Point to Point Weekly 22-5-24

Wednesday, May22, 2024

GEORGIE GIRL ABIG HIT

Red Acres Georgie puts the boys in their place with astunning performance at Ballindenisk Reports, pages 2-3

DEREK O’CONNOR

‘Amazingly, we’ve reached the final weekendwith the main riding titles hangin the balance and these three hard-fought battles will ensure the season ends w touch of drama’ Page 4 ngi with

German Derby (G1) winner (defeating‘Arc’winnerTorquatorTasso) and‘Arc’runner-up by ADLERFLUG

Luke Barry (x2)

Mark Bleahen Matt O’Connor (x2) Willie Browne

Flash Conroy

David Connors Tim Dennis (x2)

PeterVaughan

NEWRYATTAYLORSTOWN SATURDAY

‘Completelegend’ Winged Leader keepstitle-chaser O’Neillinthe hunt

BARRYO’NEILLkept up the pressure on titlerival Rob James with adouble completed by top pointer Winged Leader Victoryinthe Lynda Hughes Memorial open wasthe tenyear-old’s ninthsuccessin three months,whichleaves David Christie’s geldingwith an unassailable lead in the race to become champion point-topointer

“There’snot much Ican add to what’s beensaidabout him,” O’Neill said.“He’sjusta complete legend of the pointto-pointgame and that’s it

“Hejustkeeps turning up; he’s one of the toughesthorses I’ve ever ridden. It’s an unbelievable trainingperformance by Davidtokeepthe horse in that condition and formweek in and week out.”

O’Neill’s double began with NatusVincere,animpressive seven-and-half-length winner of

Star performance

Myleno came up trumps in aracecontaining four lasttime-out winners and continues to improve

theSeven Stars five-year-old and upwardsmares’maiden for handler Colin Bow

Thedaughter o Ri sk At Al lw a makingher debut and caughtthe eyeinpickingup well beforethe last to wineasily. Bo we said : “She’s alovely filly We alwaysliked and she jumpedy well today. Shewas alittle greencomingdownthe hills, so she’ll improvefromthe run. She’ll probably be sold now.”

when takingthe opening DerryleckaBeddingCentre four-year-old mares’ maiden.

Thedaughter of Workforce wasguidedtoher eight-length victorybythis year’s northern champion Noel McParlan.

“She wasverygood today. I’d agreat spinand she jumped verywhere,”he “She wasstill avellingwellin ehind when the front pair fell so she wasleftin front and felt v er yg re en omingdownthe ll, butshe was est, galloping gthe line.”

Smile Back provideda local winfor handler Mark O’Hare

Se an Do yle an dJamie Scallan continuedtheir rich vein of formastheyteamedup for adouble.Their firstvisit to the winner’s enclosurecame with Orderoftheday (pictured,

UNITED AT BALLINDENISK SUNDAY

left),who came outtop in a thrillingfinishtothe Dennison Commercials four-year-old geldings maiden. Scallan hadtoworkhardin

the closingstagestofendoff Smokeringinthedarkbyahead, denyingO’Neill atreble “Hew as ve ry go od, he tougheditout well righttothe line,” Scallan said. “His runthe lastday stood to him.Hewas thirdinDromahane.Itwas a good run, so he deservedtoget up today.”

RedAcres Georgieputsgeldingsinthe shade

THE Mick Goff-trained Red AcresGeorgie lit up thefourth and final fixture of the season at Ballindenisk with astunning successagainst the geldings’in the Goffs Spring Sale four-yearold maiden.

RedAcres Georgie,who fell twoout when travellingwellin the lead on her debutat Stowlin twoweeks earlier,was sent to thefront from the fifth fence and the daughter of Order Of St George held too ma ny aces for her ri va ls approachingthe second-last.

Shethendrewfurther clear and, despitemakingamistake at the final fence,returned with 14 len gths to sp areove r newcomer Moyganny Phil.

“She’s averygood filly,”Goff said of of RedAcres Georgie, who is relatedtoBallyburn and is ownedbyhis wife Catriona in partnership with breeder TommyFrisbyfromMullinavat.

Star performance

RedAcres Georgie completedthe notablefeat of beatinggeldingsinfouryear-old maiden company

“She wasinsuchterrific form after Stowlin that we said we would takeonthe geldings and shewas squealingwhenshe gotheretoday.”

RedAcres Georgie’s rider MikeySweeney then travelled on to Stradballytocomplete an across-the-carddouble on the Goff-trainedPeggysRockinthe mares’ open.

Re dAcres Ge orgie wa s quicklyadded to the Goffs UK spring sale of point-to-pointers at Doncaster,aswas ownertr ainer Ha rl ey Du nne ’s debutant Newton Tornado, who impressed whenshowing his rivals aclean pairofheelsin the second division of the Tattersalls NH five- and sixyear-old geldings’maiden.

TheCokoriko-sired Newton Tornado –whosedam New Saga wasplacedina French Listed hurdle andisa halfsister to Nickname –was

bouncedout smartlyinfront by Tiernan Power.

Newton Tornado wasgetting the better of the argumentwith TrasnaNaPairce when putting in thefaster leapatthe last and winningbyfourlengths

“He’salovely bigsortwho just needed abit of time and, likeall my horses,he’dbeen under abit of acloud this year,”

Du nne said of Ne wt on Tornado,a€45,000 vendor buy-backatthe 2022 Goffs

Land Roversale

Millforce,havingfinished secondonhis last three starts, earneddue reward by landing the first division under handler Liam Kenny’sson James.

Millforce pickedupthe runningtwo outand thehalfbrother to WhackerClan stormed cleartoaccount for seasonal debutantCinque Terreby15lengths in the coloursofthe Orphan Girl SyndicatefromGorey

This race dividedthree ways and Coolberrin Hill justified the lengthytrekfromownertrainer Noel Hynds’Banbridge base by landingthe thirdleg CoolberrinHill, a€24,000 acquisition at the 2022 Tattersalls Ireland July sale, fulfilled the promiseofhis excellent debutthirdatBallyvodock by sweepingpastnewcomer Dance Rules to scorebyaneck under Eoin O’Brien.

SamCurling, also on the mark with Side Show at Stradbally, struck with Jeremy Pass in the Pipeline Renewable Heating Solutions open.

Thenine-year-old dual track winner for Paul Nicholls returnedtothe formofhis second to ItsOnThe Line at DammaHouse in November, drawing clear twoout under DerekO’ConnortobeatEarth Furies by sixlengths.

Ba rr yO ’N ei ll mo ve d alongside RobJames at the head of the riders’championshipbylandingthe Geaney Pr op er ty De ve lopme nt s

winners-of-oneonColinBowe’s grey Backonthegoagain

Lastmonth’s Loughanmore debutmaiden winner wason topafter the second-lastbefore beatingCan Daddy Dance by eightlengths

TheTerence O’Brien-trained Chief Consul,acreditable fourth on his previous runina Kilbeggan maiden hurdle last summer,madeavictorious starttohis pointingcareerby assertingfromtwo outunder DarraghAllen in the McCarthy Commercials, Johnny’sRestaurant and Take Away and Carey’s To ol Hi re con fi ned hu nt maiden to beat TrooperCarton by fivelengths JonathanFogarty continued his stellar season by landingthe Coolmore, Ballymaloeand Sherry Fitzgerald five-year-oldand-upwards mares’ maiden with newcomer La DolceDolly. Afoal purchase,LaDolce Dollywas sent to the frontby BarryStone twoout andcrossed the line with ten lengths in hand over ShuilSiorai.

CoolberrinHill (near side)scoresfor owner-trainer Noel Hynds

Ronnies Rules gave Scallan and Doyle their second winner when landing the Boyds Stores five-year-old and upwards geldings’ maiden. The Luke

Barry O’Neill completes the first leg of his double with a seven-and-half-length victory on Natus Vincere in the fiveyear-old-and-upwards mares’ maiden

LAOIS AT STRADBALLY SATURDAY

Survivor keeps up James’s push for championship

TITLE-CHASING Rob James

Andrews-owned gelding was making amends having fallen on his debut at Tinahely.

“We were unlucky the first day. He was going to run a cracker in Tinahely first time out when coming down two out and was probably going to come second to a good horse of Cormac Doyle’s, The Jukebox Kid,” Scallan said.

Myleno landed his second winner in a fortnight when running out a 13-length winner of the concluding Ph ilip McCabe Quantity Surveyor winners-of-three contest in the ha nds of ow ner Da rrag h Hanlon. The pair had their initial success at Necarne two weeks earlier

“Ah, that’s an indescribable feeling. I thought the ground may have been too quick for him, but he just jumped so well again. He flew from four out to get right on terms and I let him roll on from there and he did it well,” Hanlon said.

‘He’s enjoying life and so am I! It’s great to get another one on the board on the back of my first success at Necarne.”

ro de a do uble in wh at developed into a marathon affair on Saturday with nine races and 94 runners.

The Killanne rider’s second winner came on the Sean Do yle-tr aine d Ul tim ate Survivor in the second division of the Goffs Spring Sale fouryear-old auction maiden.

The recent Borris House runner-up Dynamite Dan took the eight runners along as Ultimate Survivor, making a quick reappearance having finished a well-beaten fourth on his debut behind High Court Cave at Toomebridge the previous Saturday, was settled in mid-division.

The winning son of Court Cave, a half-brother to Born Survivor, edged closer on the final circuit and picked up the running two out. He then asserted on the flat to account for Elusive Shine by two and a half lengths in the familiar Monbeg Partnership silks

Doyle, who also sent out two winners at Taylorstown, was re pr es en te d by Pa tr ic k O’Sullivan, who said: “The track at Toomebridge just didn’t suit la st we ek end and Ja mie [Scallan] left him alone when it

LAOIS AT STRADBALLY SUNDAY

THERE was no more popular winner at the two-day Stradba ll y fix tu re th an Lu ke Carberry After a serious fall in October, which fractured his cheekbone and eye socket and left him with a small bleed on the brain, the 23-year-old jockey rode his first winner of the season and second overall.

Victory came on Stage Burn in the McLoughlin’s SuperValu older geldings’ maiden for novice riders, a welcome first visit to the winner’s enclosure since being airlifted to hospital from the Umma House track last autumn.

The Meath rider showed no ill effects from his horror fall as he shone on Willie Murphy’s charge His patient tactics were decisive, delivering the sixyear-old to beat Thehardandthewild by a length and a half, to the delight of the Carlow-based handler

“They went a right gallop, which suited him,” Murphy said. “Luke dropped him out and took his time; it was a great ride Our horses were all wrong early this season and they have only come back right in the last couple of weeks.”

Ian McCarthy will be hoping

Star performance

Local Derby battled gamely on his debut to continue Jonathan Fogarty’s best season

wasn’t happening for him.”

James had earlier won on Donnchadh Doyle’s Klub De Reve in the first division of this same race

Klub De Reve had the best form considering he finished second to Scope To Improve on his debut at Necarne two weeks earlier and the winning son of Fly With Me, having cornered best on the turn before two out, stayed on determinedly to account for Catch Me Quick by a head in the day’s closest finish

“He had the best form and he will now go to Doncaster [sales],” said Eamon Doyle, brother of the winning handler Klub De Reve was bought for £16,000 at Doncaster a year ago.

Doyle was responsible for two winners as he also struck with Golan Loop, the mount of Alan Harney, in the first division of the Tattersalls NH four-year-old maiden.

The Walk In The Park-sired winner stepped forwards from

his de bu t fo ur th be hind Cahier’s Den at Ballindenisk two weeks ago by leading from the eighth fence before fighting off Saxon Cross by a length

“He jumped well today; Michael Cullen owns him with Donnchadh,” Eamonn Doyle said of Golan Loop, who traces back to the line of smart staying hurdler What A Question.

Ross Sugrue was also in double form and he made his firs t mo un t for ha ndler

Jonathan Fogarty a winning one by capturing the second division of this same race on newcomer Local Derby

A brother to Jonjo O’Neill’s dual hurdles winner Fortunate Man, Local Derby overcame greenness by hitting the front before the last to beat the Rob Ja mes -p ar tnered Emp ire Succes by one and a half lengths

Sugrue then signed off on Peter Croke’s Cosimeasy in the Ashbourne Meats five-year-oldand-upwards mares’ maiden.

Cosimeasy, owned and bred by Croke’s landlord Maurice Sheehy, was left in front by the fourth-last fence departure of Versace Twentyone and she accounted for Je Suis by four and a half lengths

Carberry’s ‘great ride’ brings first winner since horror fall

Star performance

Peggy’s Rock has put it up to the boys this season and deservedly gained her fourth victory of the campaign

it is second time lucky in the sales ring for Our Shane after the Kalanisi gelding he trains for Gary O’Hagan was a sixlength winner of the Coolrain Concrete winners-of-two contest under Eoin Mahon.

The five-year-old had failed to find a buyer when offered at the Goresbridge sale last mon th after his ma iden success at Tyrella, and he will now be offered at this week’s Goffs Spring sale at Doncaster

“We have him entered,” McCarthy said. “I just thought I’d make him a little bit more valuable for Gary as he got cast in the box at Goresbridge. He’s

proved himself a horse who will win plenty of races.”

He will be joined at the Doncaster sale by the Sam Curling-trained Side Show after she enhanced her value by opening her account in the Nicky and Katie Lawless and INHSC older mares’ maiden.

James Dunne’s homebred had been placed in two of her three starts this season and put that experience to good use by fending off Sky Luna by a neck under David Doyle

The Mick Goff stable enjoyed an across-the-card double when the fine Ballindenisk

Peggy’s Rock seals her fourth success of the season when landing the mares’ open

victory of Red Acres Georgie was supplemented by the allthe-way win of Peggy’s Rock in the Martin Kelly Construction mares’ open.

Having proven to be no match for David Christie’s Au Fleuron at Tattersalls, the fiveyear-old relished the return to competing against her own sex as she eased to a 15-length victory over Neat Locality under Mikey Sweeney.

“She’s a tough mare and always puts in a good performance,” Sweeney said. “The last day she was against good geldings from David Christie and Gordon Elliott, but she bounced back to form today.”

Like Goff, Carlow handler Aidan Fitzgerald also sent out

It wa s an aftern oon of doubles as Jack Hendrick rode tw o wi nners, st ri ki ng on Kilmore Quay-based ownertrainer Denis Moore’s Mr Gower in the second division of the De si gn O pti ons unplaced maiden.

There was only going to be one outcome once Mr Gower picked up the running before four out as the son of Imperial Monarch stretched clear to score by 15 lengths Hendrick then landed the Castle Arms Hotel open on Warren Ewing’s Jay Bee Why A dual track winner for Alan King, Jay Bee Why posted his second success of the season by leading from six out to beat Francois by a length Luke Whitty, an 18-year-old rider from near Graiguenamanagh, had his first winner on his boss Aidan ‘Scobie’ Fitzgerald’s Garm Colombe at the expense of Fralimonti Bilbery in the closing Meadow Meats winners’ race Vinny Devereux’s Onyerbike vindicated the promise of his eighth at Curraghmore last season by collecting the first division of the unplace d ma iden unde r Sha ne O’Rourke.

tw o wi nner s acr os s the weekend, with both coming at the Laois venue. After Garm Colombe won 24 hours earlier, his stablemate Gorvennec brought the Cobajay stables team their eighth success of the season in the Goffs Spring Sale adjacent maiden.

Galloping clear before the last under Troy Walsh, the €40,000 Martaline gelding returned five lengths clear of Bendintheriver.

“He ran a few times on heavy and it’s good ground he wants,” Fitzgerald said. “He cost a lot of money and we always liked him , bu t he ca me home coughing the last day. He’ll be a nice horse going forward.”

Good ground was also cited as the key to Clearisthewater’s success in the Tatteralls NH five-year-old geldings’ maiden.

Kieran Roche’s Ol’ Man River ge ldin g re tu rne d from a winter’s absence an improved individual as he overhauled the pacesetter Duffry Sea by a length under James Murray “The key to him was the ground,” Murray said. “He winged three out and stayed on strong. He is a game horse who will give you everything he has.”

Pictures HEALY RACING

DerekO’Connor Straight to thePoint

Threeraretitle battlesguarantee dramatic finalweekend of season

WE’REwithin sight of the finishing post with just four meetings remainingina season that beganlastOctober Amazingly, we’vereachedthe final weekend with the three main riding titles still hanginginthe balance

Iremember many previous seasons in which things have been tightatthe top,but what we have this year is unusual.

Forthe senior title,Rob James and BarryO’Neill aretiedon39apiece SusieDoyle and Maxine O’Sullivan areboth on sevenintheir duel for the ladyriders’ championship,and it’s 13-all between Shane Cotter and Dara McGill forunder-21 honours.

It’s goingtobea tenseweekend for the riders, their families and supporters At the same time, these three hard-foughtbattles will givean extracompetitiveedgeatthe various venues to ensurethe season ends with atouch ofdrama and excitement.

Point-to-point followers appreciate what atitle of any description means to those concerned. Onerider whoenjoyed that sensationfor the first timethis season is Jack Hendrick,who shared the eastern region championship with RobJamesafter the pair rode twowinners at Stradbally last Saturday.

Jack is an excellentrider whohas increased histotal of winners in each of the lastfourseasons.Heheads into thefinal weekend on the 27-winner mark,alreadyfivemore than lastyear,and in fourthplace on the overall list. If his career continues to develop Ican see himbeing a seriouscontender for the championship in aseason or two. Robnow hasfourregional titles, butI’m sure that in his mind nothing could comparewith the senseof achievementhewould getifhecould edge ahead of Barryoverthe course of Saturdayand Sunday.

It’s notjustthat Barryislookingfor an eighth title in arow,Rob is aiming to become only the fourth rider to head the table in the 21 seasons since the greatJohn Thomas McNamara wonhis fifth and last title in 2003.

And remembering John Thomas, as so many of us do with amixture

of sadnessand greatmemories, I’m sure thereare alot of people who stillthink backtothe fabulous end to the 2002 season when John Thomas and Davy Russell agreed to share the title on the final dayat Ballingarry.

This year’s senior titlerace wasdeadlockedlast weekend when Barry outscored Robbythree to two. Rob’sdouble at Stradbally on Saturdaywas earned on apairofMonbeg

‘Rob is aiming to become only the fourth ridertohead thetable in the21 seasonssince the greatJohn Thomas McNamara wonhis fifthand last titlein 2003’

Partnership horses in divisions of the Goffs-sponsored auctionmaiden. Runner-up firsttime outat Necarne twoweeks earlier, Klub De Reve went one better for Donnchadh Doyleindivision one and Sean Doyle saddled UltimateSurvivor to land the second division only aweekafter his debutfourthat Toomebridge Barrywentnorth on Saturdayand matched Robwitha double.Herode newcomer Natus Vinceretoa comfortable winfor Colin Bowe in a mares’ maiden, then hadanarmchair ride on David Christie’s champion point-to-pointerWinged Leader in the open.

On Sunday, Robwas at Ballindenisk wherethe best he could manage wassecond, beaten 15 lengths on Cinque Terrebehind Liam Kenny-trainedgeldingMillforce Barrywas outofluckonhis first three ridesonthe same card buthe gotthe winner he needed to draw level on Backonthegoagain for

champion handler Colin Bowe in the lastrace of the day. Thesix-year-old by Workforce wasbackinguphis debutwin at Loughanmore. When lookinguphis pedigreeIcouldn’t help noticinghe’sout of amare calledDerek’s Choice.She never ran, butisout of an AgaKhan-bred mare who producedacouple of useful winners. I’ve no idea who this particular Derekwas So it’s all playtoplayfor at the weekend for Barryand Rob, Maxine and Susie, and Dara andShane.I wish them all well. Win, loseordraw, they’ve all hadcampaignstheycan be proudof.

With the titles in the balance,my memorygoesbacktothe end of the 2002 season Imentioned earlier That wasthe first“longseason”,since the autumn campaign hadjustbeen introducedtocompensatefor the racinglost to the foot-and-mouth outbreak.

Istill rememberthe greatdrama surroundingthe occasion when John Thomas and Davy endedupsharing the title with 56 wins each.

It wasalsoanimportantafternoon in my young career,since Mark Grant andIsharedwhat wasthen calledthe

noviceriders’titlewith16wins each

That seemsaverylongtime ago and I’mthankfultobestill riding winners.Sunday’swin on Jeremy Pass for SamCurlinginthe open at Ballindenisk wasmy28th of the season from 105 rides and I’ve been lucky to have hadsomegreat days on thetrack in the jumpsseasonthat endedatPunchestown

ItsOnThe Line gave me wins at Aintreeand Punchestown that I’ll alwaystreasureand Igot alot of pleasureout of winning the Grade 2 bumper at the Dublin RacingFestival on Jeroboam Machin

Anyyear you getaCheltenham Festival winner is special. Iwas doubly fortunatethis time thanks to CorbettsCross in the National Hunt Chaseand Inothewayurthinkin in the KimMuir

I’mthankfulfor the supportofall thetrainers,point-to-pointhandlers, and ownerswho putmeupduring the season.

It’s aprivilege to be involved with thisgreat sport. Ihopeeveryone enjoys the action on the lastweekend of aseason that is endingwell after a desperately wetwinter threatenedto causehavoc.

Mr Gower providesJack Hendrick with thefirstleg of adoubleatStradbally on Saturday to help theridershare theeasternregion titlewith RobJames

BUCKNA won a 4YO Maiden first time out at Kirkistown on 9th March for Gerald Quinn before selling to Highflyer Bloodstock for £350,000

FUTURE PROSPECT won a 4YO Mares Maiden first time out at Castlelands on 10th March for Denis Murphy before selling to Gerry Aherne/Bronson Racing for £150,000

SPINNINGAYARN won a 4YO Geldings Maiden by 10 lengths first time out at Inch on 27th March for Sean Doyle

ORDEROFTHEDAY won a 4YO Geldings Maiden at Taylorstown on Saturday for Sean Doyle

RED ACRES GEORGIE won a 4YO Maiden against the geldings by 14 lengths at Ballindenisk on Sunday for Mick Goff