Female riders: Valentine Lamb writes that on Tuesday the Turf Club have given “carte blanche” to female riders. From next year, ladies will be allowed to ride in races in competition with men in bumpers, and ladies can apply for professional licences for the flat, as long as they can satisfy the Stewards of “their eligibility, experience and competence”. For the moment, ladies will be allowed to ride in hunter chases, but not other jump races.

Also from next year, girls can be apprenticed to trainers, and ride in races with the same weight allowances as their male counterparts.

The topic is also touched on by Jonathan Powell in his weekly column from England. The Jockey Club has agreed that women can ride against men in amateur races in 1974, and as professionals from 1975. He adds that Ladbrokes offer quotes of 10,000/1 that a female rider will win the Epsom Derby in 1975; 5,000/1 a female winning rider before 1980; and 1,000/1 a female winning rider within the next ten years.

Naas reports: At Naas last Saturday, the going is soft and the big race is number six on the card, the Birdcatcher Nursery, with £1,250 added, over six furlongs. The eight runners are led home by Daniel O’Connell, a son of Continuation. He is owned and trained by Seamus McGrath and ridden by George McGrath. It’s the colt’s third win of the season.

There is a fillies’ maiden divided into two; and a colts’ maiden also divided. The opening race is won by Sweet Farewell at 2/5 on favourite, starting a double for Johnny Roe, which is completed by Tudor Circle in division two of the colts’ race.

Division one for the colts’ sees Midnight Again make his racecourse debut a winning one at 25/1. He is trained by Michael Vance and ridden by Bobby Moylan.

Over jumps, trainer Padge Berry wins the Saggart Hurdle for the third year in a row. Today he sends Brigand Prince, ridden by Mr Martin Furlong for a 7/2 victory.

The bumper is won by Mr Kevin Prendergast on Brown Admiral. They beat Russelstown by two lengths. A stewards’ inquiry is called into possible interference. The placings are left unaltered, but reporter Dave Baker has a look at the head-on film and thinks that Brown Admiral is rather fortunate to keep the race.

Mrs Peggy St John Nolan: At Fairyhouse the going is yielding, and the weather is sunny, but cold and the largest prize today is the £843 for the Oak 2-Y-O Stakes of seven furlongs, and this goes to 9/2 second favourite Blue Barrier. Ridden by Christy Roche, she beats evens favourite Hilton York by a length and a half. The winner is owned by Bert Kerr and trained by Phil Canty.

Bookmakers are cheering after the Beech Nursery, which is won by 33/1 outsider Shahinshah, ridden by Phil Lanigan, who is putting up six pounds overweight. But that doesn’t stop them winning by a neck. The winner is trained by Michael Hurley.

The concluding race is the Sycamore Ladies’ Stakes, over a mile and six, for lady riders only. There are 18 runners, and the first lady is Mrs Peggy St John Nolan, who is owner, trained and rider of Another Paddy. This is Mrs Nolan’s first racecourse success, although she has had plenty of point-to-point winners. Reporter Dave Baker is too polite to state the lady’s age, but does use the word “sexagenarian”. Another Paddy is 25/1.

Cheering and booing: Gowran Park on Thursday has yielding ground. The feature race is the Waterford Glass Nursery, over seven furlongs, worth £1,312. It’s a good result for bookmakers as 12/1 chance Wait And Take wins by a length and a half from favourite The Barrow. Paul Jarman rides the winner for trainer Kevin Prendergast.

Trainer Jim Dreaper sends two runners for the Careys Cottage Handicap Chase over two and a half miles. Colebridge, with 11st 11lb and Tommy Carberry on board, is 11/10 favourite; while Vulforo, allotted 9st 11lb to carry, has Eddie Wright in the saddle, and is 7/1 market third choice. Vulforo beats Colebridge by five lengths. Reporter Dave Baker adds that in the winners’ enclosure, first and second are greeted with “a mixture of cheering, jeering and booing.” Vulforo is owned by Mr Charles J. Haughey.

Goffs: In her weekly “Passing Parade” column, writer Pandora tackles the topic of Goffs Bloodstock Sales. Now that the Ballsbridge site has been sold, what next? She reports that some breeders are considering setting up their own co-operative in competition with Goffs. Some breeders have also told her that the costs of sending horses to be sold at Newmarket is getting higher year by year.

Pandora admits some sympathy for the company, feeling that they “would have been quite justified in going ahead with their plans for the new sales complex without paying breeders the compliment of discussing the most advantageous sites, etc, beforehand’’. Pandora concludes that she has heard some people express “disappointment” that the proposed new site is at Kill, and not “somewhere near the airport’’.

Tattersalls Newmarket: There is a review of the Newmarket October Sale, which took place from October 1st to 6th. Demand is strong for “high-class yearlings”, but “the less fashionable ones did not go so well”. The aggregate rises from 2.72 million guineas to 2.87 million. The average rises from last year’s 3,744gns to this year’s 3,991gns.

Top earner is a son of Sovereign Path, sold for 28,000gns. The article focuses on Irish vendors. Airlie Stud sell seven for a total of 85,700gns; Gerrardstown Stud receive 33,000gns for their trio of yearlings; and Lodge Park get 41,800gns for four lots.

Tables show a list of sires by sales average, headed by Yellow God (recently sold to Japan), siring three sold lots for an average of 19,200gns. There is also a table listing the 38 Irish vendors who sold three lots or more for an average of 1,000gns or more; plus text listing other Irish vendors who sold two or one horses at Newmarket.

Turf Club news: Leading owner, Mr Jim Mullion, has been elected a Member of the Turf Club. He is the owner of Ardenode Stud in Co Kildare, and on the track, he and his wife Meg have had their colours carried by horses such as Ragusa, Ballymore, Gazpacho and Floribunda, all trained by Paddy Prendergast.

Mr Frank O’Reilly and Mr Evan Williams have been elected to the Irish National Hunt Steeplechase Committee. Mr John McEnery has been appointed as a second National Hunt Handicapper.

In a short filler piece inside the paper, Valentine Lamb writes that the Turf Club have applied for planning permission for a new four-storey office block at the rear of the existing offices at 25 Merrion Square. “This firmly quashes rumours that the Turf Club might move to Goffs or go to Leopardstown or the Curragh.” Lamb adds that, if permission is granted and the building completed, then the Turf Club will be owning a valuable piece of property. He quotes a (unnamed) property expert as saying: “I could get you a buyer tomorrow willing to pay £250,000.”

RDS: Charles James writes an article asking the Royal Dublin Society for a decision about next year’s Dublin Horse Show. After selling the Merrion Road complex, which housed stables and Goffs sales, does this mean that there will be a restriction in participant numbers for the next Horse Show? The Society has bought new land on Simmonscourt Road, but not yet stated is replacement stables will be built there. James also writes: “The value of the land in the area is astronomical, and no doubt the society want to put the land to the most productive use.”