could only find one winner with local connections.

That was the nine-year-old gelding Largy Shark (Califet - Lady Of Scarvagh, by Zaffaran) who landed the Level 2 conditions race at the Bedale meeting at Horby Castle on Saturday. The bay was bred by Alfred Buller, but was actually foaled in Britain and so carries at GB suffix. Largy Shark started his career with Stuart Crawford, for whom he won novice hurdles at Ayr and Carlisle in the 2022/’23 season, before moving on to his present connections.

Other Crawford graduates who were on the mark over the weekend were the very consistent August 2024 Downpatrick maiden hurdle winner Step Out, a seven-year-old Walk In The Park gelding who won a three-mile timber maiden at Monkton, Maryland on Saturday, and the November 2024 Kirkistown maiden winner Only For Our Man, who landed the two-mile, six-furlong Fast As Fibrus Broadband Novice Handicap Hurdle at Down Royal on Sunday for the Paul Nolan yard.

HAVING staged their own very successful Randox Ulster National Raceday at the end of last month, some of the Downpatrick team had a more relaxed day at Aintree last Saturday, when attending the Randox Grand National meeting. Richard Lyttle, Ruth Morrison and Pamela Ballantine were seen admiring the feature race trophy.

Seen admiring the Willie Mullins-trained I Am Maximus following his success in the Randox Grand National on Saturday was Harold Kirk. We spotted fellow local bloodstock agents, Anna and Kevin Ross in the parade ring earlier in the week, while Ian Ferguson’s name appeared among the purchasers at the Goffs Aintree Sale on Thursday evening.

The following afternoon the ThatPrize Guy Top Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1) was won by the Neil King-trained Storming George who was recording his fourth track success, his third over hurdles. The six-year-old Order Of St George gelding was bred at his Tullyglush Stables in Co Down by Neville Reid out of the point-to-point-winning Presenting mare Nickel, who is the dam of one other winner, Nickelforce (by Workforce).

AS I was heading to Spain for a short break early on Wednesday morning, I decided to halt my perusal of the racing results this week following Tuesday’s action.

Yesterday, I attended the Spanish wedding of my niece Emma, who many will remember running around at all the point-to-points in the northern region on Saturdays with her two friends, Anna and Hannah.

The trio were huge fans of J.D. Moore but, as we were to discover, this had nothing to do with his skills in the saddle, but rather his willingness to buy them sweets (the more E numbers the better!) whenever he met them.

AS so many people involved in racing also play golf, we have to pay tribute to Holywood native Rory McIlroy following his retention of the green jacket at The Masters in Augusta on Sunday night.

Another sport much loved by locals is motorbike road racing. The season kicks off next Friday and Saturday with the Cookstown 100, so watch out for bike-mad fans on the road when you’re out and about.