SATURDAY’s point-to-point at Loughbrickland again saw Northern yards come out on top, with only the open falling to a Southern raider, and it was a red letter day for Karen McNeilly who trained her first winner with her first runner when Benatar landed the four-year-old maiden.

Animal lover Karen trains in Staide, outside Ballyclare, where she lives with partner Paul Traynor, one of the family enterprise Bray Forge farriers, nearly month-old son Heath and a large collection of dogs and horses. The latter grouping includes sport horses as well as thoroughbreds.