THE Torrington Farmers hunt staged the final meeting of the British point-to-point season last Saturday at Umberleigh in Devon where four of the six races were won by Irish-bred horses.

Successful four times on the flat and twice over hurdles, the nine-year-old Galileo gelding Bohemian Rhapsody, who is trained by Matt Hampton, landed the opening Tattersalls Ireland conditions race, giving his young rider Charlie Todd his first win between the flags.

Zac Baker partnered the Martin Wanless-owned and trained Big Man Doe, a six-year-old Millenary gelding to victory in the men’s open and, just over an hour later, the eight-year-old Oscar gelding Joey Kangaroo claimed the intermediate for the husband and wife combination of rider David and trainer Julie Mansell.

The final race of the season, the eight-runner, three-mile maiden went to the 8/1 shot The Boola Bee who was ridden by trainer and part-owner Kieran Buckley.

The five-year-old Arcadio mare pulled up twice in three outings here earlier in the year for breeder Harry Curtis and trainer Benny Walsh, after which she was sold to Buckley for just £2,000 at Doncaster last month.

Having her first start for her new connections last Saturday, The Boola Bee is out of the Over The River mare Hy Kate who has bred two other point-to-point winners.

NATIONAL CHAMPIONS

Although they had no rides on the day, Gina Andrews and Alex Edwards travelled to Umberleigh where they were crowned national champions.

Edwards, who was claiming the Fuller’s-sponsored men’s title for the first time, rode 42 winners during the season, 10 more than the outgoing champion Will Biddick. With 23 wins, Andrews was crowned the Skinner’s national lady riders champion for the fourth season in a row and the fifth in total.

In landing Saturday’s ladies’ open on the Francesca Nimmo-trained Rendezvous Peak, Alice Stevens became the Fuller’s national novice women’s champion with nine wins to her credit.

The equivalent men’s title, which is also sponsored by Fuller’s, went to 16-year-old Connor Brace who rode 21 winners in his first season and is due to turn professional before the end of the summer. His grandfather David Brace was leading owner as his colours were carried to victory on 23 occasions.

CHAMPION HORSE

Trained by that same David Brace and ridden throughout the season by his grandson, the 11-year-old Cloudings gelding William Money was the Connolly’s Red Mills national champion horse having recorded seven wins from late November to late May.

The bay, who landed a four-year-old maiden at Tramore on his debut in April 2011 for Colin Bowe and Barry O’Neill, was bred by Anne Thompson out of the Orchestra mare All Of A Kind who won a bumper and a hurdle race and was a half-sister to the Velka Pardubicka winner It’s A Snip (by Monksfield).

The Braces also claimed the Point-to-Point Owners and Riders Association young horse award through the home-bred Pink Eyed Pedro (by Dr Massini), while the Jockey Club champion novice mare award was won by another British-bred runner, One Big Love (by Tamure), who is trained by Sally Alner.

The Foran Equine leading trainer award for those with seven or fewer horses in their care was won by Kieran Price (14 wins), while the Dublin company’s award for those trainers with eight or more horses went to Phil Rowley, all of whose 38 winners were partnered by Alex Edwards.

For the second season in a row, Wexford’s Shane Roche will be presented with the Eric Covell ‘Flintstone’ cup as the South-East Area’s leading gentleman rider.

The 24-year-old, who returned home last week and hopes to ride out in a flat yard for the summer, partnered 12 winners in total during the campaign. He regards the best of them to be the David Kemp-trained Caryto Des Brosses also the Irish-bred pair Indian Chance and Generous Ransom who are both trained by David Phelan at whose yard Roche has been based for the past three seasons.

Phelan, who is originally from Midleton, Co Cork, was associated with three other award winners in the South-East Area as the seven-year-old Indian River gelding Indian Chance was crowned leading horse (while his owner, Ian Gibson, was leading owner) and the yard’s Trish Kemp was leading groom.

Despite being based with Joseph O’Brien, Tom Hamilton made regular trips home all season and won the Northern Area’s Albert Bartlett men’s championship on 37 points which included eight wins.