IT’s been a quiet week on the track for northern owners, trainers, riders and breeders but Brian Hughes keeps kicking home the winners in Britain and, by mid-week, was on the 65-win mark.

In the period under review, he visited the winners’ enclosure five times including after Sunday’s feature race at Kelso which he landed on the Ann Hamilton-trained Nuts Well.

Another stylish rider to partner a winner during the week was farrier Mark O’Hare. He had just the one ride at Tipperary on Monday but his journey down south paid off when the Noel Meade-trained First Approach justified favouritism in the bumper in the colours of Belfast owner Patricia Hunt.

Also on Monday, the Jude Doherty-bred 14/1 shot Bodacious Name won a handicap at Pontefract for the John Quinn yard. This was a second career win for the Famous Name gelding who is out of the Clodovil mare Nice Wee Girl.

There were two northern-bred point-to-point winners over the weekend. The Donnchadh Doyle-trained Robin Des Sivola landed the first race of the new season, the mares’ maiden, at Toomebridge on Saturday. The Robin Des Champs bay was bred in Co Armagh by Lewis Black. She is the third of five foals, and the first filly, out of the Zaffaran mare Falcons Gift. On Sunday, Colin Bowe saddled Pennyforapound, a newcomer by Winged Love, to win the four-year-old maiden at Castletown-Geoghegan. The bay gelding, who was bred in Co Down by Pat Elmore.