Ballinaboola point-to-point on Sunday
ACTION WAS confined to Fairwood Park, Tinahely, on Sunday as the Wicklow Hunt staged its first meeting for 20 years. It was a good day for the large Wexford contingent with three winners out of six and lots of placed horses.
Trainer Colin Bowe and champion rider Barry O’Neill struck in the four-year-old maiden with Rocco (Shantou-Navaro) by a cosy five lengths, and this one is now for sale.
Order in Court was third for John Paul and Marie Brennan under J.J. Walsh of Tinahely.
Jamie Codd kept tabs on O’Neill with success for Denis Murphy (The Ballagh) in the five- and six-yearold geldings’ maiden on Upsettheodds (Oscar-Cruella de Vil), showing good improvement from a run at the same venue two weeks ago.
Four lengths back was Pelegrine Falcon, ridden by J.W. Hendrick for William Codd (Mayglass), Jamie’s brother.
Luke John Murphy from Inch won the concluding older maiden for novice riders on Talkoftheparish (Darsi-Another Present) for Cormac Doyle and the Monbeg Syndicate, stealing a lead at the bottom of the hill which was just enough to hold on by a neck, an enterprising ride.
The Wexford Foxhounds stage the first local meeting of the season at Ballinaboola on Sunday. They open at 12 noon with a four-year-old maiden, followed by a five-year-old geldings’ maiden, fiveyear-old plus adjacent mares’ maiden, a winner of one, the open race and concluding at 2.30 p.m. with a six-year-old maiden for novice riders.
They also race at Dromahane, Co. Cork, on Sunday and at Loughbrickland, Co. Down, on Saturday.