THERE’s a need to single out one jockey for special mention this week and that is Barry McHugh who recorded his first win of the British flat season last Saturday at Beverley on just his second ride back following a hip replacement operation.

This welcome win for the Dungannon native, who was out of action for 20 months, came on the free-running My Harrison George who made all to land the afternoon’s mile and a half handicap by two and three-quarter lengths. The five-year-old Lope De Vega gelding is trained by McHugh’s longtime boss, Co Louth-born Richard Fahey.

Also on the flat across the water, there were wins at Yarmouth last Thursday week and at Catterick on Saturday for Darragh Keenan while, over jumps, Brian Hughes visited the winner’s enclosure twice on Sunday at Kelso where Caoilin Quinn was also on the mark, as was Danny McMenamin at Cartmel on Wednesday.

Brian’s brace

The second of the Hughes-partnered winners at Kelso was the Getaway five-year-old Cushendall who won the concluding mares’ bumper on her debut and in the colours of her trainer, Stuart Crawford. The bay, who is out of a Presenting own-sister to Didtheyleaveuoutto and a half-sister to the Walk In The Park gelding Regent’s Stoll, was due to be sold at Tattersalls Ireland’s May Point-to-Point and Horses in Training Sale on Thursday as Lot 64A.

McCracken Farms bred two winners in Britain during the past week. First to strike was the four-year-old gelding Circe (Kodiac – Northeast Moon, by Sea The Moon), who landed a six furlong handicap at Windsor on Monday. Nandita (Blue Point – Roseau City, by Cityscape) justified odds of 4/9 when, on her second start, she won the two-year-old fillies’ maiden at Kempton on Wednesday.

At home, the Tilly Conway-bred 10-year-old gelding Digby (Tobougg – Calissee, by Ocean Of Wisdom) won the near two-mile, seven-furlong handicap chase at Ballinrobe on Monday, a day after the Patrick McGillion-bred Kilrush Lady (Kalanisi – The Farmers Sister, by Beneficial) landed the six-year-old mares’ maiden at the Ormond point-to-point in Ballingarry.

HAVING scored with The Highway Rat seven days earlier at Navan, Caledon trainer Andy Oliver provided jockey Billy Lee with another winner at the Curragh last Saturday when Team Valor’s five-year-old Elzaam mare Apercu landed the 10-furlong premier handicap by a short head.

Oliver had no luck with his three runners at the Co Kildare track on Friday when both Paddy McGettigan and Luke McAteer rode winners. Dylan Browne McMonagle had 17 rides over the three days of the Guineas meeting, 14 for his boss Joseph O’Brien whose charge Trustyourinstinct provided the jockey will his sole success in the Listed Orby Stakes.

THE place to be last Friday was Downpatrick racecourse where you had an evening of National Hunt racing followed by the Down Royal Corporation of Horse Breeders’ Northern Region point-to-point awards presentation.

Nearly 300 guests gathered in the Dunleath Suite where the function was hosted by Pamela Ballantine. As the evening wore on, there was a hot fork buffet while the only event to interrupt live music from 8.30pm to midnight was the awards ceremony itself.

Handily for the official photographer, the leading owner Philip McBurney (13 wins), trainer Gerald Quinn (18) and rider Noel McParlan (19) needed little persuasion to line-up together, as so many of their wins were intertwined and trained at McBurney’s Caherty Stables, sponsor of the evening’s bumper.

Edward McMahon was honoured as leading breeder, thanks to the success of the Stuart Crawford-trained Carnfunnock, who recorded back-to-back wins in opens at Tyrella and Kirkistown under Stephen Connor. Owned by the Largy Syndicate, the eight-year-old Carnfunnock (Getaway – Simply Erin, by Gamut) finished sixth of 24 in the St James’s Place Hunters’ Chase at the Cheltenham Festival where he was also partnered by Connor.

There was a special recognition award for Toni Quail as next Saturday, in Kilkenny, the Downpatrick native will be crowned the national leading lady rider with nine wins to her credit. As Toni was an absentee, the award was presented to her parents, Brian and Donna.

Leading legend

In a historic moment, Winged Leader was named leading horse, having equalled the 59-year-old point-to-point record of 33 career wins. Earlier in the evening, the David Christie-trained, John Hegarty and Jenny O’Kane-owned 11-year-old Winged Love gelding was paraded in front of delighted racegoers.

The formal part of the evening concluded with a heartfelt presentation of the Lifetime Achievement Award to Robert Steele, a highly respected figure within the point-to-point community. A former amateur rider who was twice regional champion, Steele’s passion for the sport has continued through his work as a veterinary surgeon and steward. The award was presented by Anthea Smyth of the Down Royal Corporation of Horse Breeders.

It was a pity that the winners’ prize money at Downpatrick last Friday all went south, but it was great to see the local support of the evening’s meeting through race sponsorship.

ANNA Ross and Philippa Baird will be judging the three Downpatrick Racecourse racehorse to riding horse classes at Killyleagh Show which, by kind permission of Amanda Torrens, is due to take place on the Ringdufferin Road, Toye on Saturday, June 14th.

There are two classes, a novice and an open, for horses who raced, while the third is for unraced thoroughbreds who were in training. The first and second-placed horses will go through to a championship, where they will be joined by the first and second from the Treo Eile racehorse to riding horse working hunter class.