Point-To-Point Weekly 22-03-2023

Peche Perfect

Garde La Peche makes abig impression in the hands of James Hannon at Durrow Reports, pages 2-3

DEREK O’CONNOR

‘John Kiely deserves all the many tributes paid to him after ADream To Share’s Cheltenham success. He was abrilliant mentor when Iwas riding in bumpers for him early in my career’ Page 4

tCHELTENHAM FESTIVAL WINNER

ANGELS DAWN won the‘Kim Muir’for Sam Curling and owner/breeder Alfred Sweetnam

GRAND NATIONAL PROSPECT

LONGHOUSE POET, bred by J Duggan, scored again on St Patrick’s Day for Martin Brassil

Champion Sire in 2021/22 and leading the way again in 2022/23

MIKEY O’CONNOR put up a show for his home crowd with a Liscarroll treble which saw him move past Enda Bolger into fifth spot on the all-time point-to-point riders’ list with 416 winners

Th e lo cal jo cke y’s first success came in the Farm First In su ra nce fiv e-y ear-ol d geldings’ maiden on the Paul O’Flynn-trained, well-touted newcomer Quarry Rocco

The Shirocco gelding was always travelling well close to the lead on the outer before picking up the running two out, where the pursuing Toss Of A Coin and longtime leader Kedg West came down Quarry Rocco came clear before the last to put 12 lengths between himself and Kilbarry Hill, while Burnley Lane made a pleasing debut by returning a further one and a quarter lengths adrift in third.

“He’s a proper horse and this wouldn’t really be his going as he would ideally want nicer ground,” Buttevant-based O’Flynn said of his father Tom’s homebred

“He’d been working well with West Cork Wildway and he’ll probably now be sold.”

Star performance

The 41-year-old rider ’s second success came on Jack Bennett’s former hurdling mare Dancing After Dark in the Sygma Automation winnerof-one

Da ncin g After Da rk , runner-up in a Kilbeggan mares’ hurdle in June and a winner at Belclare in March 2022, made all the running before sweeping clear from two out to beat the favourite Desert Cave by 32 lengths

“She did it nicely; I was a bit worried about the lack of a run this year and also the ground,” two-horse handler Bennett said of the Kate Costello & Brothers Syndicate-owned winner “She’ll now run in the mares’ hunter chase at Cork on Easter Monday.”

O’Connor completed his treble in landing the 11-runner exors of the late Dr RJ Sheehy six-year-old-and-upwards mares’ maiden on Sarah Jane

The Niall Kelleher-trained ma re, ru nner -up to My

Reprieve at Aghabullogue in January, went clear from two out to beat the only other finisher, Coolyline Red, by 36 lengths in the colours of Gerard Nihill from Quin.

The meeting began with the Goffs UK Aintree Sale fouryear-old maiden – a race won in the past by His Song and Peddlers Cross – with the Andy Slatt er y-traine d Cantico posting a debut success under 5lb claimer Adam Ryan

The Diamond Boy gelding was always positioned towards the head of affairs and led from tw o ou t bu t th en ha d to overcome a final-fence error to den y fe llo w new co mer Fortified Fortune by a head.

“He was showing a lot at home and he’s still a big baby,” Slattery said of his winner who is owned by his sister-in-law Sharon Slattery and was a €45,000 purchase from the 2022 Goffs Land Rover sale

The Marie Harding-trained debutante Hathaways Cottage bravely came a second time to lead under Eoin O’Brien on the run to the final fence to beat Colline Fleurie by five lengths in the Topline Burtons, Kanturk five-year-old mares’ maiden.

Ha th aw ay s Cot ta ge , a daughter of Mahler who represents breeder Mary Turner, is out of a half-sister to Grade 2 winning novice hurdler Creepy Ow ner -tr ainer Jo hn

Murphy’s Wild Grouse atoned for falling on his previous two starts by running his rivals ragged under Adam Feeney in the Collins Bros Garage sixye ar -old -an d-up wa rd s

NORTH KILKENNY AT BALLYRAGGET SUNDAY

O’Connor treble lifts him to fifth on all-time list Swan glides in for first pointing double

HARRY SWAN may have been doing much of his riding under rules but he advertised his in-demand skills to the pointto-point fraternity with his first double in the sphere at a rainsodden Ballyragget.

Already with a Grade 3 success on his CV, the 20-yearold Tipperary rider was seen to particularly good effect in the Connolly’s Red Mills adjacent maiden when using patient tactics on Minella Blueway

Swan was content to let the front quartet stride ahead early on the final circuit but as conditions began to take their toll he was able to pounce in the home straight on the well-related Champs Elysees gelding

Their six-length defeat of The Village Way gave John Nallen his second success in the last three runnings of the race and

Star performance

the bay Minella Blueway will now be offered for sale

Swan completed his work when returning to the winner’s enclosure after the John Phelan & Co and John Holland older geldings’ maiden.

His mount Metalor was alongside the twice placed favourite Councillor K who lost his rider before the last, which allowed the Liam Cusacktrained Kingston Hill gelding to return 15 lengths clear of Getsetgo

Ronan McCrory will also cherish memories of this fixture, as the 21-year-old

Banbridge rider achieved his fir st suc ces s on Russian Diamond in the John Dalton & Sons open for novice riders

A top-rated 133 over fences in a 17-run career under rules with Emmet Mullins, the nineyear-old Russian Diamond took a big step forward from his first three outings in the pointing fields since joining Shark Hanlon, showing too much speed for last year’s winner Is A Real Champ to win by five lengths

“Michael Mee owned him and he gave him to us for the young lads in the yard to ride,” Hanlon said.

“That’s Ronan’s first winner; he’s been with me a year now. I told him I’d give him a few chances this year so it’s great.

Russian Diamond stay in this company now and will run in a

ladies’ open next weekend.”

Th e open wa s on e of a several steadily run races as jockeys were mindful of the testing ground, but that was not the case in the opening Aidan Brophy and Tallis & Co four-year-old mares’ maiden, which was run at a strong tempo from flag-fall.

The pacesetting efforts came from newcomer Sea Nora, who was still clear of the field when falling at the second-last. Her departure left the way clear for Flat recruit Tosca Time to beat Queens Melody by 20 lengths in the hands of Shane O’Rourke.

“Shane said he would have caught the leader as Tosca Time hadn’t even come off the bridle,” the winning handler, Darragh Berry, said. “It’s just freakish how good she is We’re delighted with her She’s done

her job and we were expecting it today. She’ll head for the sales now.”

The winning margin was much tighter in the Tattersalls NH & Dick’s SuperValu fiveyear-old geldings’ maiden as Blagthebookies had just a neck to spare over Livin On Luco after a thrilling finish

The victorious Sean Doyletrained Walk In The Park gelding was not winning out of turn having caught the eye at Tinahely last time before being stopped in his tracks by a faller, and he will now be offered for sale

New owners could also be sought for Idylle Sauvage after she quickened ten lengths clear of Similar Story to claim the Gain Equine Nutrition mares’ maiden for Troy Walsh and Aidan Fitzgerald.

geldings’maiden fornovice riders. He stormedclear from two outtobeatKnock On Wood by 16 lengths and Murphy’srepresentative, Sinead O’Sullivan,

Canticomakes awinning debut underAdamRyaninthe four-year-oldmaiden

DURROW made awelcome return to the point-to-point calendar after an absence of four years, butevenafter that time off racegoers couldhave beenforgiven if theythought theywereexperiencingdejavu.

Just as in 2019,the Charlestown Racing four-year-old auction maiden waswon by a runner from the CormacDoyle stablewith this time Jeroboam Machin justifyingmarket su pp or tt ob ea tC as ual Observer,trained by Doyle’s elder brother Donnchadh

Doylewillundoubtedly hope the Jack Hendrick-ridden Joshua Tree geldingwill prove as successful as his 2019 winner,the now146-rated hurdler Hometown Boy.

“I wasalwayshappy with him at home,” Doyle said.“He travelledwell on that ground. He stays well –the softer the better for him –and he will head to the Aintreesale now.”

Thesales ring couldalso beckon for Garde La Peche after she justifiedthe reputation she hadearnedahead of her debutinthe Kilmurrays Sand &Gravelmares’maiden.

Sportingthe coloursofJosh Ryan,son of theClarehandler Joseph Ryan, the French-bred daughter of Kapgarde is outof the four-time winning La Trattoria, who finishedfourth in aGrade 1inFrance.

Black-typeeventscould also lie ahead for the five-year-old after she beat the Punchestown third Emily’sChoice by a comfortable 12 lengths in the hands of JamesHannon.

“Wethoughtshe wasastrong stayer and would do it well today,”Ryansaid.

“She wassupposed to run last Sundaybut pulledout lame and she wa sa lso supposed to runinNovember, butshe putout asplint, so therewerelots of littlethings We let her off and she grew; she’s nearly 17 handsnow.”

Hannon could have expected adouble whenhegot the leg up for the firsttime on reigning champion mare La Felinein the TEE Fire Safety Solutions open.

Ho we ve r, the od d-on favourite putinanuncharacteristically flatperformance whenmanagingonly thirdto CustersMistake.

Th at wi nn in gZ offan y geldingtookanimmediate step forward from his breakthrough vi ct or ya tB al ly ca ha ne a fortnightearlier for Paul and John O’Neill.

Thesix-year-old hadbeen

Star performance

GardeLaPeche was aclass above her rivals on her debutand looksasmart prospect

upsides Dylans Delightwhen that horseunshipped at the final fence at Ballycahane,so his open victoryoffered a timely formboost for the chancesofDylans Delight, who line du pi nt he Ke pa k& Brownes On TheGreen older geldings’maiden.

Theseven-year-old was unable to justify hisfavourite’s ta g, ho we ve r, as he wa s tr ead in gw at er fr om the second-lastand finished well adrift in thirdbehind game winner Howya Jimmy

Hi sv ictor yb ro ugh ta welcome change of fortune for

theHarleyDunnestable, which wasnarrowlydeniedat

Ba ll yrag ge to nt he same afternoon, as the Tiernan Po we r-pa rt ne re dHow ya Jimmyheld offClass Awardbyneck.

ff Class r -

Ma gi cS ad l e wasnot inconveniencedbya quic kt urn aro und in the Midland Veterinary Tullamore fiv e-y ear -o l d geldings’maide

Despiteappearin the se cond Su nda yi n succession, he proved six lengths too good forhis nine rivals

ThePatrick Brogan-owned sonofClovisDuBerlais had taken astepforward when chasinghome Hens Tooth a

weekearlier at Belclareand he swiftlybackedthat up for the Westmeath brothersAaron and Ciaran Murphy.

At he ah an dl er Eo in McCarthy could have an l candidate to pplyhim with ac k- to-bac k victories in the EasterMonday mares’hunter chase at Cork, as he ra ce wa s entifiedasthe t target for Ma left)

eal sup b v E m c t id ext Hoey (l

Shecarried the coloursof Sean MaguiretoaneightlengthdefeatofAghmorough Bridge in the ITBA &Tattersalls NH mares’ winners-of-one and will nowattempt to emulate her stablemateIfeoinly at Mallownextmonth

Pictures: HEALYRACING

said the

six-year-old could now contestawinners’race

DerekO’Connor Straight to thePoint Kielyplauditswelldeservedin glorious week forIrish pointers

ITWAS another great Cheltenham Festival for Ireland, and thereweremany specialmoments

Twostood outfor me,John Kielyand John Gleesonteaming up to winthe Champion Bumper with A Dream To Share, andSam Curling takingthe KimMuir with Pa King on Angels Dawn,amareweboth rode in her bumper days

Veteran trainer Kiely, who turns 86 inMay,deservesall themanytributes that have been paidtohim.Hewas a brilliantmentor when Iwas ridingin bumpersfor him early in my career

He providedmyfirst bigwinner on the track, Reine DesReines in a fillies’bumperatthe Punchestown Festival in 2003.

I’ve beenlucky enough to have ridden plenty of winnersfor Samand Iwas thrilled for him and Pa and owner-breeder Alfie Sweetnam

Samwas alsoinvolved in theearly days with BarryConnell’s Supreme Novices’winner Marine Nationale, who wassomaturely handledby MichaelO’Sullivan. Thechampion novice point-to-point rider of 2019 doubledhis festival scoreonJazzy

Mattyfor Gordon Elliottinthe

Boodles

Meanwhile,Ben Harvey who shared the novice title with Brian Lawlessin2020, wonthe Magners PlateonSeddonfor John McConnell

It’s atribute to the groundingthat Michaeland Ben received in pointto-points that they’ve made such a smooth transition to the professional ranks.Both riders come from families steeped in racing.

Theexceptional Constitution Hill, the amazingHoneysuckle and the superb Envoi Allen were the star ex-pointersofthe meeting. We also sawa rising starinStayAwayFay, who wonthe AlbertBartlettfor Paul Nicholls aftergettingaserious test from Noel Meade’s AffordaleFury, a Ballycahane winner for Garrett Murphyjustoverayear ago. Stay Away Fay, whosesireShantou was alsoresponsible for ColmMurphy’s Mares’ Chasewinner Impervious, fetched£305,000 at the sales after winningatLingstown in December 2021 for Matthew Flynn O’Connor. Another Lingstownwinner, Gordon Elliott’sGerri Colombe,lost outbyashortheadtoThe Real Whackerinthe BrownAdvisory. That wasthe firstdefeatfor the Colin

Bowe graduate who cost£240,000 at the Tattersalls CheltenhamFestival sale three years ago, buthe confirmedhe’saverytalented novice who hasthe makingsofa Gold Cup horse if all goeswell.

Gordon wasbackinthe market at last Thursday’ssale, paying £420,000 eachfor the twotop lots,the Donnchadh Doyle-trainedpair, RomeoCoolio,who lived up to his bigreputation whenmakinga winningdebutat Belclare, andJalon D’Oudairies,winner of the Lingstown maiden that has previouslyproduced both Gerri Colombe and the Gold Cup runner-up Bravemansgame.That’s alot to liveupto.

It wasa fabulous weekfor the Doylefamily’sMonbeg operation. Castlelands runner-up Quebecois and Nenagh winner Mossy FenPark both sold well, and the team added

twomorefestival winners to their list. Donnchadh wonaFairyhouse maiden pointwith the long-priced County Hurdle winner Faivoir,and the operation boughtJohn McConnell’s Magners Platewinner Seddon as astore horse.

Youdon’t alwayshavetopay a fortune for apoint-to-pointwinner. Corach Ramblerisprovingtobeone of the major bargainsofrecentyears after beingpickedupbyMichael Scudamorefor £17,000 following his winatMonksgrange forDuncormick, County Wexford handlerJohn Martin Walsh in September2020.

He wonthe UltimaHandicap Chasefor the second successiveyear and must have abig chance in the Grand National wonbyhis trainer Lucinda Russell with Liam Kenny’s Lingstownwinner OneFor Arthur in 2017.

Acouple of other former pointers ranwellinthe Ultima. Third-placed Monbeg Genius (ex-Sean Doyle) could be afutureAintree contender for JonjoO’Neil, who mightaim him at the Scottish versionthis season if the ground stayssoft,and fourthplacedThe Goffer (ex-BennyWash) is apossible Irish Grand National horsefor Gordon.

ItsOnThe Line has abig future

TheStJames’s Place Festival Hunters’ Chaseprovided ashockresult for the second time in recentyears. In 2020 It Came To Pass was66-1 when winningfor the O’Sullivans.This time Premier Magic wasthe same price for owner Julian Sheriff and trainer-rider BradleyGibbs

TheCourt Cave geldingran three times in points for Mark Cahill in his early days andhas wonnine times in points in Britain.

IrodeIts On TheLine for Emmet Mullins and wasdelighted with the wayhefinishedthe race to be runner-up.Nosix-year-old haswon theracesince Kingscliff in 2003, so that shows his achievementinagood light. He’s ahalf-brother to the Welsh National winner and Grand National thirdMonbeg Dude,and he hasthe same sort of stamina. I’ve no doubt his best years areahead of him Aloose horsemade the closing stages messy andDeclan Queally’s Rocky’s Howyawas unlucky notto hold on to thirdplace after puttingin abrave front-runningeffortfor Chris O’Donovan. Chris’s Dream alsoran well to takefifth,but therewas disappointmentfor the twomain Irishfancies.The defending champion Billawayfell at the tenth, and Vaucelet,who seemedtohavea greatchanceonpaper,couldn’t stay with the leadersfromthe secondlast.

It’s likely that Vaucelet will be a differentproposition on better ground at Punchestown.His trainer David Christie canhopefor better when he runs last year’s Cheltenham runner-up Winged Leader at Aintree. He also hasthe very promising Ferns Lock in the yard,and the strength of the stable wasgiven another boost when Ultimate Optimist backedupa Limerick successatChristmas by winningthe hunter chaseatDownRoyal on St Patrick’sDay.

‘Corach Rambler is provingtobe oneofthe majorbargains of recent years afterbeing picked up by Michael Scudamore for£17,000’

18-year-old John Gleesonand veterantrainer John Kielycombine to winthe ChampionBumper with ADream To Share

EDWARD WHITAKER (RACINGPOST.COM/PHOTOS)

THE REALWHACKER remained unbeaten overfenceswith a gutsyfront runningvictoryin the Brown AdvisoryNovices' Chase.Trained by Patrick Nevillefor owners Neville, Mann, Duffus & Dennis and bred byMrs B Keane. Congratulationstoall connections!

Other top performers over fences this season include Grade 2 Ten Up Novice Chase 1-2 CHURCHSTONEWARRIOR and MAHLER MISSION, Grade

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