WHATEVER plans Donal Smith had for a scaledback fund-raiser for the Jonjo Bright Trust this year, the event has grown legs so there will be a Cheltenham Chinwag Chat in the Minerstown Tavern following the second of the East Down point-to-points at nearby Tyrella on Saturday, March 3rd.

Full details can be found on the Pints After The Points Facebook page but we’ll start here by saying that the event is being sponsored by Jim Monaghan Car Sales (Annacloy) and McGrady Financial Services (Downpatrick); there will be a panel consisting of Noel Chance, Derek O’Connor, Colin McBratney and in-form local amateur rider Declan Lavery; and the ever-popular Pamela Ballantine will compere proceedings.

Since I last wrote about the fund-raiser, Coolmore Stud has generously donated a nomination to Yeats for the auction.

The four-time Group 1 Gold Cup winner at Royal Ascot, who has since developed into a Grade 1-winning sire, stands at Grange Stud outside Fermoy at a fee of €5,000. At time of writing, the highest bid was €3,000 so let’s see if we can get closer to that amount.

While we won’t comment on the matter, the Willie Mullins stable tour top bid at present is €1,000 with just half that amount being currently offered for a tour of the Co Meath yard of his great rival, Gordon Elliott.

If you can’t afford that kind of money, there are plenty of other lots in the auction and some great prizes to be won in the raffle.