IN the not too recent past Nina Carberry would be gearing up for some of the biggest days of her season at the Cheltenham Festival, four days in racing which brought her a total of seven Festival victories. However, this year her week will start on a different note, as she is hoping to send out her first runner as a trainer at Punchestown on Monday.

The former champion qualified rider retired from race riding in 2018 and in the intervening years has been a valuable work rider for both Aidan O’Brien and Gordon Elliott, as well as producing young stock for the store sales.

It is one of her foal purchases, the now five-year-old Adventure Bay, who having skipped the store sales as a three-year-old, and then subsequently prevented from running in a point-to-point as had been planned for him by the current suspension of racing between the flags, that will be her belated first runner.

Carberry is one of the many point-to-point handlers that are taking advantage of the temporary rule change that will allow them to have runners at these three point-to-point bumper fixtures owing to the extenuating circumstances.

“I didn’t send him to the sales as a three-year-old and I am hoping that he will run well to get him sold this way,” said Carberry of the sole horse that she has in training at her homeplace in Co. Meath which in the past has sent out the likes of Bobbyjo to Grand National success.

“It is great that they have provided us with the option of these bumpers. He would have definitely run in a point-to-point in the last couple of weeks if they had been on, but he has been going well at home so it would be great if he could go and run well now in the bumper.”

Nina is married to Ted Walsh and she is listed on the racecard as Mrs T. Walsh.

Adventure Bay runs in the 2.55pm race.

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