THERE was a Co Antrim connection to at least three other winners at the Aintree Festival starting on Friday when the Warren Greatrex-trained Portrush Ted carried the colours of the McNeill family to victory in the Weatherbys Racing Bank bumper.

The six-year-old Shantou gelding, who won a Uttoxeter bumper on his debut just over a year ago and has run three times in the interim, was named after the owners’ late father/grandfather Ted McNeill, the professional golfer who hailed from the seaside resort town.

It was a good weekend for Rodney Arthur who saw his former charge Black Op win Saturday’s Grade 1 Betway Mersey Novices’ Hurdle for the Tom George yard. The 2011 Sandmason gelding carried Rodney’s colours to victory when, on his only start in a point-to-point, he landed a five-year-old geldings’ maiden at Loughanmore in March 2016 under Jason McKeown.

On Sunday, the handler’s Gold Well bay, Hard To Forget, won the five-year-old geldings’ maiden at Bellurgan Park on his sixth start. The complete outsider in an eight-horse field, Hard To Forget won by four lengths in the hands of Lar O’Carroll.

Also at Aintree on Saturday, the Tom Lacey-trained Thomas Patrick justified his position at the head of the market in the Grade 3 Betway Handicap Chase over three miles, one furlong.

Ridden by Richard Johnson and sent off the 3/1 favourite, the six-year-old Winged Love gelding was bred by Paul Ferguson out of the Phardante mare Huncheon Siss who Paul’s father Ian once trained for the McAleese family.

Thomas Patrick, who has now won three of his four chases, is a full-brother of the Dan Skelton-trained three-time winner Wings Attract and of the ill-fated Walden who won three point-to-points and a hunters’ chase when trained for Ronnie Bartlett by Ian Ferguson.

Since breeding Saturday’s Aintree winner, Huncheon Siss has produced the 2013 Winged Love gelding Royal Auteuil, a 2015 filly by Frammassone and a 2016 colt by Watar.

Ian Ferguson was also once involved with the Henry de Bromhead-trained Identity Thief, winner of Saturday’s Grade 1 Ryanair Stayers Hurdle, having purchased the Kayf Tara gelding as a foal at Tattersalls’ 2010 November Sale.

Of course, the big Co Antrim connection to the entire three-day meeting was sponsor Randox Health at whose facility on the Largy Road, Crumlin today’s second stage of the Killultagh point-to-point is being run.