AS hunt committees look to enhance their race meetings, one of the additions that have proven popular in recent years have been the many extra novelty races that have held a number of guises from event to event, ranging from the initial Mad Hatter races, to races for hunt members, ex-riders, handlers, and pony club members.

Earlier this month, the Pat Smullen Charity Race for former riders at Bellharbour was the perfect example of the boost that these races can give to the profile of a fixture, and tomorrow it will be the turn of the stable staff to take centre stage, with the Borris Bumpers.

The two-mile flat races at Borris House will see the stable staff deservedly step into the limelight for the race which the Carlow Farmers committee had intended to run at their spring fixture last year, before measures introduced in response to the Equine Flu outbreak, resulted in their unfortunate cancellation.

Twelve months later than was planned, the idea has proven to be very popular attracting entries from many of the country’s well-known pointing yards, including Donnchadh and Sean Doyle, Aidan Fitzgerald, Sam Curling, Shark Hanlon and Denis Hogan. The total of 30 entries will require the race to be divided on the day.

Popular

The ‘Up for the Yard’ Challenge at Punchestown for stable staff, has proven to very popular since its inception in 2017, and it is great to see the Carlow Farmers committee recognising the importance that stable staff play within the sport, by putting on the races for them.

The difficulties facing handlers to both recruit and retain an adequate number of stable staff is one that has grown in its importance for the industry in recent years.

One of the advantages that point-to-point handlers can sometimes have over their racecourse colleagues, is the ability to give those staff members with an interest in race riding, opportunities to get involved with novice rider races.

Initiatives such as tomorrow’s race at Borris House, provide handlers with a further opportunity to do so for their staff that currently do not have a race licence.

In the biographies of the 30 riders entered for tomorrow’s race, it is notable that quite a few of the participating riders do hope to take out their qualified riders’ licence in the near future, which is very encouraging, and races like this could well provide a taster for others to take that leap.

The two stable staff bumpers will form what looks set to be a bumper afternoon at Borris House, as the Carlow venue has rapidly developed into one of the country’s most popular courses with handlers since its introduction nine years ago.

Their December fixture attracted the biggest entry of the season thus far, and the 156 entries for tomorrow’s fixture, the largest entry at the course for a spring fixture, has necessitated the start time of the opening race being brought forward by one hour.

Borris House now starts at 12 noon, with Ballycahane getting underway at 1pm and Bandon following 30 minutes later at 1.30pm.

THE Killinick Harriers have to be commended for their commitment to preserve cross country racing within point-to-pointing.

With Athlacca having disappeared from the fixture list and the cross country course no longer featuring as part of the point-to-point at Tattersalls Farm, Lingstown is the only remaining such course in the point-to-point sphere here, and therefore their continued efforts to not only preserve the race, but also to boost it, have to be applauded.

As was the case at last year’s fixture, the committee have secured the sponsorship of Hearne Line Marking to boost the prize fund of the race to €3,050, making it one of the most valuable on the calendar. They have also continued to promote the race to British owners and handlers with the hope of attracting entries from across the Irish Sea.

With the fixture also hosting the third of the INHSC bonus races for older maidens, there will be over €10,000 up for grabs across the six races.