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

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.

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 ff Class r -

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

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