AS there was just one East Down point-to-point in the spring of 1993, there are no comparable results for next Saturday’s fixture at Tyrella.

The opening hunt race at the Corbett family’s seaside estate on Friday, March 14th, 2003 saw 10 runners go to post with Brian Hamilton then partnering the first of seven home, Sean Macklin’s Drumking.

Five lengths back in second was Bain Dubh whose partner that day, Gerard Tumelty, is now assistant trainer with Olly Murphy Racing.

Murphy at one stage worked with Gordon Elliott who, at that 2003 fixture, partnered three of the seven winners.

These were Tower Of Lloyd in division one of the five and six-year-old geldings’ maiden (beating the J.D. Moore-ridden Ballyards), Tep Kapi in division two of the same race (beating the Denis O’Regan-ridden Kithou) and Iron Monty in the winners of two (beating the Jimmy Henry-ridden Fort William).

Local rider Stephen Magee landed the open on Grangewood King ahead of the Jackie Kidd-partnered Greenacres while Mark O’Hare won the following five and six-year-old mares’ maiden on Katy Rose with Andrew Lynch finishing second on Ellegar’s Cross.

In the concluding seven and eight-year-old maiden where he rode Zoralo, O’Hare had to settle for second behind the Willie Rankin-partnered Tor Head.

In 2013, the second of the Tyrella meetings was held on Saturday, March 2nd when the day’s honours went to trainer Ian Ferguson and rider Willie Thompson who joined forces for a double.

First winner

Their first winner was Jane Ferguson’s Flemensfirth bay Rollininthedeep in the five and six-year-old geldings’ maiden with the second being Graham and Andrea Wylie’s five-year-old Westerner mare Onceuponathyme in the winners of two.

The only other local winner on the six-race card was Thornleigh Ben in the hunt race.

Ridden by Danny Fitzsimmons, the eight-year-old Anshan gelding was trained by George Stewart for Gerald and Margaret McPolin.

In the other three races, Cian Hughes saddled Mountain Tunes to win the opening four-year-old geldings’ maiden.

Colin Bowe sent out Little King Robin to land the following five and six-year-old mares’ maiden while the Richie Rath-trained Brandy And Pep claimed the concluding seven-year-old and upwards maiden for novice riders under one Rob James.