TOO occupied watching jump racing on television on Saturday to see if Sylvester Kirk was at Lingfield as newcomer Family Fortunes won the three-year-old maiden, I did watch fellow Co Antrim-born trainer Neil Mulholland give a very calm interview following the victory of Pilgrims Bay at Kempton.

The seven-year-old Turtle Island gelding has to be held up for a late run and James Best carried out his orders to perfection in the Grade 3 BetBright Handicap Chase over three miles. The 25/1 shot was only sent to the front at the last before going on to beat another former Irish pointer, Double Shuffle, by half a length.

Best was worried that he had made his move too soon on Pilgrims Bay who is among a large number of horses entered by Mulholland for the Cheltenham Festival and one of three from the yard listed for the Grade 3 Ultima Handicap Chase on the Tuesday, March 14th.

NORTHERN-BRED

It was quiet week yet again for northern-bred horses, but here too they came on the flat and over jumps on Saturday.

On the level, the Charles Foy-bred, Tom Marquand-ridden Fulham justified 11/8 favouritism when landing the mile and a half auction maiden at the evening meeting in Wolverhampton for the Robyn Brisland yard.

Beaten a neck into second over 10 furlongs on his debut earlier in the month at Lingfield (where he was a 20/1 chance), the bay Sir Prancealot colt is the fifth of six recorded foals out of the six-time winner, and Group-2 placed, Pivotal mare Bond Deal.

Earlier in the day, at Fairyhouse, Aupcharlie, trained by Jim Dreaper for Alan and Ann Potts, won the hunters’ chase as the 11/10 favourite under Jamie Codd.

Beaten two and a half lengths into second by Chosen Dream in the open at Kirkistown earlier last month, the 11-year-old Daliapour gelding was bred near Bessbrook by Patrick Collins, out of the unraced Lear Fan mare Lirfa. Among her previous winners were the French-bred pair Lirfox (by Foxhound) who won 12 races and Aupcharlie’s full-sister La Grande Dame whose four wins included a Grade 3 hurdle.

Aupcharlie was first trained by Collins who, after some good placed efforts, saddled him to win a bumper at Naas in March 2011 under Jason McKeown. Just 10 days later, the pair finished third in the Grade 1 Weatherbys Champion Bumper at Cheltenham, beaten five lengths and four and a half lengths by Cheltenian and the Alfred Buller-bred Destroyer Deployed. Aupcharlie was sold to his present owners at the end of that season and moved first to Willie Mullins, then on to Henry de Bromhead before travelling back up country to the Dreaper yard.