HE’s no doubt rueing the two that got away, but Noel McParlan enjoyed an excellent couple of days last week, riding a winner at Hexham on Friday before recording a treble at Toomebridge the following afternoon.

The track winner was Drumlee Myth, a seven-year-old Watar gelding owned and trained by the rider’s father Sean, who landed the two-and-a-half-mile novices’ handicap hurdle at Hexham last Friday.

A double was thwarted in the concluding three-mile handicap chase, when the 13-year-old Buck’s Boum gelding Deadheat was beaten three and a half lengths into second.

Noel had four rides - all for Gerald Quinn - as the 2026/27 point-to-point commenced on Saturday with the Mid Antrim fixture at Toomebridge.

In the colours of Philip McBurney, he landed the Dennison Commercials four-year-old geldings’ maiden on the French-bred newcomer L’Alpagueur (a son of Born To Sea) and the following Raymart five-year-old geldings’ maiden on the Idaho bay Doagh who, too, was making his debut.

Through his Caherty Stables, where Quinn is based, McBurney sponsored the five-year-old and upwards mares’ maiden, which McParlan won on the seven-year-old Crazy Nancy (Conduit - Wee Dreamer, by Tikkanen), who is owned by her breeder, James Brown Kerr.

Unfortunately, the McBurney/Quinn/McParlan triumvirate were undone by a head in the match for honours in the J & R Fuels winners of one, where their five-year-old Cokoriko gelding Katmoriko, who won his maiden at Kirkistown in March on his only previous start, was beaten a head by the Bertie Finn-ridden Western Wishes.

The latter, an eight-year-old Western Bay, who won his maiden at Tattersalls in early December 2024, is owned and trained near Saintfield by Patrick Ward. Let’s hope that this excellent start for local yards continues today at Portrush.

THE father and son team of Sean and Noel McParlan missed bringing off a double at Hexham last Friday, but Brian Hughes managed the feat and partnered two more winners on Sunday at Kelso. Danny McMenamin visited the winner’s enclosure once at the Hexham fixture while, over jumps at home, Sam Ewing struck on Sunday at Killarney.

Here, on the flat, Luke McAteer joined forces with Co Donegal owner/trainer Paul Sweeney to land the second division of the concluding Boyle Sports Handicap over an extended mile and a half with the 3/1 favourite Autocrat, a six-year-old bay gelding by No Nay Never. Across the water, Darragh Keenan rode a winner on Friday at Wolverhampton, recorded a double on Saturday at Southwell and was on the mark again on Monday back at Wolverhampton. Oisin Orr rode a winner last Thursday week at Newcastle and another at Redcar on Saturday.

Last Thursday week, Patsy Cosgrave visited the winner’s enclosure at Salisbury, Barry McHugh did so at Newcastle on Friday and, on Saturday, at the Brisbane Racing Club’s meeting at Eagle Farm, Martin Harley landed the opening 1,500m handicap.

On the training front, Mark McNiff saddled the 10-year-old Jet Away gelding Joe’s Turn to land the concluding near three-mile handicap chase at Killarney on Sunday. At Fairyhouse on Monday, the Ross Crawford-trained five-year-old mare Princess Aveen (Court Cave - Oh So Smart, by Turgeon) won the Adare Manor Opportunity Mares Maiden Hurdle in the colours of her breeder, Gary O’Hagan.

On the breeding front, there were wins over jumps for the Joseph Cunningham-bred eight-year-old gelding Private Policy (Kalanisi - Didn’t You Know, by Trempolino) at Clonmel last Thursday week and for the Gail Kidd-bred seven-year-old gelding Upfordebate at Kelso on Sunday. On the level, there were wins for the McCracken Farms-bred two-year-old colt Big Tribe (Sioux Nation - Roseau City, by Cityscape), who struck on his debut at Newcastle on Friday. The Michael Appleby-trained bay was a 220,000 guineas buy at last year’s October sale at Newmarket, where his Starman half-sister comes up as Lot 865 next Tuesday.

On Tuesday just gone, the seven-furlong handicap at Brighton was won by the Eithne Hamilton-bred four-year-old filly Burford Beauty (Equiano - Choc U Zet Nell, by Noverre).

Route Hunt programme a flash-back to the past

FOLLOWING a 40-year absence, the Route Hunt returned to Portrush for their point-to-point on Saturday, October 22nd 2016 when, apart from the two winners’ races excluding maidens, the programme was the same as that starting at 1pm today.

The opening Dennison Commercials four-year-old maiden, which attracted the meeting’s largest field of 10, was won by the Jamie Codd-ridden newcomer Finian’s Oscar (2/1 joint-favourite), who was trained by Denis Murphy for Edelle Logan.

Sold the following month at Cheltenham for £250,000, the bay son of Oscar won four hurdle races and three chases, including three Grade 1 contests, for the Colin Tizzard yard before dying as a six-year-old.

Noel McParlan recorded a double, landing the Stonebridge Premium Feeds five-year-old geldings’ maiden on the Ian Ferguson-trained, Bill Porter-owned and bred 7/4 favourite Tikkanen grey Ramore Hill and the concluding Porter & Co six-year-old and upwards geldings’ maiden on the Caroline McCaldin-trained odds-on favourite It’ll Do Rightly.

The Eurospar, Coleraine older mares’ maiden was won by the odds-on Whitmore’s Conn six-year-old Hide The Biscuit, who was trained by Mervyn Torrens for his wife Anne and was ridden by Johnny Barry.

Barry O’Neill’s journey north paid off with a short-priced double in the two winners’ races. He landed the five-runner Royal Court Hotel open by 20 lengths on the even-money favourite Valmy Baie, who was trained by David Christie for Ray Nicholas, and the four-runner Blairs Caravans winners of three on the Donnchadh Doyle-trained 4/6 shot Talkischeap, a four-year-old Getaway gelding, who had won his maiden first time out at Lisbeg in May.

MENTIONED elsewhere, the Gail Kidd-bred Upfordebate wasn’t the only Ballyash Stud graduate to win in the period under review, as there was a significant victory on Wednesday for the Gary and Stephen Kerr-bred Rich Man Poor Man.

The 13-year-old Robin Des Champs gelding, who pulled up four times and finished ninth of 10 in five runs over hurdles between late-January and mid-March 2017 when trained by Phil Kirby, won the SEIB racehorse to riding horse class at the prestigious Horse of the Year Show.

Rich Man Poor Man, who is produced in Scotland by Kristine Douglas for Morean Hamilton and has many championship successes to his credit in the show ring, is the only foal out of the Jimble mare Mistaken Identity, a half-sister to the Winged Love gelding Magnanimity out of a half-sister to Amberleigh House.

LOCAL riders have been good supporters of Treo Eile’s team show jumping competition in the past and they, and other potential participants, should note that applications are now open for this year’s renewal.

There are major changes to this year’s show, which has been renamed the Treo Eile Christmas Festival, is taking place for the first time over two days (December 10th and 11th) and is moving to the spacious Cavan Equestrian Centre.

Details regarding the team competition, which takes place on day one of the Festival, can be found on Treo Eile’s website, where the full schedule will be published in due course.

MANY congratulations to former event horse rider turned racehorse exercise rider Katie Parker, who won the Run Galway Bay female full marathon last Saturday. Among us less athletic types, Katie is best-known these days as a member of the clinical care and yard assistant team at Tullyraine Equine Clinic.

Thirteenth overall in 2h 55.36mins, Katie crossed the line well clear of the second-placed female among the 575 finishers, Sophie O’Neill (41 in 3h 09.34mins), and the third female home, Joanna O’Byrne (49 in 3h 13.10mins).