BargainputsMcSweeney back in thegroove

THEnew season of four-yearold maiden races kickedoff on apositivenoteatTallowon Sundaywhen tenhorses contestedthe firstrace of 2023 in the agegroup

That promising startwas followed 30 minutes later by sevenrunner the open ers a Ballinaboola and Be llh arb ou r wi th Jo hn Stanton, Ellen Doyle and Con McSweeneythe first handlersto get on thescore boardinthe divis

Afirstfour-year-old winner since 2019 for riderturned-handler McSweeney, Butcher Hollowproved to be a shrewdpurchasefromparttwo of last year’s Goffs Land Rover sale having costjust€7,500 whenboughtinpartnership with the Crossgales Stables team of Bennyand Jenny Walsh is is the second su cces siv ey ear the Tallowfour-year-oldmaiden hasgone to abargain-buy as 12 months agoitwas wonby David Murphy’sMatata, who wasalsoboughtfor €7,500 at the store sales

TheWalsheshad double reason to celebrateas rformer point-pointer The Goffer (left)won a€ 150,000 Gr ade A ha ndic ap ch as ea tt he Dublin Racing Fe st iv al the me day.

Despite six-figure store purchasescroppingupwith ever greater regularity in fouryear-old maidens,theseresults show you don’t have to spend a fortune to compete at the highestlevel in the sphere.

Plight of confined maidenshighlighted

Point-to-pointing returns to Comea on Sunday, ayear on from the notable firstfixture for the Scarteen Foxhounds which christenedthe new course.

Theopeningfour-year-old maiden that dayproved significant when the firsttwo home went for acombined£640,000 in thesales ring

It came 30 minutes beforeLiz Lalorrodeher wayintothe historybooks by passingHelen BryceSmith’s longstanding tally of 109 winners to become Ireland’smost successful female point-to-pointrider

As racingreturnstothe Tipperaryvenue,the confined ma id en epitomis es the struggles facing anumberof hunt committees.

Thereare just tenhorses from apoolof1,896 horses with aScarteenFoxhounds hunter certificateand,with two of the ten beingrace winners, it reduces the pool of potential runners –withJohn Gleeson responsible for half of them

Tenyearsago there were 43 Scarteen certificates at this pointofthe season, which highlights the plightofmany confined maiden races and the potentialfinancialloss facingcommitteesfor persevering with them.

It adds to the case for letting committees runa confined maiden as aseventh race to ensuretheydonot disappear from the programme

Doyle has control at Bellharbour

Thesayinghorsesfor coursesis often trottedout butatweaked versioncould be used to describeone handler’s record in thefive-year-old geldings’ maiden at Bellharbour.

Sunday’s eyecatching debut success of newcomer Mt Fugi Park wasa fourth winner in the las ts ix ru nnin gs for Donnchadh Doyle

On ly Do yl e’sy ou ng er brother Cormacand Tipperary handler John Nallen have been able to break his stranglehold on arace in whichhesentout Fact To File to winlastyear

Almost12months to the day from that debutsuccess, the six -y ear -o ld fi nis he da commendablesecond in the Grade2 Future Stars bumper at Leopardstown on the first dayofthe Dublin Racing Festival.

Therewas betterfortune for former pointersatSandown as Gerri Colombe’s success in the ScillyIslesnovicechase under Jordan Gainfordwas a13th Grade 1prize of the season to be claimedbygraduates of the point-to-pointfields.

Theseven-year-oldremains unbeatensincenar rowly landingafour-year-old maiden for Colin Bowe at Lingstownin March2020.