MANY congratulations to Graham Devitt, a former member of the Laois Hunt Branch of the Irish Pony Club, who rode his first point-to-point winner at Tyrella last Saturday.

The now 25-year-old represented the IPC and the Republic of Ireland many times on mounted games teams in Great Britain and also played for Carlow with the Mounted Games Association of Ireland.

On leaving school, Graham did a two-year equine business course in Maynooth and afterwards qualified as an accountant at the South East Technological University in Carlow. He combines working in the finance department of Horse Racing Ireland with riding out each morning from Monday to Friday for Monasterevan trainer Peter Fahey and, on Saturdays, for Craanford’s James Kenny, who provided him with his first winner at Tyrella.

The two-length victory of The Orphan Girl in the five and six-year-old mares’ maiden on Saturday also marked a first training success for James, who was a very successful show jumper in his pony days before moving into racing.