DROMARA trainer Caroline McCaldin saddled her first racecourse winner in Ireland when the Johnny Barry-ridden Samurai Cracker won the hunters’ chase at Limerick on Friday, December 27th.

The 2013 Mr Dinos gelding, who is owned by the trainer’s husband Alan, had previously just raced between the flags, winning a novice riders’ maiden on his fourth start at Mainstown last January and finishing second three times in five outings since then.

Samurai Cracker, who was bred by Nikki Sell, is the only foal out of the Even Top mare Life A Big Life who won a mares’ maiden for the owner/trainer in April 2009 at Tallanstown where she was ridden by Jennifer Pugh, now the IHRB’s chief medical officer.

The final race at the four-day Limerick meeting, The Irish Field Handicap Hurdle, was won by the 2015 Winged Love gelding Northern Love who is trained in Rathkeale by Eric McNamara for Co Down owner/breeder, Kevin McNamee. The bay is the last of just three foals out of the Religiously mare Religious Rose.

Other northern-bred winners over jumps during the extended holiday period before the close of the year included Runasimi River at Fontwell’s Boxing Day fixture; Benarty Hill and Toi Storey at Catterick on Saturday, December 28th; and Ravenhill Road at Haydock on Monday, December 30th. Jump winners on New Year’s Day included King Roland at Exeter, Clondaw Bisto at Fakenham plus Never Do Nothing and Shanroe in Milan at Musselburgh.

On the jockey front across the water, Co Tyrone’s Barry McHugh ended 2019 with 48 wins to his credit, his highest total since 2011. Briefly on Wednesday, Barry was the leading flat jockey in Britain as he landed the first race of 2020, a mile handicap at Southwell, on Jazz Hands who is trained by his boss, Richard Fahey.

Although he rode four winners at Newcastle on Saturday, December 21st, Brian Hughes had a quieter time over the holiday period. He partnered one winner, plus two second-placed horses, from three rides at Wetherby on Friday, December 27th and, on New Year’s Day, rode the aforementioned Shanroe In Milan to score at Musselbugh (where Downpatrick-born Danny McMenamin also rode a winner).

Back home, the honour of riding the final winner of 2019 fell to Co Down’s Noel McParlan who landed the mares’ bumper at Punchestown on Tuesday on the Tom Gibney-trained Highstreet Roller, a 66/1 shot.

Todd gets title

MANY congratulations to former Down Royal manager Mike Todd who, for his services to horse racing and business, was awarded a BEM (Medallist of the Order of the British Empire) in the New Year Honours List for 2020.

Tullyraine on

the stallion trail

REMEMBER that while Irish Thoroughbred Marketing’s 2019 Irish Stallion Trail takes place next Friday and Saturday, January 11th and 12th, Northern Ireland’s sole stud on the Trail, the Suffern family’s Tullyraine House outside Banbridge, will only be open on day one (10am-4pm).