THE final fixture of the autumn point-to-point season in Great Britain was held last Sunday at Larkhill where two divides resulted in an eight-race card but no rider managed to complete a double.

However, it was a special day for one of the true amateurs of the sport, Sam Waley-Cohen, who recorded his 100th victory between the flags, 21 years after landing the first.

Sunday’s win came in the mixed open where Waley-Cohen scored by three lengths on the British-bred Igor, an eight-year-old Presenting gelding owned and trained by the rider’s father, Robert.

There were only two Irish-bred winners during the day, the first of them being the Tom Weston-owned and trained Yeomen Warder, a 2017 son of Shirocco who, on his second start, landed the two-and-a-half-mile four and five-year-old maiden under Luke Scott.

Despatched as the 4/7 favourite, the gelding is out of the unraced Great Palm mare Quarry Endeavour, a full-sister to the six-time winner Great Endeavour.

The other Irish-bred winner on the card was the Will Biddick-ridden, Chris Barber-trained The Big Sting who justified 4/5 favouritism by five lengths in the two-and-a-half-mile restricted.

Second success

This was a second win in two starts between the flags for the six-year-old Scorpion gelding.

Barber completed a double when James King partnered the French-bred Envoye Special to victory in the second division of the Level 2 conditions race.

The first division was won by another French-bred gelding, the former Willie Mullins-trained Dragon d’Estruval, who, now in the care of Phil Rowley, scored by 12 lengths in the hands of Ben Bromley.

The opening two-mile bumper for four and five-year-olds was divided with the in-form Kelly Morgan saddling the 2016 Malinas mare Presenting Miranda, a half-sister to Presenting Percy, to score on her debut under Alice Stevens in division one.

Newcomer

The second division was won by the five-year-old newcomer The Tablet, a Trans Island gelding on whom Zac Baker wore the colours of owner/trainer Maurice Linehan.

Having finished second in that maiden on He’llstopatthetop, 17-year-old Arron Butterfield recorded his first success when landing the concluding six-year-old and upwards maiden on Footloose, a seven-year-old Sulamani gelding he owns and trains himself.

IRISH Thoroughbred Marketing sponsored two races at Barbury Racecourse on Sunday, December 12th, the opening two-mile bumper for four and five-year-olds, which was divided, and the two-and-a-half-mile four and five-year-old maiden.

Division one of the bumper was won by the French-bred newcomer Park Hill Dancer, a 2017 Waldpark gelding trained by Leslie Jefford and ridden by Co Meath-born Martin McIntyre.

The bay is a half-brother to the Grade 2 Kingwell Hurdle winner Song For Someone (by Medicean) being out of the winning Danehill Dancer mare, Sweni Hill.

Riding for David Phelan, Ben Bromley won division two on the Irish-bred Churchills Boy who, too, was making his debut. This four-year-old Malinas gelding is the third of just three foals out of the Bach mare Lindas Last whose first produce, the ill-fated Western Fiona (by Westerner), won a mares’ maiden at Ballyvodock in February 2020 on the second of two point-to-point starts.

Only three of the 12 starters managed to complete in the four and five-year-old maiden where James King took up the running at the second fence on the Francesca Poste-trained Western Zephyr who ran out a very comfortable 25-length winner.

The 2017 Westerner gelding, a €20,000 Goffs Land Rover Sale graduate, is the second of four recorded foals out of unraced Beneficial mare Beneficial Breeze who is a half-sister to four winners. This was the first success of the season for the Poste yard.

There were three other Irish-bred winners on this nine-race card. On her second start in Britain, Honey I’m Good, a five-year-old Califet bay (ex Hopeful Gleam, by Simply Great), won the two-and-a-half-mile mares’ maiden under her trainer, Bradley Gibbs.

Co Galway native Tommie O’Brien landed the mixed open on the Lucy Smith-trained nine-year-old Presenting gelding Marcle Ridge (ex Labarynth, by Exit To Nowhere). Osian Radford (20) recorded his first success when winning the novice riders’ race for his boss David Brace on the 10-year-old Brian Boru gelding Looksnowtlikebrian (ex Sheebadiva, by Norwich).

GINA Andrews became only the second lady rider to record 300 successes in British point-to-points when she won the ladies’ open at Alnwick on Sunday, December 12th with the 1/3 favourite, Latenightpass.

The eight-year-old Passing Glance gelding, who was having his first start since the combination finished second to James King and Cousin Pascal in the Foxhunters at Aintree in April, is trained by Andrews’s husband, Tom Ellis, for his mother Pippa who bred the bay out of her Midnight Legend mare, Latenightdip.

Andrews and Ellis doubled up in the second division of the maiden where Deafening Silence came good on his third start, justifying favouritism by seven lengths. A four-year-old gelding by Alkaadhem out of the bumper winner Taipers (by Taipan), the winner had been brought down and fallen on his previous outings when ridden by Andrews’s brother Jack.

Another trainer/rider combination to record at double was Kelly Morgan and George Chatterton who won the men’s open with the Getaway gelding Overworkdunderpaid and the following Level 3 conditions race with the Vinnie Roe gelding, Vinnie Lewis.

The other Irish-bred winner at this Ratcheugh Racing Club fixture was Senor Lombardy who took the opening NPPA Level 3 conditions race as the even-money favourite. The eight-year-old Milan gelding, who was ridden by Lyall Hodgins, as he was when winning this race last year, is trained by Kelly Harding, one of the bay’s four owners along with her husband Brian.

There were five Irish-bred winners on the card at the previous Sunday’s meeting at Charing and two provided a double for the in-form duo of trainer Alan Hill and rider Izzie Marshall.

The first of the pair to strike was the nine-year-old Brian Boru gelding Back Bar who landed the ladies’ open by 10 lengths from the Aintree Foxhunters winner Cousin Pascal who was ridden on this occasion by Gina Andrews. The double came up in the following Level 2 conditions race won by the seven-year-old Winged Love gelding, Getting Closer.

Co Galway’s Tommie O’Brien won the men’s open on the Bea Coward-trained Galileo gelding Gran Paradiso.

Alex Chadwick landed the opening maiden with the Rob Cundy-trained Presenting gelding Castle Trump but, in the concluding maiden, Chadwick had to settle for second as Ben Bromley scored by 25 lengths on the Phil Rowley-trained Shirocco gelding Outlaw Dream.

Wadebridge

On the same day, December 5th, four of the seven winners at Wadebridge carried an IRE suffix including both of those ridden by Will Biddick for owner/trainer Tom Malone.

The duo claimed division two of the maiden with the five-year-old Westerner gelding Escapeandevade whose stable-companion, the seven-year-old Kalanisi gelding Truckers Pass, justified odds-on favouritism in the restricted.

Between those wins, Alan Hill provided Biddick with the middle leg of a treble when the French-bred Voie Dans Voie took the intermediate by a length. The Myles Osborne-trained Presenting gelding Moratorium won the veteran and novice riders’ race under Nathan Green while Darren Edwards partnered the Nicola Martin-trained 12-year-old Mountain High gelding Sykes to victory in the men’s open.