Point-To-Point Weekly 15-5-2024

KING OF THE NORTH

Manhattan Valley helps Noel McParlan seal his fourth northern title at Toomebridge

Reports, pages 2-3

DEREK O’CONNOR

‘I’ve tried to be as competitive as possible throughout my career but I’m please Alan O’Sullivan and Ithink adraw was afairresult for the pair of us’ Page4 edf

MID ANTRIM AT TOOMEBRIDGE SATURDAY

Fabulous four super heroes for Quinn and McBurney

TR AINER Ger Quinn and owner Philip McBurney had a day they will never forget when they ended the afternoon with four winners.

Two of the winners were partnered by Noel McParlan, who sealed a fourth northern title with a fixture to spare.

“It’s been a brilliant day and I’ll not forget it,” Quinn said. “To get four on the day is great and to help Noel get the northern title was even better.”

McParlan’s double began with a front-running ride on the Quinn-trained Manhattan Valley in the opening division of the Dennison Commercials four-year-old maiden.

The rider from County Down was able to use the experience accumulated by his Frenchbred mount in three previous outings to steal first run on his rivals along the back straight.

McParlan was able to hold that advantage before easing

Star performance

High Court Cave endured a troubled passage through his race but overcame the difficulties in taking fashion

his mount on the run-in to beat fellow French-bred Kap Vert by a length and a half

“We’ve always thought a lot of him and three miles around here suited him as he jumped well,” Quinn said.

McParlan’s double came on Getaway Vic in a division of the Tattersalls NH five-year-old geldings’ maiden and the Qu inn-M cB urne y te am brought up the treble when Kells And Connor returned alone in the adjacent maiden.

The duo were responsible for two of the three runners but when the McParlan-partnered Glenwherry had to be pulled up in the back straight, carrying out Caroline McCaldin’s Jim

Th e Wo lf wi th him, Er in Dunseath’s mount was handed an unlikely victory.

Jim The Wolf ’s rider Dara McGill had better luck when he com plete d the Qu innMc Bu rne y fo ur-ti mer on Wholly Boley in the Noel C Kelly older geldings’ maiden.

The Conduit gelding had gone close at Loughanmore on his first start last month and he had this sewn up some way out, defeating the sponsor’s Kellyiscool by six lengths

“This was a fitting win as the late William Houston bred and owned Wholly Boley and sadly he passed away recently, so it was a nice tribute to him.”

It was a crucial winner for McGill, as it enabled him to rejoin Shane Cotter at the top of the under-21 riders’ standings.

The Cork rider had taken over at the top 30 minutes earlier when guiding Winged Leader to success in the INHS

UNITED AT BARTLEMY SUNDAY

Committee open for novice riders, beating Stowlin winner Er Dancer by four lengths

It was the ten-year-old’s eighth successive win of the se as on and 21s t ov er all between the flags. David Christie’s stable star is now odds-on to take the title of leading horse when the season ends this month.

“I had to think long and hard about running him,” Christie said. “I came and walked the track last night but it’s dried out

so much in the sun. The times are very quick too. It’s a short, tight track, which wouldn’t suit him, but his class just prevails.”

Table-topping Rob James had to sit out the fixture due to a one-day ban from Dawstown five days earlier, but title rival Barry O’Neill was unable to capitalis e and Loud And Proud, third in the Dennison JCB mares’ maiden, was his best result of the afternoon.

The reigning champion’s mount was briefly on terms

with the freegoing Belle Wish, but the longtime leader kicked on again leaving the back straight under Brian Lawless and the Donnchadh Doyletrained five-year-old returned a length and a half clear of Cabra Lady.

James would have expected to have ridden two winners as his supporter Doyle left the Antrim venue with a double The handler’s Lifetime In Milan, a €48,000 half-brother of recent Punchestown Champion

Parisian Fashion turns on style for Stokes

PA RISIAN FA SHI ON com plete d a do uble for handler Nick Stokes and rider Finny Maguire by destroying the opposition in the Anthony and Associates Agri Consultan ts fiv e-y ear-o ld -a ndupwards mares’ maiden.

Returning from a break of more than five months after finishing fourth at Borris House, she bounced out smartly to make all the running.

The daughter of Champs Elysees was travelling best two out before powering clear to beat favourite Elafonisi by ten lengths in the day’s fastest race

“She’s a grand mare and needs good ground She gallops all day and is a dinger to jump,” Stokes said. “She’s very honest and will probably now be sold.”

Star performance

Sober Glory cruised into contention off the home bend and put the race to bed at the second-last

Parisian Fashion is the second offspring of her Gold Well-sired dam Legacy Gold, winner of the mares’ bumper at Aintree for Stuart Crawford when it was a Listed race as opposed to the Grade 2 of today, and third to Vroum Vroum Mag in the 2016 Grade 1 mares’ hurdle at Cheltenham Maguire us ed different tactics on newcomer Jet To Ve ga s in the Mc Ca rt hy Insurance Group five-year-old geldings’ maiden. The son of Je t Aw ay , ow ne d by the

Ballymaglassan Farm Partnership, came from well off the pace with smooth progress on the inner before three out and could be called the winner from the second-last.

The impressive winner, a €16,000 foal purchase out of a half-sister to Grade 2 placed chaser River Maigue, assumed command approaching the last before coasting home by four lengths from Coole Cottage

“He’s a horse that was very weak as a four-year-old He has just taken a while to come to hand,” Stokes said. “His owners have been very patient and I think he has a future. He will probably now go to the sales.”

Donnchadh Doyle, who also ow ns Su nday’s Ki llarne y bu mp er wi nner Ka lium ,

continued his rich vein of form by sending out Lady Kluck for a winning debut under Brian Lawless in the Tattersalls NH and Coolmore Stud four-yearold mares’ maiden.

The Walk In The Park mare, whose dam is a sister to triple Grade 1 winner Captain Chris, picked up the running before the sixth fence and the sweetjumping bay made the rest of the running to beat Maestria by a length in the familiar Monbeg syndicate colours.

Doyle’s younger brother Cormac kept his supporters happy by saddling newcomer Sober Glory to oblige under Jack Hendrick in a division of the Goffs UK Spring Sale fouryear-old geldings’ maiden.

The Monbeg Farm Racing

Partnership and John Horeowned winner, a €41,000 foal purchase out of a half-sister to Grade 1 Challow Novices’ Hurdle winner Fingal Bay, made smooth progress three out and took command from the second-last to beat Great Fleet by two and a half lengths

“He’s a big horse who took a blow there and he’ll go to a sale now,” Doyle said.

Josh Halley saddled his first four-year-old winner when Sergeant Fury, owned by his father John, made a triumphant start to his career in the first division of the same race under Michael Kenneally.

The Diamond Boy-sired Sergeant Fury took it up two out to deny the staying on Mount Rivers by a head.

The Niall Kelleher-trained, Gerard Nihill-owned Sarah Jane, who was recently covered by Storm To The Stars, posted her second success of the season and a third in total by overtaking Howya Luveen close home in the Liam Walshe and Associates mares’ winnersof-two to win by three-quarters of a len gth under Mi ke y O’Connor

The Terence O’Brien-trained Bowling Buddy, owned and bred by Michael O’Donovan, who lives just a mile away from the course, took command from the last under Darragh Allen in the Glenview Stud and Mc Ca rt hy Com m er cials confined hunt maiden to beat Trooper Carton by three and a half lengths

Hu nter Chas e ru nner-up Lifetime Ambition, landed the second division of the Tattersalls NH five-year-old geldings’ maiden under Jamie Scallan, stepping up from a fourth at Loughanmore to outbattle Canal Court by half a length Loughanmore form was key to several races, including the second division of the fouryear-old maiden in which High Court Cave made amends for his last-fence fall at the Antrim venue with a game victory.

The Court Cave gelding did particularly well to win under Oran McGill, as Noel Kelly’s charge was hampered early on the final circuit but battled thr ou gh ri va ls to den y Hurricane Pat by half a length in a thrilling three-way finish

“We brought him here as a local man, Victor McCrea, owns him and I’m local too, so it’s great to get it,” Kelly said.

The point-to-point bumper meeting at Downpatrick could be next on his agenda

GALWAY BLAZERS AT LOUGHREA SUNDAY

Earths Furies earns O’Sullivan a share of first regional title

ALAN O’SULLIVAN has his uncle Eugene to thank after the victory of Earths Furies in the Galway Race Committee open secured him a share of his first western region title

The 20-year-old rider sent his mount into the lead in the back straight in a race-winning move as he built an advantage none of his four rivals could peg back.

The eight-year-old crossed the line eight lengths clear of Down The Highway for a first pointing success.

“That was a great ride by Alan and the horse gave a good exhibition of jumping,” John Murphy, representing the Lombardstown-based Eugene O’Sullivan said.

“He was thereabouts all season and he took his chance today. We might run him again this season; we’ll see how the ground turns up.”

That success brought the ri der lev el wi th De re k O’Connor, who had earlier won on the debutant Minella Sixo in the second division of the Farrell Auctioneers, Valuers and Estate Agents five-year-old geldings’ maiden.

The Shantou gelding was a second winner of the week for Clonmel hotelier John Nallen and he showed great tenacity after jumping the last upsides

Star performance

Divilskin clocked the day’s fastest time when comfortably beating two capable rivals for the grade

two rivals before battling bravely to beat Barry Fife by a neck Victory helped O’Connor share his 13th riders’ title in his home region.

Although the title race dominated much of the action on the final day of racing in the region, Ross Sugrue made his own headlines as the only rider to secure a double on the card

The Tralee rider struck first on French import Kingkong Ciergues, as the Robin Du Nord gelding came home 14 lengths clear of Vadavoom after Oh My Johnny fell at the last when still in with a chance

Th e 20-y ear-old ri der completed his second double –his first came a year ago at Ba llin ga rr y – wh en he combined with Athea handler Eoin McCarthy in the ITBA five-year-old mares’ maiden.

His mount Regards To Rose had progressed between her first two starts and she stepped up from her Ballysteen third a fortnight ago by taking apart this nine-runner contest to such an extent that she was eased on the run-in and still

returned seven lengths clear of the Barry O’Neill-partnered Doyen Evening.

“I was going very easy the last day, but the track didn’t suit, it was too tight, but it all worked out well today,” Sugrue said. “When I wanted her she was good Eoin said she would win today and he was right.”

Reigning champion O’Neill went one place better in the Ji m De rw in Eq ues tr ia n winners-of-two thanks to backto-form Divilskin

The Doyen gelding had won his four-year-old maiden at Largy two years ago for Colin Bo w e be fo re a fr uitl ess fo ur-r un sp ell wi th Pa ul Nicholls in England after being sold for 245,000 gns.

Back with Bowe’s Milestone stables, the six-year-old made amends for a race-ending blunder at Loughanmore last month by beating Our Zebo by five lengths in a victory that saw his rider end the weekend just one winner behind title rival Rob James in the national standings.

Wexford handler Johnny Berry, who had been on the scoreboard with Kingkong Ciergues, added the second division of the four-year-old geldings’ maiden to his day’s haul when Joltin N Jiving made amends for being carried

out at the last at CastletownGeoghegan a month earlier by be at in g Jo hn St au nt on’s newcomer North Of Richmond by five lengths

All three of the four-year-old maiden races went to Wexford handlers as the Paul Gilligan Racing four-year-old mares’ maiden saw Sean Doyle’s Hard Dealt lead home a clean sweep of the first four placings for We xfor d ra ider s. Ja mie Sc allan’s mo un t ha d the measure of a back-to-form Ballyhiho by two lengths

“She jumped like a buck everywhere,” Scallan said. “Her work at home was always nice, so we were confident she would put in a good performance. She switched off lovely in behind the leaders and going out the back the last time I just let her go forward.”

The victory of As The Fella Says in the opening division of the five-year-old geldings’ maiden brought local rider Eoin Mahon his eighth success of his best season.

Harry Kelly’s charge returned to the promise of his Belclare debut in beating Long Runs The Fox by four lengths

“H e’s an unb el ie vab le jumper, but he’s still a big baby He’ll be a fair horse this time next year; we think he’s a real nice horse,” Kelly said.

Belle Wish scores under Brian Lawless to make amends for falling two weeks ago at Borris House

Debutante Lady Kluck impresses under Brian Lawless

Regards To Rose records an imposing seven-length success to complete a double for rider Ross Sugrue

DerekO’Connor Straight to thePoint

Tworegionaltitlessettled –so endofthe season must be nigh

IT’Sa sure sign that we’re nearingthe season’send when you realisethat regional riding titles have beendecided. In the north on Saturday, Noel McParlaneffectively sealedthe issue with one fixture remaining, while Alan O’Sullivan and Iwerelevel in the race for the western title at the end of the area’s finalmeetingat Loughrea on Sunday.

ArescheduledTaylorstown card on Saturdaygives northern point-topointfollowersanother dayout However, Noel’s double at Toomebridge haslefthim seven clear of BarryO’Neill.

Noel’s winners, bringinghis northern total to 15 and his overall scoreto23, came on twohorses trainedbyGer Quinnfor Philip McBurney. He always had Manhattan Valley in a prominent position beforeasking himto acceleratebeforethe straight in the firstdivision of the four-year-old maiden. He gave GetawayVic a similar ride in the firstheatofthe five-year-old maiden.

Theowner-trainer combination endedupwith afour-timer on the day. With 15 wins and 12 seconds from just 49 runners, the Quinn stable hasenjoyedaterrific season and is turningintoamajor forceon the northern circuit.Only David Christie,who specialises in the handlingofopenhorses, has managed ahigher total amongthe northern stables this season.

David hassaddled 20 winners, puttinghim in thirdplace in the table behind Colin Bowe andDonnchadh Doyle. Eightofthosewinshavebeen providedbyWinged Leader,who has been cleaningupsince startingthe season with three defeats.

Youcould arguehehas facedsome fairly straightforward tasks, consideringhis background as atopclasshunter chaser.Still, it hasbeen abrilliantfeatoftrainingtowin eight consecutiveraces with him,starting on February24, with the mostrecent at Toomebridge,givingShane Cotter his 13th successofthe season.

That wasanimportantwin for Shane because it meanthekept pace with his rivalfor the under-21 title Dara McGill,who alsomoved to the 13 mark when completing the Quinn-McBurneyfour-timer on Wholly Boley.

On Sunday, Iwas closetohome at Loughrea.IrodeMinella Sixo,a promisingShantou gelding, to make awinningdebutfor John Nallen. Ireally

‘Noel McParlan sealed the issuewith onefixture remaining. His Toomebridgedouble broughthis northern totalto15and his overallscore to 23’

title remainsverytight, with Rob James ahead by one,37-36, after BarryO’Neill closedthe gapwith victoryonthe Colin Bowe-trained Divilskin at Loughrea Robwas outofluckonhis six rides at the same meeting, fiveofwhich were for Donnchadh Doyle. He’ll probably counthimself abit unfortunatebecause Donnchadh wonthe mares’ maiden at Bartlemy on the same afternoon with the Brian Lawless-ridden LadyKluck. He also missed outonthe Doyle stable’s double at Toomebridge Also in double formatthe weekend were Nick Stokes andFinny Maguire. They took the five-year-old geldings’maidenatBartlemy with newcomer JetToVegas,and quickly followedupwiththe Champs ElyseesmareParisian Fashion. Fethard-based Stokes is endingthe season on ahighnote since this followedwinsatStowlin and Ballindenisk on the previous Sunday.

In addition to thepoint-to-point action, we hadthree races for pointersonlastThursday’scardat Tipperary. BarryO’Neill teamedup with Willie Murphytolandthe hunter chasewith Grange Soldier,a six-year-old sonofSoldier Of Fortune who hashad abig influence on the point-to-pointseason, responsible for 35 wins,11morethanhis nearest rivalOcovango.

liked the wayhequickenedfor me and then stuck to histask to beat Pa King’s mountBarry Fife. Minella Sixo is abrother to Brechin Castle,atalented bumper horsefor Ben Brookhouse,who wona maiden at Ballycrystal lastseason for Colin Bowe on his debut. He startedinBritain with aSedgefield winlast Octoberbeforewinning aListedbumperat Cheltenhamand finishing second in asimilar race at Ascot. At that stage,the Grade 1bumper at Cheltenham wasunder consideration buttheydecidedto giveitamissafter he hadalittle setback. He’ll be an interestinghorse for novice hurdles nextyear,and I’ve

no doubt Minella Sixo will be good enough to make an impact on the track.

That winput me one ahead of Alan O’Sullivan in ourbattlefor the western region title,but an hour later he equalledthe scoreagain by riding Earths Furies to winthe open. Neither of us hadaride in the last race on the card,sothat wasthat.

Lastyear Isharedthis title with Pa King. I’ve alwaystried to be as competitiveaspossible throughout my career,but I’mpleased for Alan, a talentedyoung riderwho hashad a good season, ridingten winners in all, only three behindthe leadersin the under-21 division. I’malways happytosee the younger generation gettingestablished. Ithink adraw wasafair result for the pairofus.

Thebattle for the overall riders’

Tipperarystagedseparate bumpers for maresand geldings. I rodeJasmine D’Airy,a daughterof Authorized,towin the mares’ event forSam Curling.

Althoughshe finished secondin her twostartsinpoints,Ifeltshe stillhad some growinguptodo, so it wasencouragingthat she won with authority from Colin Motherway’spromisingfour-yearoldKlassical Corona, whose dam is ahalf-sister to the top-class KlassicalDream

Thegeldings’ race wasrun in a slightly slowertimeand produceda tightfinish. TheEmmet Mullinstrainedfavourite Jackstell, placedin his twopoints for Denis Murphylast autumn, would probably have preferredastronger gallop butfound enough for John Gleeson to hold off astrongchallenge from theRoger McGrath-trainedNorr’sCross.

JetToVegas and FinnyMaguire (right) on theirway to victorytocontinueNickStokes’sstrong finish to theseason

HEALYRACING

MARLACOO, bred byMrsVera Deegan,won bysix lengths firsttime out at Down Royal on 6th May

❝This horse did a very good bit of work last week with Yeshil [runner-up in the Goffs Defender Bumper at Punchestown]. We have a couple of those Wings of Eagles and we like them.❞

Trainer Stuart Crawford

LEADERWING, bred byJimmyMangan, won at Sedgefield last Fridayevening for owner/trainer TomWeston

CHURCHFIELD SUNSET, bred byThe Beeches Stud, won firsttime out at Cork last Saturday

❝She is smart and one to look forward to… We will probably look for a winners' bumper❞

Trainer Emmet Mullins

Contact: David Magnier, Albert Sherwood, David O’Sullivan, Andrew Magnier & Catherine Magnier: 025-33006. Robert McCarthy, Bobby McCarthy & Peter Kenneally: 058-56254. TomGaffney, Joe Hernon, Paddy Fleming, Cathal Murphy & Barry Kennedy: 025-31966.