Point-to-Point Supplement Racing Post 19-10-22

BROUGHTTOYOU BY

DerekO’Connor

Straight to thePoint Food forthought in Hewick’s link to mighty Deep Bramble

ANOTHERchapter in the amazingstory of Hewick and SharkHanlonwas written in Americaon Saturday, alongway from Knockanard wherethe €850 purchase made his debutina race wonbythe top-classFernyHollowin February2019.

It’s awell-known storybynow, extraordinaryfor the fact that the Galway Plateand Grand National Hurdle herofailedtocomplete the courseinhis three point-to-point appearances.Three differentriders partedcompanywithhim

With that sort of recordit’shardto knowwhat impact his point-to-point career hadonhis development.

It wasn’t until his 12th startover hurdles that he wonfor the firsttime In contrast, he wonfirsttime over fences at Clonmel, wherehemade mistakes butwas very well handled by Shane Fenelon. Nowaconditional rider,Shane wasone of the three who partnered him in points

Hewick remainsprone to the odd mistake, as we knowfromhis lastfence exit when attemptingto complete the Galway Plate/Kerry National double,sointhat senseyou could hardly claimhe’sa brilliant advertisementfor the education horses receiveinpoints.Perhaps he learnedsomevaluable lessons

I’minterested in apoint-to-point connection in his pedigreethat I wasn’taware of untilrecently.

Idiscoveredthat hisunraceddam, theOscar mare Ballyburn Rose,isa granddaughterofasistertoahorse calledDeepBramble

It wasjustbeforemytime, but DeepBramble wasatalentedstaying chaser,originally trainedbyMichael Hourigan for his Wexfordowner breeder JimMernagh.

Jimisahighlyrespectedman in the jumpsbreedingworld who is still goingstrongand wasrecently associatedwith Paul Nolan’s talented, butsadly ill-fatedchaser Latest Exhibition.

DeepBramble wonthe Ericsson Chase(nowthe Savills) at Leopardstown.Hewas sold to Paul Barber andjoinedPaulNicholls. He wontwo bighandicapsatSandown in 1995 butwas neverthe same again after beingpulledupinthat year’s Cheltenham Gold Cup.

Older point-to-pointfollowers rememberDeepBramble as an

excitinghorseearly in hiscareer. A sonofthe greatDeepRun, he won fivepoints,the firstofthem at Nenagh in 1991 when ridden by Adrian Maguire.

Thefirsttime he setfootona racecoursehewas sent off at 13-2 for the four-mile National Hunt Chaseat Cheltenham. He must have had some reputation! Apparently,hewas in contention when unseatinghis rider at the second-last.

Hewick’s point-to-point failures were in total contrasttoDeep

Bramble,but maybethat family link hassomething to do with the talent we’reseeingnow.It’snot something you could proveordisprove, one of the fascinatingthings about thoroughbred breeding.

He’s begun to capture the public imagination; the cheap purchase price and unpromisingstarttohis career arepartofthe appeal, along with his trainer’s bigpersonality.

Winningonthe other side of the Atlantic hasadded another dimension, and he wonin greatstyle under Jordan Gainford. Hewick has come alongway,and so hasJordan, who rode his firstpointto-pointwinner at Oldcastle in April 2019.

Links between points and the Grand National Hurdle are becomingfrequent. Gordon Elliott’s2018 winner Jury Duty startedhis career with runs at Curraghmoreand Ballyarthur in

April2015, finishingthirdonthe second occasion.

Brain Power, who capturedthe 2019 race for NickyHenderson, began his career with abumperwin He’s nowinaction in points

After leavingthe Henderson team, he joined Warren Ewingand got off the mark at TyrellainJanuaryonhis fourth attempt. He gave agood displaytobeatSome Manonhis reappearance at Moirathis month

After twoyears of Covid disruption the FarHills race waswon last year by TheMean Queen, amarewho wonfirsttime outfor Ellen Doyle at Loughanmoreduringthe previous autumn campaign

After aspell with Yvonne Latta, she joinedAmerican trainer Keri Brionat her temporary Wexfordbasebefore travellingtothe States with her

On Saturday the point-to-point influence extendedtoTed Hastings, a2021 Dromahane winner for Peter Flood.Hewon one of the main supportingraces for Gordon Elliott, beatingBrion’s runner Howyabud, an Ellen Doylegraduatewho was

second in three points beforelanding amaiden hurdle at Leopardstown’s Christmasmeetinglastyear

Samcro’sbackinstyle

On Sunday, Gordon’sformer track star Samcroreturned to thepoint-to pointfield six and ahalf years after his winningdebutatMonksgrange for Colin Bowe

Reunitedwith his original jockey, BarryO’Neill,hewon theopenat Tinahely in goodstyle in thecolours of Camilla Sharples.

Diving intoKilballyowen

I’ve beendelving into the pastthis week, so Iknowthat Kilballyowen, a CourtCavegeldingwho gave me a firstwinnerofthe season in the four year-old maiden at Tinahely, hasthe same name as the 1957 Irish Grand National winner,trainedbyPaddy Norris, father of racingphotographer Caroline Norris.

This Kilballyowenistrainedby Enda Bolger whomight not enjoy the reminder of what happenedtoDeep Bramble at Cheltenham 30 years ago.

‘Hewickhas begunto capturethe public imagination andpartofthe appeal is histrainer’s bigpersonality’

Kilballyowen and DerekO’Connorontheirway to victoryatTinahely; (below)Shark

Hanlon withson

PaddyonGrandNational Hurdlewinner Hewick

HEALYRACING

In-form Caroline McCaldin on the people andhorses whohaveplayeda part in hersuccess

GROWING up I hadnointerestin training racehorses. I’d beeneventingall my life, butthat all changed in 2015 when Ibroke both my legs in afall at home.Iwas gettingahunter readytorun and he jinked at ourdog Iwentout the side door and landedonboth feet,but my twolegsjustwentsnap. Iwas told Iwould never ride again, which left me wonderingwhat Iwas goingtodo.

That’s when Idecidedtogo down the trainingroute.The yard IhavehereinDromara has16stables and, thankfully, theyare all full and the horses arerunningwell.

It’s areal teamefforthere with my husbandAlan and thereare three lads in the yard None of this would be possible without anyofthosethree They arebrilliantlads–loyal, hardworkingand would do anythingfor you.

Faith Lovingwas ourthird winner of the season at Portrush on Saturday [following Gorthill and Ballymagee at Toomebridge

AND VIEWS

‘HermesAllen was unbelievable,the best that hasbeen throughmyhands’

and Moira], butevery winstill surprises me and fills me full of joy. Last season hastaught me that.

In Januarya virus came into the yard andevery single horse wasscopingdirty.Wejust couldn’t getrid of it.Itried everythingbut it just wouldn’t go.Itcame to Apriland Ijust toldthe boys tothrow every single one of ourhorses into the field for an early summer because it wasa losingbattle

It wasa bigblow, particularly for asmall yard, and havingstartedthe season so well. The only saving grace wasthat anybody that Ispoke to hadthe same thing.

Despiteall that bad lucklast season, Idid have one of my proudestmoments in racingwhen Hermes Allen wonafouryear-old maiden at Kirkistown last November

He wasan unbelievable horse, definitelythe best that has beenthrough my hands.Hemade his debutinRathcannon, which wasagreat education for him and it really stood to him

when we went to Kirkistown Noel McParlan schooled him one dayfor me and he lovedhim.Noel hasalwaysbeen such abig part of my team.

He’s a fantastic rider who I have alot of faith in. He gotoff him and said: “Caroline,this horsewill winhis maiden and go on to winraces.”

It wasNoel’sconfidence in the horse that allowed him to

do what he did in Kirkistown, sendinghim outfromthe front.

Hermes Allen wasalsothe firstwinnerItrainedinthe colours of my father,Wilson Dennison. It waslovelytodoit for my dad and I’mveryproud to have done it for him because he’s beensucha majorcontributor to me in life and with horses;hehas taught me so much

Iwentovertothe Tattersalls sale in Cheltenhamwhen we offered Hermes Allen for sale after his winand it wasjust unbelievable.Icouldn’t believeitwhen he wassold [for £350,000].

Iremember being told to enjoythe momentasI wasjust standingtherewith my mouth open –Icouldn’t believeit. It wasbrilliant. All Ihavetodo nowisfindthat onehorseto do it all over again.

Ihavea coupleofthree-and four-year-olds to runthis season butmainlyhorses for older maidens,winners’races and hunter chases

SamuraiCrackerisback point-to-pointingthis season. He wasatthat awkwardrating of 124 whereyou couldn’t find arace to suit himunder rules.

Theraces were either too strong or it wastoo weak and he hadtop weight. He’s nine nowand we hadalways wanted to go hunter chasing properlywith him

He wasentered for the AintreeFoxhunters’ in 2020 beforeCovid struck. We didn’t knowwhat wasgoingto happen so when theyopened racingagain we decided to go to the trackwith him

Iwas really lookingforward to himcoming outinanopen this season until Isaw the list of horses who have their hunter certs and nowI’m terrified

It would be lovely to get to Aintreewithhim and maybe some of ourother older horses, likeFaith Loving. We just need to seewhat this season brings beforeplanningtoo far ahead.

CAROLINE McCALDIN WAS TALKING TO EOGHAIN WARD

EoghainWard

Christie hasCheltenhamonVaucelet’sagenda

SAMCROmay have beena shadowofhis former self in some of his latestoutings on the racecoursebut he returned to pointingwith abang.

After pullingupinthe Grade 3AnRiocht ChaseatKillarney in mid-May,the ten-year-old turnedthe PerryOil open at Tinahely into aprocession on Sundayinthe silks of his new owner,Camilla Sharples

ThetripleGrade 1winner wasabletodictate from the fronttobeata solid benchmark for the division in Visioman by 32 lengths

Word of his dominantvictory resultedinseveral bookmakers installinghim as shortas10-1 for the Cheltenham festival hunter chasenextMarch,but he is ineligible after his secondplace finish to Notebookinthe Grade 2Fortria ChaseatNavan 11 months ago.

That performance rules him outofall point-to-point and hunter chaseactioninBritain this season

Cheltenham wasunsurpris ingly already beingdiscussed in the aftermathofthe Drenagh Sawmills open 24 hours earlier in Portrush as Vaucelet, who hadrun Billawaycloseinlast se as on ’s Pu nchesto wn Champio nHunter Chas e before gaining compensation in theStratford equivalentin

late May, made his return to action.

David Christie’s seven-year old is undoubtedly one of the mostexcitingperformerson either sideofthe Irish Seafor the hunter chaseseason, and although the openingweeks of the new po in t- to -p oin t campaign have produced disappointingline-ups in some race categories,the open lightweight division hasbucked that trend.

Fairytale of NewJersey

Thefairytale storyofHewick hadanother chapter addedon Saturdaywhen the $250,000 AmericanGrand National at the NewJersey trackFar Hills became the third valuable prize of his 2022 haulafter wins in the bet365 Gold and Galway Plate.

It hasbeenquite some adventure for SharkHanlon and owner TJ McDonald since theluckless startthe sevenyear-oldhad whenfallingor unseatinginhis three outings in thepoint-to-pointfieldsat Knockanard,BorrisHouse and Dromahane in 2019.

Less than 24 hours after the American victory, winning rider Jordan Gainford wasback to hisroots as he wasbraving the elements as an interested spectatoratrain-sodden Tinahely on Sunday.

Th eI mp er ia lMon arch geldingstarted his career by winningaDromahane maiden

at the firsttimeofaskinglast year for PeterFlood,and their successes will have been welcomedbyseveral point-topointhandlers who travelledto the NewJerseycourseto

further relations betweenthe tworacing jurisdictions, and encouragemoreAmerican ow nerstoinvestinIrish pointingexports

Canavan family line

Former conditional jockey Jordan Canavanmadehis po in t- to -p oin td ebu ta t Tinahely on Sunday. The 25-year-oldAntrimrider,who is the sonofformer point-to pointhandler John Canavan, hadhis last ride in the profes sional ranksatWexfordinearly August,and despitehis brother John havingpreviously ridden betweenthe flags, his ride on Twilight Skies for Mark Cahill in the Fort Faulkner Equestrian five-year-old geldings’maiden on Sundaywas his firstinthe sphere. No wb as ed in Ca shel , Tipperaryand workingwith leadinghandler SamCurling, Canavanwilllikely provea popular addition to thepointto-pointranks havingamassed agreat deal of experience under rules havingriddenin over 130 races,including54last season.

Hi ss ev en ra ce co urs e victories ensures he remains eligible to ride in novice rider races,whichwill likelycatch the eyeofhandlersfor the comingmonths

Hewick’s victorycappeda notable afternoon stateside for ex-point-to-pointhorses, with TedHastingswinninghis fourth race on the bounce by beatinganother point-to-point

graduate in Howyabudinthe $75,000 Foxbrook Champion Hurdle

Camilla Sharples

(right)celebrates Samcro’svictory in the2020Marsh Chaseatthe Cheltenham Festivalwith Katie Youngand Jack Madden

PA TRICK McCA

NN (RA CING POS T. COM/PHO TO S)

Relief all round as Vaucelet is highlight of treble for O’Neill

BARRY O’NEIL L issued a catch-me-if-you-can message to his rivals at the weekend as he gallops towards his seventh successive riders’ title

A treble at the County Derry track added to a single the next day at Tinahely took his tally to seven winners by the third weekend of action, five more than his nearest rival.

The County Wexford jockey completed his winning trio on Vaucelet, who ended last season with victory in the Stratford Foxhunters for trainer David Christie

This season the seven-year old Authorized gelding, owned by local hoteliers John Hegarty and Jennifer O’Kane, has the Cheltenham Festival’s Hunters’ Chase as his target, so it was a relieved trainer who welcomed his charge back after a half length victory in the Drenagh Sawmills open, a race he won by a distance last season.

That was because it was far from a stroll for the classy Vaucelet Despite leading into the home straight, he was st ro ng ly pr ess ed by the returning Coastal Tiep and pointing debutant Le Malin on the run to the line

“I’m glad to get that out of the way,” Christie said. “I knew he was fit enough to do himself justice, but I’m working back from Cheltenham with him, so that’s a relief

“They can be tricky races and he would have preferred a stronger pace with something else taking him along. We will avoid really heavy ground and mix between points and hunter chases as and when he needs to run.”

Fo ur -time nor thern champion rider O’Neill opened his scoring when combining with chief ally and reigning champion trainer Colin Bowe

Star performance

Zefiro Dodville had to battle gamely to prevail in a strongly run race in which there were few hiding places for a newcomer

to land a competitive Dennison Commercials four-year-old maiden with Zefiro Dodville

Sporting the colours of leading owner Brian Acheson, the French-bred son of Saints Des Saints had cost his connec tions €80,000 at last year’s Goffs Land Rover sale and it could be money well spent.

The close relation of Grade 1-winning hurdlers Zaidpour and Zaynar belied his inexperi ence to make the perfect start to his career

Robert Moloney’s Cork chal lenger Jack Hyde had set a strong tempo and still held claims as one of three horses to jump the last almost in line, but Zefiro Dodville answered every question asked by O’Neill to beat the Sean Doyle-trained South Omo Zone by a length and a half, with Jack Hyde a further neck away in third.

The middle leg of O’Neill’s treble came on Paul McAleese’s Castle Daragh in the Tatter salls NH & Maddybenny fiveyear-old geldings’ maiden.

The Beverley Caves-owned son of Watar had beaten only one rival home in three outings last season when with Jamie Sloan, but the switch to the locally based McAleese stable produced a notable change of fortune as his one-and-a-half length defeat of the newcomer Largy Legacy provided the Ballymoney handler with his first victory since 2017.

“I train only 20 minutes away and ride him out on the beach here, so he knows this part of the world well,” McAleese said.

“It was his first run for me and I’m delighted with that.”

Doyle’s Monbeg Stables had better luck in the Sperrin Metal mares’ maiden when Beauty To Behold provided Rob James with his first winner of the season.

Facing just three rivals, the grey daughter of Mahler, who is owned by Doyle’s younger brother Gearoid, made every inch of the running on her debut before proving eight lengths too good for last se as on’s Lo ugh an mor e runner-up Call The Barmaid.

“I bought her with my girl friend Emma Murphy, who couldn’t make it up here today, but she’ll be delighted with the result,” the winning owner said.

“Beauty To Behold wasn’t right when we ran her at Stowlin in the spring but that was more like what we had been seeing at home She’ll be sold now and will be a real fun mare.”

There was an even smaller line-up for the Kenny Bradley’s winners-of-three contest, when just two horses faced the

starter and, although it was a race lacking runners, it was full of intr igu e as it brou ght together the proven three-time winner Faith Loving and last season’s Lisronagh maiden winner Ferns Lock

The latter was having his first outing in the colours of leading supporters Ray Nicholas and Dr Sam Campbell, having been bought for £60,000 from Peter Flood after his debut victory, and he proved to be the first to crack when ridden into the hom e st ra ig ht, as No el

McParlan began to increase the tempo on Faith Loving.

The seven-year old could not be re eled in as he continued Caroline McCaldin’s strong start to the season with her third victory in as many Saturdays

Charlie Keegan made a worthwhile visit to the seaside venue when sending Autumn Philtre from his Templemore yard in Tipperary to land the Ro y al Co ur t Ho tel older geldings’ maiden.

The six-year-old had recent

race fitness to draw on having finished sixth at Castletown Geoghegan on the opening weekend of the season, and he made that count when beating Wee Jerry by six lengths

“I train only a couple and it was a long way up, so it was great to get that done,” Keegan said.

“I bought this fellow as a store and he has been tempera mental, so much of the credit goes to Michael Sweeney, who rides him and got the best out of him here today.”

(Above) Vaucelet and Barry O’Neill (right) on their way to victory in the open lightweight; (right) Beauty To Behold and Rob James take the mares’ maiden

‘We might just have him back’ –Samcro returns to winning ways

THE battle of the former track stars was won by Samcro at the first of two autumn fixtures at Tinahely.

Gordon Elliott’s triple Grade 1 winner was in a class of his own in the Perry Oil open after Castlebawn West exited the race at the third fence Ca st le ba wn We st , the impressive winner of the Paddy Power Chase for Willie Mullins two years ago, when he had subsequent Grand National winner Minella Times in second, was pulled up quickly by Noel McParlan on his first outing since that Leopards town victory.

The ten-year-old Samcro, now sporting the colours of Elliott’s long-time travelling head girl Camilla Sharples, was in control from that point.

Reunited with reigning champion rider Barry O’Neill, who had guided him to his debut victory at Monksgrange six years earlier, Samcro cruised home 32 lengths clear of dual open winner Visioman.

“I’m just delighted,” Sharples said. “I’ve put a lot of effort into him and I’ve had a lot of help at home to try to get him back to his best

“Barry said he has never ridden anything quite like him in an open. I think he proved it out there that we just might have him back.”

It was a day filled with widemargin winners and The Same ca me clos e to mat ch i ng Samcro’s winning margin

when he won the Fort Faulkner Eq uestr ian fiv e- ye ar-ol d geldings’ maiden by 29 lengths

A €60,000 purchase from the 2020 Tattersalls Ireland Derby sale, the Network gelding took a big step forward from his two outings last season. Forceful tactics from Harley Dunne enabled the Denis Murphytrained bay to devour the climb from the penultimate fence and dismiss the three-time placed Old Style Humor easily.

The victory instigated a double for the Wexford trainer

Star performance

Samcro was simply in a league of his own as he delivered a performance befitting a three-time Grade 1 winner

as he added the Shillelagh & District hunt mares’ winnersof-one with Chatshow Host

The Soldier Of Fortune mare, who was bred by winning rider Luke Murphy and his mother Miriam, was upsides Elusive Mae jumping the last when that

rival made a serious blunder and all but exited the race before recovering to finish fifth

Th e er ro r all ow ed the previous Bartlemy third to return 23 lengths clear of the To ome br id ge ru nn er-up Maska Du Morvan.

“The horses seem to be back healthy,” the Wexford handler said. “Chatshow Host had a bit of form last year and you can’t beat a bit of form. She’s a big mare and has taken time to mature. She’ll win plenty of races and will go to the sales.”

Legacy Of Dreams also posted a wide-margin success when landing the Coolattin older maiden for novice riders by 14 and a half lengths

The seven-year-old had gained a great deal of experi ence over the last three seasons for Sean Doyle and John Walsh However, on his first outing in this sphere for local handler

Philip Rothwell and at a track where he had poste d his previous career best, he proved too good for the CastletownGeoghegan fourth Mick Mixy

The victory was a second between the flags for Phidelma Elvin, five years after the Kildare jockey’s first winner at Largy in 2017.

It could so easily have been a double for Rothwell at the track, which runs parallel to his gallop in the adjoining field, as Agirlcalledchloe held the advantage in the Tattersalls NH five-year-old mares’ maiden only to run out at the penulti mate fence

Her departure left the locally trained newcomer Ambush Annie with the advantage, although she was reeled in on the climb to the line by Sous Les Rose Her six-and-a-half length victory was a first of the new season for Tomhaggard rider Jamie Scallan.

“We had a bit of luck,” Doyle said, having sent out two winners and two secondplaced finishers from five runners over the weekend.

“She’s a mare who wasn’t right last year but is after settling down lovely. She’ll win plenty of races in England.”

The closest finish of the day came in the opening Winners

Enclosure Bookmakers four year-old maiden as the easy-toback Kilballyowen was aided by the blunder at the last by chief rival Ihandaya to win by a length and a half

The Court Cave gelding gave Limerick-based Enda Bolger a first four-year-old maiden winner since Saint Benedict at Rathcannon four years ago.

Racegoers at Tinahely follow the action in the five-year-old geldings’ maiden won by The Same and Harley Dunne; (below) the pair close in on victory

Pictures: HEALY RACING

First-time-out Novice Hurdle WINNER!