TWELVE months ago, those spectators who attended what was a hastily rearranged Carlow Farmers point-to-point at Borris House following the Beast from the East witnessed the debut success of Andy Dufresne and Sinoria.

For the 2019 spring fixture at the Carlow course, it was again only the most dedicated of followers who braved the day-long torrential rain, but they were certainly rewarded with some very smart performances, none more so than the victory of Sporting John (5-6/1) in the four-year-old maiden.

One of 15 horses in training with Matthew Flynn O’Connor, the latest point-to-point handler to emerge from the small Wexford village of Ballingaggin, the €33,000 Land Rover Sale purchase picked up smartly from the last to defeat Generation Text by two and a half lengths in what was a one-two for his sire Getaway.

“He did that very well. We bought him in the Land Rover off Dick Frisby and ever since getting him home I have loved everything about him. I was a small bit afraid coming here that I hadn’t got him fit enough, because he just does things so easily at home. He jumped like a buck the whole way and all of his work has been 110%,” reported the winning owner and handler.

NOTEWORTHY

That had initiated a double on the day for Jimmy O’Rourke, who was aboard one of the day’s most noteworthy other winners to complete his brace, when Madera Mist (3/1) took apart what was a competitive field filled with plenty of recent placed form, to win the mares’ maiden.

A disappointing third on her debut at Tyrella at the end of January, for which she was sent off as a much talked of favourite, the close relation of Eugene O’Sullivan’s multiple open winner A Decent Excuse, made all on just her second career outing to defeat recent Punchestown second Bannixtown Glory by four lengths.

“She is a very nice mare that was sick when she ran at Tyrella. But she did that very well. She has a lot of scope to jump fences and should be a proper mare,” explained Eamonn Doyle, brother of the winning handler Donnchadh, who is likely to offer the Monbeg Syndicate-owned daughter of Stowaway at the sales.

Liam Lennon is a stalwart of the northern points’ circuit and he made his first visit to Borris House a winning one, when unleashing the well-backed Escaria Ten (1/1-4/6 favourite) to run out a facile winner of the five-year-old geldings’ maiden.

The Joy Wilson-owned French-bred son of Maresca Sorrento always travelled with ease throughout, and once Jamie Codd asked him to quicken from the second last, he easily accounted for the Denis Murphy-trained Lifeisahighway, a horse that Codd had ridden at Dungarvan a month earlier.

“He did that very well, but we were actually surprised at just how well he did it. We knew he was a nice horse as he has been working well, but Jamie (Codd) actually said that he is one of the nicest horses that he has ridden in a long time and once he gave him a kick in the belly he went up a gear,” said the Co. Down-based handler who went on to saddle his former point-to-pointer School Lane to finish second at Leopardstown later in the afternoon.

OUTSIDER

The likes of the 145-rated hurdler Mine Now have emerged from recent renewals of the adjacent maiden at the fixture; however there was certainly a shock outcome to the 2019 renewal when the outsider of the field, All Ears (10/1), returned alone.

The 10-year-old may well have been double the age of all bar one of her five rivals, but her connections persistence was rewarded with her success in the hands of Wicklow native Robbie Jackson at the 16th time of asking.

“We’re delighted that she won and Robbie (Jackson) gave her a great ride, he was very cool. She is a great fun mare for him to ride and we will run her away in winner races now,” remarked Co Kilkenny-based handler James Barcoe of the Yvonne Hennessy-owned bay.

That proved to be the first leg of a double for stallion Alkaadhem, as his owner Willie Murphy of Ballycurragh Stud, who had trained All Ears at the beginning of her racing career, enjoyed success of his own as a handler with Crutches Lad (5/2-3/1) in the older geldings’ maiden for novice riders.

Improving with each outing, the six-year-old’s progressive campaign culminated with quite a decisive success, as the Chris Morrissey-owned bay provided James Kenny with his second success of the season when improving upon his recent fifth at Tallow, to defeat the favourite Moe’s Tavern by four lengths.

That defeat of Moe’s Tavern had denied the in-form Shark Hanlon with a double, as he had earlier sent out his once raced maiden Says The Boy (3/1), to defeat three previous winners in the winner of two contest.

Sixth behind the subsequent big-price seller Chantry House in a four-year-old maiden at Tattersalls Farm in December, the Rachel O’Neill-owned French-bred became the first winner of an Irish point-to-point for the now Glenview Stud-based stallion Youmzain, when he got the better of the recent fortunate Punchestown scorer Ted by three and-a-half lengths.

The Co Carlow-based handler holds the Tom Hamilton-ridden winner in high regards and plans to offer him for sale following his seventh success of the season, already matching his previous best from 2014.

HORSE TO FOLLOW

MOE’S TAVERN (J.J. Hanlon): The six-year-old son of Dilshaan only found a more experienced rival too good on his debut in a contest which saw the front pair pull a distance clear of their rivals.

From the RDS to pointing success for Jackson

IT was a day to remember for Robbie Jackson when he partnered his first winner between the flags aboard All Ears.

A native of Kiltegan in Co Wicklow, the 18-year-old Leaving Certificate student at Kilkenny College has already built up a wealth of riding experience having honed his skills with success as part of the Shillelagh & District hunt club team who won the Senior Mounted Games at the RDS Dublin Horse Show in 2017.

That was in the same year that he dead-heated for victory in a four-furlong exhibition race at Naas Racecourse for Irish Pony Club members.

Remembering Eamon Kavanagh

ANNOUNCER Brian Rice led a minute’s silence ahead of the opening race for Eamon Kavanagh.

The 16-year-old from the nearby Myshall, who died seven days earlier in tragic road accident, had been a member of the Carlow Farmers hunt.