ONE of the undoubted stories of the season has been the domination of Wexford yards within the four-year-old division, and in particular the run of Colin Bowe within the younger age category.

Bowe’s Milestone Stables sent out 22 four-year-old winners across the entire season, but remarkably 17 of them came during the spring campaign. Across the three month period between Durrow in late November and Dawstown on the May bank holiday weekend, there were four-year-old maidens held on 11 of those 12 race weekends, and incredibly Bowe recorded at least one four-year-old maiden winner on all bar one of these race weekends.

When three of the four maidens run on the third weekend of the 2016 four-year-old campaign fell to Milestone runners at Durrow, Tinahely and Cragmore, little did we expect such an unprecedented run of success would follow for the Wexford handler.

With the quality of horses running in four-year-old maidens continuing to rise on an almost annual basis, to be able to achieve such dominance in the division is a remarkable feat in the purchasing and training of young horses.

Last season, Gigginstown House Stud owned youngsters certainly enjoyed a dominant spell in the early part of the spring four-year-old campaign, however their successes amounted to 12 four-year-old winners and was accumulated with four different trainers - Gordon Elliott, Pat Doyle, Mouse Morris and Eoin Griffin. Never before in the current era have we seen such strength within the younger age category for one single handler.

It was also not just within the four-year-old maiden division that Bowe enjoyed unrivalled success. He won a further 12 races with mares, more than double that of any other trainer, which all contributed to his runaway success in the EasyFix Leading Handler standings, 15 in front of Donnchadh Doyle, with whom he shared that title with last season.

SEASON BEST

Bowe’s success this year also proved to be a big factor in the career best season that his stable rider Barry O’Neill enjoyed. With 59 winners and a strike rate of 23%, O’Neill rode a noteworthy 20 four-year-old winners across the season, which for the first time in his career saw the Wexford rider emerge as a serious title contender for champion rider honours in the closing weeks of the season.

The runner-up spot in a trio of leader boards – in the East, the North, and nationally, may prove to be a frustrating position to be in as this evening’s awards are handed out following such a standout season, however on this evidence, his time is sure to follow.

Meanwhile, that success for Colin Bowe only partly tells the story of the dominance that Wexford handlers have enjoyed within four-year-old maidens during 2016. A total of 68 four-year-old maidens were run throughout 2016, with a staggering 49 being won by horses trained in Co Wexford, which accounts for a remarkable 72%.

Just nine handlers nationwide won more than one spring four-year-old maiden this season, and of that group, just four handlers were based outside of Wexford: Gordon Elliott. who won three races, and Aidan Fitzgerald, Warren Ewing and Martin Hassett each with a brace of four-year-old maidens.

Unsurprisingly, with the domination of Wexford yards in four-year-old maidens, they held a big hand at the sales, with Colin Bowe in particular consigning the top lots at each of the three Spring Festival Sales in Cheltenham, Aintree and Punchestown with Timewaitsfornoone, Samcro and Getabird respectively, whilst a special mention has to be given to the incredible haul of the Doyle brothers and their Monbeg operation to accumulate almost €940,000 at the recent Cheltenham May Sale, which is a staggering total for a point-to-point outfit to take at the one sale.

International meeting success

ONE of the undoubted highlights of the season was the success of the International point-to-point which returned to Irish shores to be staged for the first time on the Cork/Waterford circuit. The popular Inch venue took on the hosting duties and superbly extended the Irish welcome to the British team and their supporters, who added real colour to the fixture back in March.

The 2016 renewal proved to be a terrific success not just with the on-track action.

Derek O’Connor sealed the home honours for the Irish Men’s team and Gina Andrews continue her successful run in the series for the visiting ladies, who returned home raving about their entire time in Cork, something of which the organising committee in Inch should be extremely proud.

Season finale takes place tonight

THE final ‘fixture’ of the season is of course the awards night which takes place this evening (Saturday) in the Knightsbrook Hotel, Trim, Co Meath. Tickets are still available for the event and can be purchased on p2p.ie. A full report will appear in next week’s paper.

THE AWARD WINNERS