Point-To-Point Weekly 24-04-24

DEREK O’CONNOR

‘Caroline McCaldin is having abrilliant season and brought her score to 12 wins superb 44 per cent strike-rate, thanks to Neo King at Ballymacad’ Page 4 s,a

A 3,400,000gns yearling Group 2 winner at 2

Dual Group 1 winner at 3

Bred on the same GALILEO/DANEHILL cross as Champion Sire FRANKEL

Sean Staples steers Dalston Lad to awinning debut for Paul Pierce at Dromahane Reports, pages 2-3

EAST ANTRIM AT LOUGHANMORE SATURDAY

ON the first of two successive Saturdays racing at Loughanmore, the course’s landowner Wi ls on De nn is on wa s rewarded with a double

It was launched by Ballyphilip, who continued a fine run for Dennison’s daughter Caroline McCaldin in the Pe gg y Ha ga n Me mor ial winners-of-three

Star performance

Ballyburn and Jasmin De Vaux won as four-year-olds here and Keops Des Bordes could be the latest star to emerge from the track after a smart debut

Loughanmore stables and the six-year-old bay Cresthill, his ninth runner, supplied him with his breakthrough victory as Derek O’Connor guided him to victory over Wholly Boley.

“He’ll probably be a better horse with a couple of runs behind him. He’s very big and has been learning the whole time,” Abernethy said.

“He’ll move into opens now and there are a few hunter chases in coming weeks, so we’ll see how he is and make a plan.”

Twice placed earlier in the campaign, Cresthill completed the Dennison double in the Casey Car and Commercial older geldings’ maiden, and supplied Cormac Abernethy with his first training success.

The 25-year-old has taken over the reins of Dennison’s

Since opening his account in a Farmacaffley maiden on his first start in this sphere for the Dr om ar a ha ndler , the Presenting gelding has proved an unstoppable force His fivelength defeat of the Kirkistown maiden winner Bold Fury under Noel McParlan was a fourth winner on the bounce for the six-year-old “He was very good and Noel was even better on him.” McCaldin said. “I thought he had given the horse too much to do at one point, but he got there in the end, thankfully.

“We’ll try to get him into the Doncaster sales now and if he doesn’t he’ll probably go into winners’ company.”

Abernethy surely harboured hopes Ballybow would be the horse to get him off the mark a month ago on his debut at Portrush, but the €90,000 Tattersalls Ireland Derby sale purchase was denied by a neck

The bay again had to settle for second when the Sean McParlan-trained Big Boy

WATERFORD AT CURRAGHMORE SATURDAY

THERE was huge demand for the rescheduled Curraghmore fixture, which attracted 96 runners for the nine-race card, the biggest for any fixture this season.

Cresthill gives Dennison a home turf high Doyle brothers dominate the season’s biggest card

The Doyle brothers, Sean and Donnchadh, dominated the afternoon, sending out two winners apiece Sean, the elder of the pair, sent out Moon Rocket to land the second division of the Goffs Punchesto wn Sa le fo ur-y ea r- old geldings’ maiden.

Moon Rocket, who finished a respectable sixth on his debut at Borris House last month, disputed the running before putting the race to bed two out, where he unleashed a turn of foot which carried him clear.

The winning son of Doyen, an early April foal purchased for €37,000 at last year’s Goffs Arkle sale, returned with five lengths to spare over Limerick Star “He’s a lovely horse who was very sick when he ran in Borris,” Doyle said of Moon Rocket, whose dam is a sister to Barry Connell’s Cheltenham Festival winner Tully East Moon Rocket’s rider, Jamie Scallan, was also aboard Sean Doyle’s earlier winner Eastern Shores in the Tattersalls NH four-year-old mares’ maiden. Also owned by the Monbeg Partnership, Eastern Shores

Star performance

Moon Rocket controlled the race from the front in landing an easy victory on his second outing

at one d for slippin g up approaching three out on her debut at Ballyknock last month by leading from before the last to beat Good Girl Kathleen by one and a half lengths

Eastern Shores had her task simplified when Pismo Beach fell at the last, still holding every chance in second.

Both of Donnchadh Doyle’s winners were partnered by Rob James, the pair kicking off with newcomer Disguisedlimit in the first division of the John P Lavin Laketour Stables fiveyear-old geldings’ maiden.

The Mahler-sired winner, whose dam is a half-sister to Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Bobs Worth, led from three out to be at fel lo w de bu ta nt

Barney, ridden by Declan Lavery, had his measure by a length in the Connolly’s Red Mills five-year-old geldings’ maiden. “He’s very good, a super jumper and the rest is there to be seen,” McParlan said. “He’s game, I didn’t think he’d handle the ground as well as he did.”

Ashtown Park by five lengths. Disguisedlimit was quickly added to tomorrow’s Cheltenham sale and also bound for that auction is his stablemate Jarrive De Mee, who landed the second division.

Fourth

Authorized had to battle to hold off

Two days after her Kirkistown conq uer or Bi rm in gh am Alabama sold for €28,000 at the Goresbridge sales, Cherry

Millforce by half a length

The Doyle brothers’ neighbour Jim O’Neill, who also operates from Ballindaggin, celebrated his first success with debutant El Cairos in the opening division of the Goffs Punchestown Sale four-yearold geldings’ maiden.

El Cairos, the first horse by No Risk At All who ownertrainer O’Neill has had in his care, arrived from well off the pace to pick up the running from two out and Sean Staples’s mount then kept the rallying I Ain’t Your Mate at bay to score by a neck.

Twenty-one-year-old James Coffey from Midleton, who works with Terence O’Brien, will also have excellent reason to recall this meeting after partnering his first winner on his grandfather Donal Coffey’s Miss Penny Copper in the Kilbarry Lodge Stud five-yearold and up wa rd s ma re s’ maiden.

Noel Kelly’s charge swept wide around his rivals on the

The six-year-old homebred by the elder Coffey’s daughter Paula Coffey-Mulcahy, led before two out to beat Back In The Bay by two and a half lengths

Cathal Sheehan recorded a third victory by landing the first division of the Kent Homes sixyear-old and upwards geldings’ maiden for novice riders on Truckers Cruising, whom Batt O’Connell trains for the Conna Enclosure Syndicate. Truckers Cruising, who held prospects when falling two out on his Tallow debut last season, made all the running to beat Coffeys Forge by 12 lengths

Ross Sugrue made his first ride for handler Eddie Power a winning one by landing the second division of this race on Val Venus, a half-brother to Hidden Cyclone.

The Turtulla debut third picked up the running at the last to beat Tory Hill by a length in the colours of Tullamorebased Joan Condron.

Lee Shanahan earned praise from handler Ross O’Sullivan after guiding the County Kildare-based operator ’s Howya Luveen, a Downtown Syndicate homebred, to a front-running success over Lucky Mahler in the Tramore Racecourse mares’ winners-ofone

Disguisedlimit (left) on his way to beating Ashtown Park

Brave franked the form when avenging her narrow debut defeat to claim the Barclay Communications five-year-oldand-upwards mares’ maiden.

at Boulta on his debut, he was always on the pace in this truely run contest and, having seemed set for a comfortable success on the run to the last, the son of

home bend under Oran McGill to force Townhill Lass into the runner-up spot for the second race in succession.

The Tattersalls NH four-yearold mares’ maiden had brought a good start to the day for

Wexford raiders when Lets Mingle struck for Denis Murphy A half-sister to this season’s Grade 2 novice hurdle winner Loughglynn, the €26,000 Goffs Arkle sale purchase crept into con ten tion under Ja ck Hendrick’s patient tactics and, although striking front early in the straight, she still had plenty left to repel the challenge of the improved Lyle View by threequarters of a length

Murphy’s fellow countyman Donnchadh Doyle has struck top gear in recent weeks and Keops Des Bordes supplemented a Curraghmore double for the Monbeg handler in the Dennison Commercials fouryear-old geldings’ maiden.

Ja mes Wa lsh se nt th e French-bred son of Tunis to the front early on the final circuit and from there he was always in control before beating the early Castlelands casualty Fortune De Mer by five lengths

“He idled in front, but he looks very good,” Walsh said. “Donnchadh has been mad to run him in the last couple of weeks and he’s been waiting for a big track like this

“He jumps well and has a good pedigree I’d say he could be a right one.”

DONERAILE AT DROMAHANE SUNDAY

Dr Robin delivers Power point success with style

VETE RA N Dr Robin gave 22-year-old Kilrossanty rider

Alice Power her first pointing winner on a day when there were a couple of surprise results at the 50th anniversary Doneraile Harriers meeting.

The 14-year-old Robin Des Pres gelding, a nine-time British track winner for Peter Bowen, led four out in the Fitzgerald Family novice riders open Having fought off Special Prep and then Er Dancer he produced the faster jump at the last and stayed on tenaciously to beat 2022 Punchestown cross-country chase winner Midnight Maestro.

Dr Robin’s Cappagh-based trainer Paul Kiely also gave Power her first career winner, Thedancingfarrier, in a Cork amateur riders’ handicap hurdle last month

“Paul has done a terrific job with Dr Robin and I always knew that there would be a day in him,” Power said.

The second surprise was the victory of Shane Fenton’s first

BALLYMACAD AT TATTERSALLS SUNDAY

Star performance

Dalston Lad did well to make a winning debut despite losing ground when hampered four out

runner, Stuckio, in the Tattersalls NH and Grange Stud fiveyear-old maiden.

It was a dream start for the Fermoy-based handler, with a newcomer owned and bred by his cousin John Bermingham

The son of Diamond Boy made eyecatching progress two out to go second to Jorebel and, although neither jumped the last well, Stuckio was faster away and quickened clear under Eoin O’Brien.

“We’ve always thought a lot of this horse and Eoin has done all the work with him,” Fenton said. “He might go for a bumper.” Coll igan-bas ed ow ne rtrainer Michael Ryan was on the mark with debutant Full Confession in the first division of the Goffs Punchestown fouryear-old geldings’ maiden.

The son of Kingston Hill, whose Sadler’s Wells-sired dam is a half-sister to 1995 Irish 2,000 Guineas runner-up Adjareli, overcame an error at the second-last under Ray Barron see off first-timers On Deadly Ground and Global Submission in a driving finish

“I bought this horse privately last summer and he’s always shown a lot He’ll now go to a sale,” Ryan said of his first runner of the season.

The newcomer Dalston Lad brou gh t up a do uble for handler Paul Pierce and rider Sean Staples in the second division of this race The son of Ocovango, whose unraced dam is a half-sister to Strong Platinum, touched down in front over the second-last and stormed clear to beat Passing Pleasure by six lengths

Fireball Frenzy, yet another newcomer for the Blackhall Stables Partnership, initiated the Pierce-Staples double in the Honeysuckle four-year-old mares’ maiden.

Fireball Frenzy, a €31,000 acquisition at last year’s Tattersalls Ireland July sale who is a sister to three track scorers including 11-time winner Cyclop, arrived close home to beat Funny Hunny by a length

Jim O’Neill, fresh from sending out his first winner, El Cairos, at Curraghmore, was on the mark when Jamesieconn landed the Rathbarry Stud fiveye ar -old -an d-up wa rd s maiden, a race restricted to handlers who hadn’t sent out ten point-to-point winners. Jamesieconn made most of the running under Jamie Scallan to deny Ailt An Chorrain.

The old firm of Robert Tyner and De re k O’ Con nor com bine d to colle ct the Hibernian Hotel and Dairygold six-year-old-and-upwards ma iden wi th the ma re Wyoming Baby Owned by Angela and Gemma Kelleher with Lorna Busteed, Wyoming Baby came from well off the pace to lead 50 yards out and win by half a length

Winged Leader soars to sixth win in a row

WINGED LEADER cemented his reputation as one of the season’s standout performers with his sixth successive victory in the Triermore Stud open Run at Tattersalls as the Ballymacad Foxhounds’ track at Oldcastle was unfit for racing, the ten-year-old was turned out quickly having won the Barbour Cup at Castletown-Geoghegan a week ago.

Although his regular rival Jay Bee Why tr ie d to off er a sustained challenge from the back straight, it was a threat that Barry O’Neill’s mount dismissed convincingly to win by nine and a half lengths

It put him on six wins, two clear of a group of five chasers in the race for the season’s leading horse title “He’s coming back from his races really well, so as long as he keeps doing that we’ll stay going for the season,” winning handler David Christie said. “He looked tremendous in the parade ring. We haven’t had him this good for a long time.”

That victor y ended Rob James’s 24-hour spell at the top of the riders’ standings, as it completed a double for O’Neill,

Star performance

who regained his one-winner advantage (29-28), having earlier combined with chief supporter Colin Bowe in the REA McGee Auctioneers fiveand six-y ea r- old ma re s’ maiden with Kalo Athena

The newcomer was fortunate as she was held in third when Jolissaint fell at the last, while the challenging Magic Day also blundered her chance away That presented the race to the five-year-old who is now likely to be offered for sale.

Jolissaint’s handler, Andrew Latta, gained compensation when newcomer Kepler’s Law was an impressive winner of the Tattersalls NH five- and sixyear-old geldings’ maiden under Jack Hendrick.

Bought by fellow handler Cormac Doyle for £20,000 as a three-year-old, the Jack Hobbs gelding showed his class from the second-last as he powered 12 lengths clear of Jet Light.

“He’s a very big horse and he took a little time,” Latta said.

“Everything he does is effortless and I think he’s very good.

“For a big horse he has loads of gears. Jack said the biggest problem was slowing him down coming to the second-last.”

He ndr ick als o finishe d second in the Goffs Punchesto wn Sa le f ou r- ye ar-o ld maiden when Tokyo Tom got within a length and a quarter of Mark O’Hare’s well-touted Bygone Era, partnered by Declan Lavery

The margin of victory for the Malinas gelding was not aided by a stumble before the last, but he had enough left to hold on and give O’Hare, twice champion rider in the northern region, his second success of the campaign.

Noel McParlan is on track to claim his fourth title in the region and maintained his strike-rate at 35 per cent when Neo King landed his second su cces siv e co urs e-anddistance victory in the Huntsgrove Pigs Ltd winners-of-two.

Caroline McCaldin’s sixyear-old had run out a comfortable winner at the track two

weeks earlier and in defeating Wallace Olinger, himself a dual winner from this season, the French-bred Coastal Path gelding continued his climb through the ranks.

Ow ne d by Mc Ca ldin’s husband Alan, he could add to his tally this season, as the winning handler said: “He’s a fabulous jumper and a very nice horse and he loves it around here. If he comes out sound tomorrow we might go for a winners-of-three as he likes this soft ground.”

Shane Cotter moved within two winners of joining the reigning under-21 champion Dara McGill at the top of that leaderboard after his ninth success of his debut campaign when Manlikemike won the Oldcastle Co-Op and Oldcastle Veterinary Surgeons older maiden for novice riders The Mount Nelson gelding had beaten two subsequent wi nners when sec ond at Lingstown on his debut in November and Denis Murphy’s six-year-old had little trouble going one place better with a tw o- len gt h de feat of the staying-on Rag N Bone

Pictures HEALY RACING

Big Boy Barney scores under Declan Lavery in the five-yearold geldings’ maiden

Kepler’s Law ate up the ground on the climb to the line as he powered clear in impressive fashion

Manlikemike gives Shane Cotter his ninth success of the season

DerekO’Connor Straight to thePoint

O’Neill adds name to roll of Wexford winnersonbusyCurraghmore card

ANINE-RACEcardat Curraghmorelast

Saturdaywas welcome for handlers whose runningplans have beenseriously disrupted by the weather recently.

TheDoyle brothers made the most of the opportunities,takingfourof the firstfiveraces between them

Sean wontwo events in the fouryear-old category,and Donnchadh landedthe twodivisions of the fiveyear-old maiden. Disguisedlimit,a sonofMahler outofa half-sisterto Cheltenham Gold CupwinnerBobs

Worth, made astrongfirst impression, and Authorized gelding Jarrive De Meeshowed he had matured nicely since adebutfourth at BoultainNovember.

Trainer Liam Kennysaddled the runner-up in both races and it shouldn’t takemuch improvement for his pair,Ashtown Park and Millforce,toget offthe mark before the end of the season.

Sean Doyle’s EasternShores, unlucky to slipuponher debutat Ballyknock, won the mares’ maiden after Pa King’s runner Pismo Beach fell at the lastwhen lookinglikely to pose abig threat. Sean and jockey Jamie Scallan completedadouble with Doyengelding Moon Rocket. It wasa good weekend overall for the Wexfordstables,and anew name wasadded to the listofwinning handlers from the county when Jim O’Neill, from Ballindaggin, saddled El Cairos to make awinningdebut under Sean Staples in the first division of the four-year-old geldings’ maiden at Curraghmore.

Jimcompletedamemorable weekend by winningamaiden with the Jamie Scallan-ridden Jamesieconn at Dromahane. Meanwhile,Sean Staples teamedup with Paul Pierce-trainedmaiden winnersFireball Frenzyand Dalston Lad on the same card.

TheWexfordinfluence wasfelt in the north on Saturday, where Donnchadh Doyle’sKeopDes Bordes wasthe star performer in winningthe four-year-old geldings’ maiden. TheFrench-bred gelding impressed me with the quality of his jumping, andIliked the look of him

Thenameofhis sire, Tunis, probablywon’t ring many bells.He’s aPolish-bred horsewho wasa talentedand dependable hurdler in

France for Guillaume Macaire. He wonfiveofhis 17 races and was fourth on the only occasion he finishedout of the first three He beat his top-classstablemate MasterDino in Grade 2and Grade 3 races at Auteuil in 2018 and finished second in the Grade 1PrixAlain de Breuil in the same season. He has sired Flat and jumpswinners in France.KeopDes Bordes is shaping up as agood advertisement for him

Youdon’t often come across horses with Polish connections in Ireland or Britain, although I remember‘the other Galileo’,a Polish-bred geldingatthe time when Iwas startingmycareer.

‘Caroline

McCaldin is having a brilliant season Shebrought herscore to 12 wins –witha superb 44 percent strike-rate–thanksto thevictory of NeoKing’

Denis Murphywas another Wexfordhandler to getonthe scoreboard at Loughanmore, saddlingLets Mingle to make a winningdebutinthe four-year-old mares’ maiden. She’s interestingasahalf-sister by Walk In TheParkto Loughglynn, the Willie Mullins-trained geldingwho beat the subsequentAlbert Bartlettwinner

Stellar Storyina Grade 2novice hurdle at Limerick at Christmas, andisdue to runinaListednovices’ hurdle at Perthtoday.

Northern trainers suppliedthe other four Loughanmorewinners.I wasdelighted to help Cormac Abernethytoafirst trainingsuccess, ridingCresthill to amaiden winin the colours of Wilson Dennison. That came after Ihad beenbeaten on

Ballybowfor the same connections inthe five-year-old maiden wonby the Sean McParlan-trainedBig Boy Barney. Wilson’sdaughter Caroline McCaldin suppliedhis other winner on the card,Ballyphilip,asix-yearold Presentinggelding who hasnow wonfourraces in arow inside two months

Caroline is havingabrilliant season. Shebroughther scoreto12 wins –withasuperb44per cent strike-rate–thankstothe victoryof NeoKinginthe winner-of-twoatthe Ballymacad meetingswitchedfrom Oldcastle to Tattersalls,whereNeo King also wonearlier in the month He wassecond to the Emmet Mullins-trainedRomeoMagicoin the hunter chaseatDownRoyal on St Patrick’sDay andisayoung horse who looks ready to make the transition to the track. Another northern-trainedgelding, David Christie’sgreat servant Winged Leader,isprovingtobethe season’sstar openhorse. He made it six in arow when winningeasilyat Tattersalls,the second legofa double for BarryO’Neill, enablinghim to end the weekend with aone-winner

lead over RobJamesinthe championship battle Therace for the under-21 title is alsogettingtight. Dara McGill, who seta strong pace earlier in the season, hasbeenstuck on the 11-winner mark for awhile and had to settle for acouple of seconds last weekend.

Hisnearest challengerisShane Cotter,who narrowed the gaptotwo by landingthe novice riders’race at Tattersalls on the Denis MurphytrainedManlikemike, awarm favourite on thestrength of his debut second at Lingstown in November Thenoviceriders’opengaveAlice Powerher firstpoint-to-point success, partneringthe Paul Kielytrained14-year-old Dr Robin, who wonnine races on the trackin Britain duringhis career with Peter Bowen.

He hadshown very little since comingtoIreland, butAlice gota good tune outofhim to hold off the challenge of the Enda Bolger-trained MidnightMaestro. Thewinnerisa stablemateofThedancingfarrier,a 12-year-old ridden by Alicetowin a handicap hurdle in the Fegentri Series of races at Corklastmonth.

El Cairos makes awinning debut under Sean Staples at Curraghmore to give Ballindaggin-based Jim O’Neillhis first trainingsuccess

HEALYRACING

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DUAL GROUP 1 WINNER!

1st King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes-Gr.1, 1m4f, Ascot

1st Coronation Cup-Gr.1, 1m4f, Epsom

1st King Edward VII Stakes-Gr.2, 1m4f, Royal Ascot

1st Hardwicke Stakes-Gr.2, 1m4f, Royal Ascot

1st Great Voltigeur Stakes-Gr.2, 1m4f, York

1st Churchill Stakes-L.R., 1m2f, Lingfield

1st Ascendant Stakes-L.R., 1m, Haydock at 2 years

1st Novice Stakes, 7f, Salisbury at 2 years

PYLEDRIVERisthebesthorseI’veever hadanythingtodowithandgaveusso manyfantasticdays.Fromdayonehe neverletusdown; brillianttemperament, wentonanyground, cleanwindedand supersound.

Magnier

Trainer William Muir

King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes-Gr.1