A THREE-strong race programme of hunter chases will again make up the autumn hunter chase term, with Fairyhouse, Down Royal and Limerick the racecourses set to host a race before the new year.

That follows the same pattern of the past two seasons, however a number of subtle, yet positive amendments have been made for 2022.

Fairyhouse was introduced to the autumn hunter chase programme in 2020 with a largely hunter chase and point-to-point bumper dominated card being added to compensate the connections of these horses for the opportunities lost by the Covid-19 interruptions of the previous spring.

Last year, an open hunter chase and two point-to-point bumpers were retained at the Co Meath venue, however the races were largely poorly supported.

Both the open hunter chase and geldings’ point-to-point bumper on the card could only muster a disappointing four runners each, and as a result the races have been overhauled.

For the 2022 fixture on Tuesday, November 15th, only one point-to-point bumper has been scheduled with the open hunter chase being reclassified as a winners-of-two hunter chase with penalties.

With those horses that have previously won a race under rules, other than a hunter chase, being excluded, the race is in many ways the hunter chase equivalent of a point-to-point winners’ race, providing an opportunity for less proven horses in the sphere to compete in a race without potentially coming up against one of the countries top hunter chase performers, or one of the many former track horses currently competing in the open division between the flags.

Big targets

This reflects the reality that many of the country’s top hunter chasers often do not reappear until later in the season building towards their big targets late in the spring, while alongside that, the previous conditions of the race may have left the connections of less experienced horses hesitant to take on proven track winners.

Now the only previous track winners eligible for the race are those that have won up to a maximum of two hunter chases, with a 5lb penalty being applied for each of these wins.

The amendment will see the St Stephen’s Day hunter chase at Down Royal retake its traditional position as the first open hunter chase of the season, with the race distance also set to be increased.

This race has been won by leading performers in the division such as Billaway, Foxrock, On The Fringe, Marito and Salsify in the past, but over the last decade the distance of the race has steadily reduced, with last year’s race being run over a distance of two miles and five furlongs.

The autumn provisional summary indicates that this year the race distance is set to be three miles.

TWO Covid-19 interrupted seasons left the sport having to turn to the political sphere pleading for a return to point-to-point action, and Saturday’s fixture at Loughanmore saw a well-known former politician enjoy the thrills that the sport has to offer.

The four-and-a-half-length victory of Mister Park in the Tattersalls NH five-year-old geldings’ maiden at the East Antrim fixture saw the colours of former Minister of State Tom Hayes carried to success.

Initially a senator from 1997 to 2001, Hayes was then elected as a TD for Tipperary South and represented the constituency for 15 years, including a three-year spell as Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

Hayes who was present at Loughanmore to welcome in his winner (See page 56), had double the number of reasons to celebrate as he also bred the bay five-year-old out of his Good Thyne mare Anniesthyne.

That bumper winner for Tim Doyle has already produced a blacktype performer in the ill-fated Resolute Bay, and the last of her nine registered offspring, Mister Park will have given Hayes valid reasons to hope that he may be the best of them all.

Point-to-point Ratings

Memory Lane one for the notebook

LAST weekend appeared to mark a notable gear change in the younger age maidens headlined by the winning debut of Down Memory Lane (95+) in the four-year-old geldings’ maiden at Umma House.

Switched off in rear in customary Derek O’Connor fashion, the Walk In The Park gelding may not have been as electric as some of his rivals over his obstacles, however his vastly superior engine more than compensated as he powered clear in between the final two fences to win as he pleased by just under 10 lengths in a particularly quick time.

Twenty-four hours earlier and the latest fixture at Loughanmore certainly appeared to have upheld that tracks strong reputation with a number of notable performances from horses who had to overcome adversity to achieve debut successes.

That was certainly the case with Annabelle Magic (83++) who made a serious error at the penultimate fence which resulted in the long-time pace setter losing the advantage and swiftly dropping into a share of third.

Gamely

To her credit she responded gamely when coming under pressure to such an extent that when she did make it back to the front, she ultimately won going away at the line.

The second-last fence was also almost the downfall of Ballyburn (93++) in the geldings’ equivalent as he was perfectly positioned to launch his bid approaching that fence only to be badly hampered by a faller and almost taken off course.

He lost even more ground than had been the case in the opener, yet he too impressed by winning quite comfortably in the end from what had seemed an unlikely position leaving the back straight.

Front-runners faired well on the afternoon, with Mister Park (91+) making all to win readily, while elsewhere My Girl Katie (80+) delivered a performance that her connections had clearly been expecting to beat the form horse of the race in the style of a smart autumn five-year-old.