IT’s hard to believe that the autumn point-to-point season in the Northern Region concludes with today’s North Down meeting at Kirkistown.

The first autumn fixture at this flat, left-handed track on the Ards peninsula took place in November 2006 and it’s also hard to believe how much the sport has changed since then when there was a total entry of 184 (compared to 98 this afternoon) with nine races being contested on the day.

The opening four and five-year-old mares’ maiden didn’t divide but was lucky not to with 18 of the 24 entries being declared. With an entry of 45, there was always going to be a divide to the following maiden for similarly-aged geldings which ended up with 18 contesting the first half and 16 the second.

Just 13 of the 21 horses entered in the open were declared but, amazingly, there was a divide in the winners of three which had attracted a big entry of 30.

A further divide was avoided in the six-year-old and upwards mares’ maiden when just 17 of the 28 were declared but, the older geldings’ maiden, went two ways when connections of 27 of the 36 entries decided they would like a runner.

The riders who benefitted most from the big entry were J.D. Moore, who recorded a treble, and Noel McParlan who landed a double.

There is a dedicated committee behind this meeting but the hunt isn’t generating much income from the owners of point-to-pointers as just four North Down certificates have been lodged for this season to-date.

Three of those are for horses trained by George Stewart, who has made no entries for today, and one by Colin McBratney who has Your Bluffing engaged in the opening Dennison Commercials four-year-old geldings’ maiden.

James Murdoch’s bay, who fell at the last on his only start at Moira in April, is by the Trempolino stallion Tajraasi – an unraced full-brother to Germany – who best produce to date has been Aughnacurraveel, the winner of three point-to-points, four hurdle races and a chase.

The 19-year-old Tajraasi used to stand at the Graigue Lodge Stud, Clonmel but was sold to England following the seventh-place finish of his son Alfies Clover at this year’s Badminton horse trials.