AS the spring session of the point-to-point season moves into February, a new pattern emerges.

Not only do the first four-year-old races of the year commence, but also first-race times tend to get later, which helps attract more spectators whose contribution is so important to hunts’ finances and the weekends do get more busy with more meetings on Sundays, making the choice of where to go more open.

While I personally am more than happy to drive a long way to get to a very attractive meeting, this is not everyone’s cup of tea. It therefore follows that those organising meetings will reap the best rewards if they offer an attractive package to prospective patrons.

So it was that on the first Sunday of this month, I set off for the Co Clare meeting at Bellharbour.

It was seven years since I had last been to that meeting but, with Ballinaboola having disappeared from the list of venues this year, the attractive card plus the day’s only open race and good entry meant it was not a difficult decision to make. The well-promoted added attraction of the charity race meant that it was always odds on as the meeting to visit.

Scenic venue

Bellharbour is one of the most scenic point-to-point courses, not only in Ireland. Even on a day of changeable weather, it is still a fantastic course to visit with very good viewing.

I arrived in good time and was fairly near to the front rank of the carpark. However, due to the excellent publicity given to the event (thank you Richard Pugh for putting in a good word during Saturday’s television coverage from Leopardstown) the cars kept coming and coming. Before too long, the carpark was full, as good a crowd as I can remember in modern times.

By the time the ‘legends’ race took place, after the six proper point-to-point races, hardly anyone had left and there were more people around the parade ring for this than there had been for any of the day’s previous contests.

Pat Smullen, whose Cancer Trials charity benefitted from the race, was present himself and was interviewed by Michael Duggan, a former contributor to this publication.

Most of the riders were from west of the Shannon. Willie Twiston-Davies came from England. Though still younger than many of the riders in the actual point-to-points, Willie is a genuine legend as, during his short riding career, he became the youngest rider ever to win the Aintree Fox Hunters.

Past champions

Eighteen riders actually took part in the charity race and two of them had been champion point-to-point rider: appropriately they finished first and third.

The winner was Tom Costello who was champion in 1982 and 1983, in a career that lasted from 1980 until 1994, during which time he rode 250 winners, a total which still keeps him in Ireland’s top 20 riders of all time.

Third place went to Adrian Maguire, who only spent two seasons riding in points before turning professional: in those two years, he rode 47 winners but in his second year (1991) he topped the riders table with 38 winners.

These two champions were split by Clareman Jason Titley, who was a leading professional. It was good to see that these fine riders, when given a willing horse, can still prove really competitive.

Tom Costello led for most of the two miles and, when headed, got his mount to rally and got back in front in the closing stages.

Jason Titley was always close to the pace and went to the front approaching the final straight but could not hold on, while Adrian Maguire waited in the rear for over a mile and then made steady progress through the field but could not quite reel in the first two.

Appropriate winner

It was great to see so many people supporting this race and it was more than appropriate that the winner came from the Costello family, which has been synonymous with all aspects of horse racing in Co Clare.

Also, it goes to show that people want to see that with which they are familiar: in this race, as in the autumn contest at Lingstown, the horses were anonymous while the riders were the stars.

At an ordinary race meeting people like to see horses with which they are familiar, so a good open race, plus a winners’ race, will always be attractive to casual spectators.

It was a pleasure to go again to Bellharbour and meet people I had not seen for a while. Congratulations to the organisers – they got so many things right.

On the subject of charity races, I must say that both the races at Lingstown and Bellharbour have been well supported, both by horses and riders, and also the viewing public.

With another to come at Knockanard this month, I hope the sport is not going to the well too often.

While the three have been in different regions, will there be any good cause left to be similarly supported next year if needed?