RACING BY PEGASUS

THERE IS a seven-race National Hunt card at Bettyville racecourse, Wexford, on Saturday afternoon with €90,000 in prize money on offer for the four hurdles, two chases and the usual bumper.

It is one of the last chances to raise some funds for the Punchestown Festival which starts on Tuesday, April 30.

Main sponsor is the Coast Hotels and Resorts group, with their €20,000 rated hurdle being the feature of the day.

Racing starts at 1.55 p.m. and the last goes off at 5.20 p.m. Do keep an eye on the racing pages on Saturday as times may change if a big entry causes any of the races to be divided.

The full card is -

1.55 p.m.: The Coast Kilmore Quay Mares’ Maiden Hurdle of €11,500, over two miles four furlongs;

2.30 p.m.: The Coast Hotels & Resorts Rated Hurdle of €20,000, over two miles;

3.05 p.m.: The Coast Rosslare Strand Handicap Hurdle of €10,000 (rated 80-95), over two miles;

3.40 p.m.: The Vinegar Hill Handicap Hurdle of €12,500, over three miles;

4.10 p.m.: The Freddie Doyle Memorial & Liz Doyle Beginners’ Steeplechase of €12,500, over two miles;

4.45 p.m.: The Eoin O’Gorman Solicitors Handicap Steeplechase of €11,500 (rated 0-102), over three miles, one furlong;

5.20 p.m.: The Irish Stallion Farms EBF Mares’ Flat Race of €11,000, over two miles.

Willie Martin from Clonhaston, Enniscorthy, trained the winner of the seven-furlong handicap on the flat at Cork on Saturday, with his Time Stands Still (11/1) being steered home by three lengths by Piercestown apprentice, Willie Byrne. This was the filly’s third win.

Tom O’Brien suffered a fall on his first mount at Haydock on Saturday and was stood down for the rest of the day. Earlier in the week he won at Exeter on Tuesday on Tudors Treasure (11/4f).

Daryl Jacob won on Shanroe (5/1) for Dublin trainer Karl Thornton at Hexham on Monday, and on Bob Mahler (6/1) for Warren Greatrex at Cheltenham on Thursday.

There were a couple of notable results at that Cheltenham meeting – Paul Nicholls scored his 3,000th National Hunt winner with Kupatana, a great milestone, and Rachael Blackmore went across for one ride on Henry De Bromhead’s Havingagoodtime (3/1), and romped in by 18 lengths (probably the bet of the week).

At Fairyhouse on Sunday, Paul Nolan’s Quamino took second in the €50k BoyleSports Novice Chase behind Robbie Power on Impact Factor (4/1), helped by an incident at the second last when two front runners exited the race.

There was a pair of seconds for J.J. Slevin and Joseph O’Brien in two €20k races, on Christopher Robin (10/1) and Uisce Beatha.

Seán Flanagan was unlucky on hot favourite, Aint Dunne Yet (5/4), which he had to quickly pull up after just one fence.

Down in Cork, Harley Dunne picked up €20k for being second in the €100k Sales Bumper on Sam Curling’s Chuvelo (18/1), behind Joseph O’Brien’s Uhtred (4/1f).

In Britain, P.J. McDonald put in a great ride to take the £25,000 mile stakes at Kempton on Saturday on Jim Tate’s Name The Wind (2/1) to edge out Oisín Murphy by a short head on Sensa Limiti (6/5f).

He won at Wolverhampton on Tuesday on Magical Molly Joe (9/4f) by a neck, and on Thursday he rode winners at two different tracks - at Newmarket on Far Above (11/8) for Jim Tate, pipping Frankie Dettori by a head, and that evening at Chelmsford on Glenn Coco (3/1) before the long haul home to north Yorkshire.

The All-Weather Champions meeting at Lingfield on Good Friday was one of the most valuable cards of the year, with one £200k, and five £150k races to be won.

I thought it remarkable that not one Irish runner was there to seek a share of these rich pickings.