THE Colin Tizzard-trained Finian’s Oscar got his chasing career off to a winning start at Chepstow last Saturday, roughly 51 weeks after he landed a four-year-old maiden on his pointing debut at Portrush for the Denis Murphy yard.

Following his eight-length win that day in the hands of Jamie Codd, the Oscar gelding was sold for £250,000 at Tattersalls’ November Sale in Cheltenham. He ran five times over hurdles last season, winning four including Grade 1 events at Sandown and Aintree, and just went down by a short-head to Bacardys in the Grade 1 Champion Novice Hurdle at Punchestown.

The Route Hunt will be hoping that a horse of similar quality wins next Saturday, October 28th, at their Co Antrim track which overlooks the north Atlantic. It was used for the first time last year when there were six races on the card, two going the way of Noel McParlan who went on to land the northern region riders’ title with 26 wins.

PEOPLES’ WINNERS

There were also six races when the Route held the first meeting of the inaugural autumn season at Limavady in 2001. Then, Tommy Peoples rode two winners, while there was one apiece for Liam Lennon, William Rankin, Jimmy Henry and Mark O’Hare.

The following afternoon, the Wexford Hunt held their first autumn meeting at the local racecourse where the seven-race card featured a ladies’ open which was won by Mary Horgan on Anabatic. The first division of the six-year-old maiden went the way of the Gordon Elliott-partnered Jungle Jinks, while, in division two, Kilcaroon brought up a short-priced double for rider William Codd. There was also racing that day at Lemonfield where Richie Harding, who had recorded his first career success the previous season, landed the five and six-year-old geldings’ maiden on Tobair Padraigh.