THE reigning Northern region point-to-point champion, Noel McParlan, rode for the second time at Cartmel on Sunday and, on this occasion, recorded a win on the Noel Kelly-trained Mighty Whitey.

The 11-year-old Sesaro gelding made all the running in the colours of the trainer’s mother Christina and, at the odds of 12/1, landed the concluding two-mile, one-furlong amateur handicap hurdle by six lengths and a head from Rockabilly Riot and Snowed In.

The former Colin McBratney-trained Jimble gelding Back To Balloo was sent off the 5/2 favourite but, having gone second before the final flight, weakened on the run-in and dropped back to fifth.

Noel was happy to have a day away from home as, with just four horses in at present, he is spending a lot of time cleaning up the yard and gallop. Things are due to get a lot busier in the next two weeks or so with a dozen horses coming in for the autumn point-to-point campaign.

Racing opened at Cartmel on the Sunday with victory in the two-mile, six-furlong novices’ handicap hurdle for the Ken Slack-trained Oh So Gigolo. The seven-year-old Milan gelding was ridden by Brian Hughes whose season has picked up in the last couple of weeks with eight wins from 32 rides up to and including Wednesday.

Two of those wins came at Cartmel last Friday when he landed the extended two-mile, five-furlong beginners’ chase on the six-year-old King’s Theatre mare Verona Opera who is trained by Stuart Crawford for the Ivy Wall Syndicate and was bred in Co Louth by Fergus Cumiskey.