SATURDAY’S season-opening fixture at Toomebridge was something of a throwback to the days of Derek O’Connor and Jamie Codd dominating, when the two former champions won four of the six races on the card. It was not long ago that the pair had monopolised riding honours between the flags. In fact, just four years ago, the last time that they filled the top two positions in the national leaderboard, they had won a quarter of all races run during the 2014/15 season.

Unfortunately for O’Connor, a shoulder injury picked up in a fall on the following afternoon at Castletown-Geoghegan was not how he would have wanted to start the season, but by the end of the day’s racing in Westmeath, a four-timer for Barry O’Neill ensured that the three winning-most riders that are currently still riding, won eight of the 12 races staged over the weekend.