THE 2018/2019 season in Britain commenced on Sunday, November 18th at Buckfastleigh in Devon where five of the six winning horses were born in Ireland as were two of the successful riders and one victorious trainer.

Co Galway native Tommie O’Brien, who is attached to the Tom Lacey yard, joined forces with Co Cork-born, Cheshire-based Joe O’Shea to land the 11-runner open maiden with the 4/6 favourite Road To Rome. The eight-year-old Choisir gelding doubled-up for the same connections when winning the restricted at Eaton Hall Farm last Saturday.

Kanturk’s Bryan Carver, the reigning area champion who joined Paul Nicholls over the summer, also rewarded favourite backers at Buckfastleigh when he partnered the nine-year-old Well Chosen gelding Navanman to a seven-length victory in the mixed open.

As well as working for Nicholls, Carver is riding out for Rose Loxton who suffered multiple injuries in a fall at home last month. Born in Ireland but a longtime resident across the water, Loxton saddled Caid Du Berlais to win the Champion Hunters’ Chase at this year’s Punchestown Festival.

Druid Spitfire, the only British-bred winner on the card, initiated a double in the restricted for the father and son team of trainer Robert and rider Tom Chanin.

They completed their brace in the intermediate where the 6/4 favourite Broadclyst won for the third time in five starts.

The six-year-old Ask gelding runs in the colours of Sue Trump who, out of a winning pointer, bred the British Sport Horse gelding Mr Chunky. By Jumbo, Mr Chunky was ridden by Tipperary-born, Devon-based Padraig McCarthy to win team and individual silver medals for Ireland in eventing at the World Equestrian Games in September.

SEASON OPENS

The season opened with a 14-runner four and five-year-old maiden which was won narrowly by newcomer Tide Times. By Vinnie Roe out of the Milan mare Lady Wagtail, the 2014 grey gelding was purchased at last year’s Tattersalls August Sale by owner/trainer Jill Dennis.

The following conditions race went by a short-head to the seven-year-old King’s Theatre gelding Blackwater Bramble who was ridden by John Smith-Maxwell for his sister, trainer Alex Dunn.

There were far fewer runners last weekend with just 24 on Saturday as the North Herefordshire moved their fixture not only to the autumn but to a new venue at Eaton Hall Farm (owned by the ‘Flakey Dove’ Price family) where the aforementioned Road To Rome was one of three winners saddled by Joseph O’Shea.

The other pair were the 10-year-old Royal Anthem gelding Irish Anthem who, partnered by Immy Robinson, claimed the two-runner hunt members’ race, and the six-year-old Mr Dinos gelding Mr Snuffles who justified even-money favouritism under Henry Crow in the younger horses’ maiden.

Three of the other four Irish-bred winners on the seven-race card were the 4/7 chance Bear’s Affair (Alex Edwards) for leading trainer Philip Rowley in the mixed open; the five-year-old Mahler chesnut Cavs Girl (Zac Baker), who made a successful British debut in the mares’ maiden; and the six-year-old Royal Anthem bay Light Flicker (Bradley Gibbs) who landed the geldings’ maiden by 20 lengths.

The six-runner confined was won by the nine-year-old Westerner gelding Mr Burgees whose trainer/rider Bryon Moorcroft partnered four winners at the poorly-supported Curre & Llangibby meeting at Howick on Sunday.

Owner/trainer Thomas Faulkner provided Moorcroft with two of those winners, the nine-year-old Vinnie Roe gelding Black Jack Rover in the three-runner confined and the 2011 Indian River gelding Mister Robbo in the four-runner restricted.

Moorcroft himself trained the eight-year-old Beneficial Joe who walked over in the open while the rider completed his four-timer on the French-bred Time And Again who made a winning pointing debut in the five-runner older horses’ maiden.

The Faulkner/Moorcroft combination had to settle for second in the opening hunt members’ race which was won by the Joanne Priest-trained 10-year-old Tillerman gelding A Tale Of Intrigue on whom Max Chenery recorded a second career success.

The three-runner maiden for five, six and seven-year-olds was won by the Dai Rees-owned and trained Robin Of Sherwood, a 2013 Robin Des Pres gelding who scored by 20 lengths in the hands of Bradley Gibbs. Having finished second on Seniergues, promising young Welsh rider Jack Tudor (16) suffered a broken leg when cannoned into by a loose horse.

IRISH-BREDS

There was a paucity of runners also at Barbury were all six races were won by Irish-breds.

Tommie O’Brien brought up a weekend double, and made it three for three for the season, when landing the six-runner mixed open on the Heidi Brookshaw-trained Shotavodka, a 12-year-old gelding by Alderbrook.

Gina Andrews, who won her fifth ladies’ championship last season, got off the mark for the current campaign in the four-runner conditions race where she recorded an eight-length win on the Alan Hill-trained Hawkhurst (1/4), an eight-year-old gelding by Flemensfirth.

In the following four-runner open maiden, the Andrews-partnered Jemma’s Gift had to give best to the seven-year-old Brian Boru gelding Shallamar who, on his British debut, was ridden for owner/trainer Tim Underwood by Philip York.

Andrews’s younger brother Jack landed the four-runner restricted on the Julie Wadland-trained favourite Lily’s Got Wings, a six-year-old mare by Winged Love whose only previous success came in a maiden at this track 12 months previously.

Michael Bowen saddled the four-year-old Getaway gelding Equus Leader (Peter Bryan) to impressively justify favouritism in the younger horses’ maiden over two and a half miles, while Huw Edwards and his father Simon’s seven-year-old Shareb gelding Skyhill Allstar walked over in the intermediate.

Maundrell memorial

A MEMORIAL service was held on Thursday for point-to-point rider and trainer Geoffrey Maundrell who died early last month at the age of 70.

Forty years after his first ride between the flags, Maundrell, who had overcome cancer, recorded his first treble on Maglinn River, Spiders Nephew and Lisadell King in January 2010 at Larkhill, one of his favourite courses.

He rode three hunter chase winners when he was 62. When he finally hung up his boots, most of Maundrell’s horses were partnered by Zac Baker.

Biddick’s targets

WILL Biddick, a former six-time men’s champion in Britain, has two targets this season.

The 31-year-old, who partnered the Rose Loxton-trained Caid Du Berlais to land the Champion Hunters’ Chase at the Punchestown Festival, would like to win either or both of the Cheltenham and Aintree Foxhunters.

He also hopes to better Richard Burton’s career record total of 414 successes. Biddick, who is currently on 388, lost his title last season to Alex Edwards to whom he finished second when 10 wins adrift (42-32).

Will recently married Harriet Nuttall who he met three years ago out hunting.

Harriet, who is well known among the show jumping fraternity in Ireland, is a great supporter of the Irish Sport Horse. On three occasions she has finished runner-up in the famed Hickstead Derby on her 2014 Touchdown gelding A Touch Imperious, who was purchased as a five-year-old at Goresbridge.