CO CLARE native Gearoid Costelloe, who returned to the point-to-point training ranks this season following a break of nearly 12 years, saddled Grand Knight to win the concluding bumper for four and five-year-olds at Larkhill last Saturday.

The 2016 French-bred gelding, who was ridden by stable amateur Peter Bryan, was despatched as 4/6 favourite in the 12-runner field. Always prominent, he led three furlongs out before comfortably seeing off the year older mares, Madame Hannah (Tommie O’Brien) and Aunt Lily (Martin McIntyre), by six and a half lengths and three and a half lengths.

A son of Slickly, Grand Knight is out of the Daliapour mare La Grande Dame who won once on the flat and whose trio of successes over jumps included a Grade 3 hurdle. Also Grade 1-placed over hurdles, the dam is a full-sister to the multiple Graded-placed five-time winner Aupcharlie and a half-sister to the 12-time winner Lirfox (by Foxhound).

Grand Knight was purchased at Arqana’s 2017 Autumn Sale for €23,000 by the Bleahan brothers who, through their Lakefield Farm, sold the bay to Costelloe’s GC Bloodstock at last year’s Derby Sale for €90,000.

“He was a very nice horse with a very good pedigree,” said Costelloe in reference to the purchase price. “He’s a proper horse with Graded potential and everything comes easy to him. He now goes to the sale at Cheltenham on Saturday (after racing today).”

At both Arqana and Tattersalls, the horse was called Grand Chelem (Grand Slam) but, when Costelloe tried to register this after buying the gelding, that name had already been assigned by Weatherbys so he chose Grand Knight instead.

The gelding is one of 10 three-year-olds Gearoid purchased during 2019 with a view to running them in point-to-points this season before selling them on from his Maizey Manor Farm just outside Marlborough where there is a big emphasis on flat work.

As regards facilities, he added: “We just have grass gallops here but, having had a bit of rain early on, we have been able to work the horses on grass all along and they seem to be fit and healthy for it.

“I was delighted that Grand Knight won on Saturday and hopefully, if everything goes to plan, this will lead to bigger and better things in the future,” concluded Costelloe.

The sole ‘older’ horse at Maizey Manor Farm is the six-year-old British-bred gelding Hard Ground who, on his third and final start in Ireland, won a maiden at Portrush in October for the Denis Murphy yard. Purchased primarily as a lead horse, he had his second start for Costelloe at Saturday’s Royal Artillery meeting where he claimed the runner-up berth in the restricted behind the Phil York-ridden, Tim Underwood-owned and trained Miss Massey. That Mahler seven-year-old was one of three Irish-bred winners on the seven-race card.

A double for Zac Baker was initiated in the five-year-old and upwards maiden on the Fred Hutsby-owned and trained Byzantium Lad who finished sixth in all three of his runs here last spring for Shane Hassett. The 2014 Yeats gelding, who was having his second British start, was bred by the late Terry Ryan out of the Glacial Storm mare, Socialite Girl.

Tommie on top in Revesby Park

THERE were seven races at all three meetings held in Britain last Sunday with the best results for Irish-bred horses coming at Revesby Park where six of the winners carried an ‘IRE’ suffix.

Galway-born Tommie O’Brien (who won the hunters’ chase at Ludlow three days earlier on the six-year-old, British-bred Black Sam Bellamy gelding Magna Sam) recorded a double at this South Wold Hunt fixture.

He landed the opening conditions’ race on the Jake Slatter-trained Waterloo Warrior and completed his brace in the concluding four and five-year-old bumper on the newcomer Ragamuffin. Trained by Oliver Pimlott, the winner is a five-year-old gelding by Arcadio and is the only named produce from five foals out of Mill Race Annie, a Rashar own-sister to the six-time winner, Rasharrow. Ragamuffin was due to come under the hammer at Cheltenham yesterday.

A walkover in the ladies’ open for the British-bred Lightnightpass brought up a double for the successful husband and wife team of trainer Tom Ellis and rider Gina Andrews. They had initiated their two-timer in the open maiden with the even-money favourite Benefaktor who was having his second start in Britain.

Second in a four-runner Dawstown maiden in May on the last of three runs over three years for James Motherway, the seven-year-old Beneficial gelding was bred by Margaret Platt out of the Simply Great mare Hopeful Gleam, a half-sister to the Grade 1-winning chaser, Mount Benbulben.

There was a short-priced riding and training double in the restricted and veteran conditions race for Dale Peters with Bask In The Glory (by Beneficial) and Newsworthy (by Presenting).

Sam Jukes mirrored that feat at Buckfastleigh with the Irish-bred pair Shometheway (by Presenting) in the intermediate and Gottagottagetaway (by Getaway) in the open maiden. The latter, a very lightly-raced eight-year-old, was bred by Greg Stafford out of the Supreme Leader mare, Sister Superior.

Among three other Irish-bred winners at this Modbury Harriers’ meeting was the Francesca Nimmo-trained Freezing Point who landed division two of the younger horses’ maiden under James King. The newcomer, a 2016 Arctic Cosmos gelding who was among the entries at Cheltenham yesterday, is out of the Rakaposhi King mare Maisey Down, a half-sister to the multiple Graded winner Earth Summit.

The reigning men’s champion Will Biddick recorded a double in division one of the open maiden and the mixed open on the French-bred pair Song Of The Hunter (owned and trained by Tom Malone) and the dual Punchestown champion hunters’ chase winner, Caid Du Berlais (trained by Rose Loxton).

This season’s leading rider, Alex Edwards, landed a double at the Sir W.W. Wynn’s meeting at Bagnor-On-Dee which he initiated in the six-year-old and upwards maiden on the Phil Rowley-trained favourite Goldenbrave who was having his first outing in Britain. Fourth on two of his three starts here for Denis Murphy, the 2014 Golden Lariat gelding was bred by Fintan Farrell out of the King’s Ride mare, Express Mail.

THE highlights of the previous weekend’s racing included, on the Saturday, a second win in two starts in open company, both at Alnwick, for the Nick Pearce-trained, Tristan Durrell-ridden Don Poli which qualifies the three-time Grade 1 winner for the Foxhunters at Cheltenham.

Gina rode two winners for trainer husband Tom Ellis at this West Percy meeting. One was the eight-year-old Kalanisi mare Kalabaloo who, as favourite, saw off last season’s leading horse, Winged Crusader, by 12 lengths in the ladies’ open.

Most races at the three meetings on the Sunday were won by Irish-bred horses including two by Well Chosen at Wadebridge – Chosen Lucky, who initiated a double for rider Darren Edwards and trainer Dean Summersby in the hunt members’ race, and Navanman, who provided rider Darren Andrews with the first leg of his double in the mixed open.

At the Dunston Harriers’ fixture at Ampton, not only were all six winners Irish-bred but so were all but one of the placed horses. The open maiden was won by the Don Cantillon-owned, trained and bred Huntsmans Jog who had been placed for the yard in bumpers and hurdles. The seven-year-old Milan gelding is out of the Polar Falcon mare Faucon.

Trained by Phil Rowley and ridden by Alex Edwards, last season’s Cheltenham Foxhunters chase winner Hazel Hill (by Milan) made his first appearance of the campaign in the men’s open at Sheriff Hutton where he was one of six Irish-bred winners on the seven-race card.