THE four-year-old geldings’ maiden at the Fermanagh Harriers fixture at Necarne this afternoon is the penultimate race within the age group this season in the north.

The final such race within that age group in the region coming next Saturday at the additional East Antrim fixture at Loughanmore which will replace the valuable two-day Easter fixture they lost last month.

If the four-year-old maidens within this region have told us anything this season, it is to follow the horses that Donnchadh Doyle elects to run.

The Wexford handler has enjoyed a particularly standout strike rate in the region this season, a trend which began at the outset of the season when he won four-year-old maiden races at the opening four fixtures there from Toomebridge and Moira, to Portrush and Loughbrickland.

NORTHERN VICTORIES

Victory for Allbarone at Kirkistown brought his tally to five from the nine four-year-old races in the region during the autumn, and he has re-captured that winning run in the northern region in recent weeks.

Firstly, by winning both divisions of the four-year-old maiden at Portrush late last month, followed by successes for Mossy Fen at Loughbrickland and Dancewiththewind at Taylorstown.

Fakir D’Alene became his latest four-year-old winner in the region, when getting his head in front at Broughshane seven days ago.

That latest success brought his tally in the north to ten four-year-old maidens this season, which accounts for over half of the 19 races within that age division that have been run since the beginning of October.

PAST GRADUATES

Whilst Redhotfillypeppers has previously won the four-year-old mares’ maiden at the Fermanagh course, today’s four-year-old geldings’ maiden at the track is likely the only maiden for four-year-olds that he has not won in the region to date.

A race which has been won by the likes of Briar Hill, Bun Doran and Drovers Lane in recent times and dominated by Denis Murphy who has won the last three renewals, Doyle has entered a pair of his four-year-old’s in a bid to alter that record – Pasvolsky, a €20,000 Tattersalls May sale acquisition, and the French-bred Franigane, who was bought for €38,000 as a two-year-old at the Osarus Maisons-Laffittee National Hunt sale.

All systems go for the annual Point-to-Point awards

AS the season begins to draw to a close, with just four weekends of racing remaining before the final meeting of the season at Ballingarry on Monday June 3rd.

Attention will soon begin to turn to The Irish Field Point-to-Point Awards, when all of the year’s champions will be crowned.

This will be the 40th year of the point-to-point awards and having taken place in Wexford for the past two years, this year they move to Tipperary for 2019 where they will be held at the Hotel Minella on Saturday June 8th.

The night includes a three course meal, the presentation to all this season’s award winners, live music and a DJ, and tickets and rooms can now be purchased for the event on P2P.ie.