LAST Saturday at Punchestown, when accepting his trophy as champion National Hunt trainer in Ireland for the 16th time, Willie Mullins brought the main players in his yard up to the podium with him including Culcavy bloodstock agent Harold Kirk who had plenty of successes to tweet about during the Festival.

Anna Ross of the Newtownabbey-based agency Kevin Ross Bloodstock was also busy on Twitter this week while Caledon trainer Andy Oliver too used social media to alert followers to the fact that he sent out the first two winners at Sligo on Sunday – his own four-year-old Bated Breath filly Count To Five, who landed the opening six-furlong fillies’ maiden in the hands of Gary Carroll, and J.P. Ledwidge’s three-year-old Gutaifan colt Band Width who justified favouritism under Declan McDonogh in the auction maiden over a similar trip.

Hat-trick

Last Friday at Newmarket, the Oliver-bred Living Legend brought up a hat-trick of victories for Charlie and Mark Johnston when landing the Group 2 Betfair Exchange Jockey Club Stakes by one and three-quarter lengths. This was a second stakes success and seventh victory in 15 starts for the six-year-old Camelot gelding who, at one stage of his career, spent 841 days on the sidelines.

Living Legend is the first of just two foals, and the only runner, out of the Johar mare Jazz Girl who won eight races for Oliver and the late Garrett Freyne.

The McCracken Farms-bred two-year-old Daytona Lady (by Bungle Inthejungle out of Roseau City, by Cityscape) justified favouritism on her debut at Chelmsford City late last Thursday afternoon for the Sean Wood yard. Just minutes before, the Brian Kennedy-bred Ha Long Bay (Mastercraftsman – Anguillarina, by Bushranger) likewise rewarded favourite backers at Redcar.

That three-year-old gelding is trained by Adrian Keatley who sent out the 12-year-old Winged Love gelding Drumconnor Lad to win the two-mile handicap hurdle at Hexham last Saturday for owners David Keys and Breda Keatley. The bay was bred by Martin Abernethy out of the Shahrastani mare Drumconnor Lady.

Also over jumps, the Aaron Metcalfe-bred Slate House (Presenting – Bay Pearl, by Broadway Flyer) gave former jockey Joe Tizzard his first win with his first runner over jumps when landing the two-mile, two-furlong handicap chase at Kempton on Monday.

The Jane Buchanan-bred Hollymount (Jet Away – Zaffarella, by Zaffaran) obliged at long odds-on in the extended two and a half-mile mares’ novices’ hurdle at Ayr on Tuesday. This was a second win in five starts over hurdles for the six-year-old who is trained by Gordon Elliott.

Bred by the late Brian Kilpatrick, the Califet seven-year-old Miss Benjo obliged on her 13th start between the flags when landing the mares’ maiden at Stowlin on Sunday.

The bay was consigned by the Glebe House to the 2018 May sale at Tattersalls Ireland where she was knocked down to former jockey Shaun Parkyn whose wife, Sally, is eventing and sport horse sales correspondent for the Irish Horse World section of The Irish Field.

Having run six times for Parkyn and Sean Doyle, the mare changed hands and is currently trained by former amateur, now business manager with Gain Horse Feeds/Glanbia, Michael Phillips, whose daughter Hannah was in the saddle at Sunday’s East Galway Foxhounds fixture.

Miss Benjo’s five-year-old Court Cave half-sister Time Was, who is trained for Jeremy Maxwell by Emmet Mullins, was beaten a short-head into second under Noel McParlan when making her debut at Loughrea last month.