Codd keeps up relentless pursuit
JAMIE CODD, who passed the 800 winners mark the previous weekend, set out on the next century of successes at the Louth Hunt meeting on Sunday, before then heading to Punchestown to ride Samcro to win the bumper for Gordon Elliott.
He and Denis Murphy, The Ballagh, combined to take the four-year-old mares’ maiden in impressive style aboard Big Penny, a daughter of Oscar, out of Lady Marnay. The duo were foiled of a double in the geldings race when second on King of Kilmeague, behind the Crawfords’ Cool Getaway.
Colin Bowe had first and second in the fiveyear-old geldings’ maiden, with Land League (Touch of Land- Be My Sunset) under Barry O’Neill, narrowly beating Cooper’s Square, ridden by Rob James.
Liam Kenny (Craanford) and the Or- phan Girl syndicate followed up their recent Grennan win with Battle Anthem (Royal Anthem-Chika Boom) in the winner of one, under a nice ride by Harley Dunne (The Ballagh).
In the older horses’ maiden, Richard O’Keeffe from Taghmon and owner Paddy McDonald got second with Free Range, ridden by Gary Murphy, Ballycullane, a race where only three of the 15 starters completed.
At Glenbane in Limerick, the long journey was worthwhile for Michael Goff from Clondaw, Ferns, and his stable jockey, Shane Fitgzgerald. They scored Goff’s first win of the season in the four-year-old maiden with the impressive Clondaw Castle (Oscar-Lorhort Castle).
Jamie Codd’s trip to Dromahane in Cork for the Dunhallow Hunt meeting the previous weekend earned him a double and thus he passed that significant career landmark with his 800th winner.
For the record, this was on Laylamac for Damian Murphy in the older mares’ maiden, and he added another on Sydney Paget in the open for Pat Doyle, Holycross, Co. Tipperary.
Codd is only the second man to reach 800 winners in Irish point-to-point history, the other being eleven times champion, Derek O’Connor.
To put the dominance of these two men in perspective, the late John Thomas McNamara is the only other to surpass the 600 mark. Congratulations on a marvellous achievement by the Mayglass man.
The Killinick Harriers meeting at Lingstown was called off early in the week because of ground concerns, and it will now be staged on December 18.
Racing this weekend is at Kirkistown, North Down, on Saturday, and at Kilmoganny, South Kilkenny (Mainstown), and at Boulta in Cork for the West Waterford Hunt on Sunday.