THE link between winning racehorses and the Ward Union Hunt continued last Sunday at Downpatrick, where Born Braver landed the extended three and a half mile Randox Ulster National Handicap Chase at odds of 15/2.

The eight-year-old Court Cave gelding, who beat the Willie Mullins-trained 15/8 favourite Uncle Pat by five lengths, is trained by Gavin Cromwell and was ridden by Keith Donoghue, who are both staunch supporters of the Staghounds. The bay is owned by Judy Duffy and her husband John, a former joint-Master of the Wards.

“Gavin bought the horse from (his breeder) Claire O’Connell at the end of 2023, after he won two point-to-points for her, and then he sold him on to us as he knew the type of horse we were looking for,” related Judy. She also revealed that her daughter Catherine, who was on hand to greet their winner at Downpatrick, is happy to have forsaken the world of eventing in July 2024 to concentrate on showing.

“A lot of the girls who Catherine came up through the ranks with were no longer competing and it became boring spending a whole day at an event more or less on our own. Last August, she finished sixth in the lightweight working hunter class at Dublin with Ballyshan Hero, whom she evented twice at EI100 level. Catherine is aiming the horse at that class again but, this time, they’ll have to qualify,” commented Judy, who is a sister of leading show horse producer Kieran Ryan. “She also hopes to have a small hunter and a lightweight hunter at Dublin this year.”