BARRY O’Neill provided racegoers who braved muddy conditions at Farmacaffley last Saturday with a riding masterclass, highlighting why he has been crowned champion rider for the last three years, in what was a four-timer for the Wexford native.

The reigning champion opened proceedings by making all of the running aboard the Marshall Watson-trained Danjaman (4/7 - 4/5 favourite) in the Confined Hunt winners’ race, with the pair easily accounting for their only other rival to complete the course, Boogily Lane, by four lengths.

“He loves his bottomless ground and it is quite funny, his half-brother is The Sheppard King that we had, and he was a two-miler. This lad is the complete opposite, he would want four miles all day long,” said the winning handler of the Noel Collins-owned and bred son of Dansant, who provided him with victory in his local race for the third time from the last six renewals.

“I actually thought that he was up to winning a hunter chase after he was second at Necarne and he unseated (at Downpatrick in May), which was a surprise as he is a fantastic jumper. We might go for another winners’ race as he hasn’t had much of a practice there, and we might then go to Downpatrick.”

O’Neill combined with his long-standing Fermanagh-based ally David Christie for the middle two legs of his four-timer, with both victories recorded in effortless fashion. First up, the six-year-old Winged Leader (5/6 - 1/1 favourite) followed up on his first victory in the open division a fortnight earlier at Kirkistown by winning the open by six lengths, a race he had finished second in 12 months earlier. Making all of the running, the John Hegarty-owned Winged Love gelding, proved much too good for Bridgets Pet, a horse seven years his elder.

“He is a year stronger and that really makes a difference here. Last year he just weakened up the hill. Today in tougher ground he was stronger,” said Christie who praised the winning rider’s efforts with the horse over the last year.

“We went through quite a lot last year trying to get him settled, and Barry did a tremendous job with him, because a couple of times we got beat trying to make a horse of him. But it was the right thing to do even though it was tough to take at the time, because this year he is a different horse. Last year, if we had of let him do what he wanted, we could have finished him as a young horse.”

On The Sod (4/5 - 10/11 favourite) preserved his unbeaten record with victory in the winners-of-two, completing an O’Neill-Christie double that the pair had previously managed in the same races five years earlier with The Hard Hat and Harbour Pirate.

O’Neill again employed the tactics which had proved fruitful in his opening two victories, as the eight-year-old made all to defeat the quick-reappearing Call It Time by a comfortable four lengths.

“He is very difficult to train, but he is as tough a horse as you could ever have. He gallops and stays and is as strong as an ox. Barry was superb on him and this ground and track here are just made for him,” said Christie of the Ask gelding that carried his own colours to success.

It was not as straightforward for O’Neill on his final ride of the afternoon, as the Jim Dreaper-trained Westy Fox (7/4 - 11/10 favourite) made a serious error at the penultimate fence.

However, he overcame that to defeat the long-time leader, Duckphil, by a length in the older geldings’ maiden. The success completed a ninth career four-timer for O’Neill, and his second of the season following a similar achievement at Castletown-Geoghegan in October.

“He is a lovely horse, but I thought he would have won as a five-year-old by this time last year. I’m shocked we are standing here with him as a six-year-old. Things just haven’t gone his way, as he is very ground dependent, but he is a real Armagh horse,” said the winning handler’s son Tom of the Westerner gelding, a first horse for the Drogheda-based Knockalough Syndicate.

THAT second-placed finish for Duckphil was the second time that rider Aileen O’Sullivan had to settle for the runners-up spot on the card, as her mount, Deo Bellator, had finished seven lengths behind the George Stewart-trained Ringneill (4/5 favourite) in the mares’ maiden.

Siobhan MacKinnon’s six-year-old kicked clear in the home straight under Mark O’Hare to follow-up three consecutive placed efforts and gain a deserved first success.

On a day which featured five winning short-priced favourites, Ranieri (2/1 - 3/1) was the only horse to offer the bookmakers some relief, when he got the better of his shorter-priced stable companion, Bold Pimpernel, in the three-runner five-year-old geldings’ maiden.

The success of the Michael Veale-bred son of Westerner, completed a profitable 24 hours for winning owner-hander Warren Ewing, who had a day earlier consigned the top lot at the Tattersalls Cheltenham February Sale, with his Tyrella winner Only The Bold.

The narrow verdict was particularly notable for winning Galway-based rider, Conor Rabbitt, as the 18-year-old Leaving Certificate student recorded his initial success just seven days after making his pointing debut at Oldtown.

Horse to follow

Deo Bellator (Denis O’Sullivan): This daughter of Getaway has filled the runners-up spot in each of her latest two outings, and there is surely an older mares’ maiden that will come her way this season.

Praise for committee

THE Tynan & Armagh committee have to be given particular praise for their efforts in the week leading up to the fixture, combatting the heavy rain that fell, to ensure that the fixture could take place. There was a 15-minute delay to the opening race as the home bend was altered in order to avoid an area of ground that was causing some concern, and the day passed off safely with all races completed.

The victory of Ringneill, a first in 2020 for Mark O’Hare, saw him complete the novel feat of riding a winner in four different decades, an achievement the former northern region champion had been waiting to tick off.

“That has been something that I have really wanted to do,” he said. “Liam Lennon rode a winner in four different decades, and he brought me into racing, so it is something that I have always wanted to match. That is a monkey off my back!”