MANY congratulations to Susie Doyle who recorded her first win in a point-to-point at her local Golden Vale Foxhounds’ meeting at Turtulla last Sunday.

The 19-year-old from Holycross, who landed the working hunter pony championship at the Dublin Horse Show in 2016 with Fiona O’Dwyer’s Knocklucas Chloe, won the open lightweight race for novice riders with her mother Mary’s 10-year-old Portrait Gallery gelding, Samanntom.

“My Dad (Pat, the trainer) bought the horse from an owner in the yard just for me to ride,” revealed Susie, “and I’m hoping that he’ll be nice enough to buy me another now as I’m going to concentrate on pointing for the winter. I rode in six point-to-points last season, finishing second once and third twice.

“I did a lot of show jumping over the past couple of years with Herbst Acapella but I sold him after Dublin (where she competed in the Young Riders 1.30m section) to Tim Brennan whose son Timmy is getting on really well with him. I might buy a young show jumper next spring to bring on and sell.”

Last season, Susie (who is in second year studying marketing at CIT) and her sister Shannie owned a Vinnie Roe mare, Miss Batten, who won her point-to-point first time out under Rob James. She was since sold to Scottish trainer Lucinda Russell and the Doyles are looking forward to running a now three-year-old Califet gelding next spring.

Shannie couldn’t attend Sunday’s meeting but Mary and Pat (who also trained an earlier winner on the card) were joined by their son Jack who is home for the winter. Like his two sisters, Jack did some pony eventing but is now well-established as a jumps jockey in the United States. “He owns a few of the young horses in the yard so it’s good that he’s home to school them,” said Susie who rides out on Tuesdays and Thursdays for Robert Tyner but can get home to Holycross most mornings.

While Doyle is doing plenty of riding, her rugby career is on hold at present. “I took last season off with an injured shoulder which I had operated on in August. I hope to get back to playing in the new year,” she concluded.