THERE was no birthday winner for Stuart Crawford at Downpatrick on Friday, his best result from six runners coming in the extended two and three-quarter mile maiden hurdle where Roger Brookhouse’s Whispering Affair (25/1) finished second to the 8/13 favourite Monkshood.

Proud father of five-week-old Lily Isabella, Stuart told The Irish Field that he was unable to attend to nappy-changing duties thus far as he was recovering from surgery on his collarbone. As his wife Jill is both human and equine physiotherapist, we don’t imagine that she will let him away with that excuse much longer!

Stuart has lodged a number of hunter certificates with the Turf Club recently including two for horses owned by the Buchanan family from Comber who bred the pair out of their Zaffaran mare Zaffarella, a four-time winner over hurdles.

The elder of the two, the five-year-old Windsor Avenue who pulled up on his only start at Broughshane in April, is by Winged Love, while his unraced year younger half-brother Shaws Bridge is by Kalanisi.

Zaffarella’s first foal, the 2011 Exit To Nowhere gelding Ravenhill Road, landed a Broughshane maiden on his only start for the Crawford yard in 2016. Purchased shortly afterwards by Phil Martin, the chesnut has since won bumpers at Market Rasen and Doncaster on his only starts for north Yorkshire trainer Brian Ellison.

Another Winged Love gelding ready to run from Newlands Farm is Patricia Duffin’s newcomer Cosmic Flight, a five-year-old gelding who is the first foal out of the bumper and dual hurdle-winning mare Classic Quart (by Classic Cliche).

Amateur Johnny Creswell will be keeping a close eye on Cosmic Flight as in August he gave just €1,000 for the bay’s three-year-old full-sister.

Among the many other certificates lodged by northern region handlers over the past two weeks is one for Tilly Conway’s hurdle-winning Conal, who is now with Caroline McCaldin, and the five-year-old Stowaway gelding Paddy’s Hill.

Trained by Liam Lennon for Seamus Smyth, this chesnut is out of Hillmar, a Montelimar half-sister to the late northern favourite Tammys Hill.

Handlers who have lodged multiple certificates include Sarah Dawson, Marshall Watson, Alan Wells and George Lamont.