O’Neill still leads jockeys’ battle

IT WAS honours even for Barry O’Neill and Jamie Codd in the battle at the top of the pointto-point riders’ championship as they got two winners each, while there were training wins also for Colin Bowe, Liz Doyle, P.J. O’Gorman and Vincent Devereux.

Codd struck with a double in the first two races at Kirkistown, Co. Down, on Saturday, winning both divisions of the four-year-old maiden for northern owner/trainer, Warren Ewing, on Celebrity Status and Plus One.

O’Neill had an exciting win aboard his old friend, Valmy Bay, for Fermanagh’s David Christie; the horse was very reluctant to start and conceded many lengths but was eventually coaxed into contention and won well in the end.

It was a good job by O’Neill, who got his second win on Sunday in the West Waterford Hunt meeting at Boulta in the four-year-old maiden on Colin Bowe’s Rosie McQueen (Milan-Royal Rosy).

He is on 17 winners, three ahead of Codd, with Noel McParlan third on eleven.

There was a much more successful day at the Kilmoganny Hunt meeting at Mainstown in south Kilkenny on Sunday, with three Wexford winners.

Richie Deegan from Borris in Carlow had a double in the first two races, and the second was on Vouvray (Califet-Cartzagrouas) in the five-year-old geldings’ maiden, trained by Liz Doyle for her mother, Avril, former prominent politician.

Eddie Keating from Gusserane gave a strong ride to Dimpy Mulligan (Bach-Always Present) in the five-year-old plus mares’ maiden to get up by less than a length for delighted trainer P.J. O’Gorman (Bunclody) and owner Mary Lett.

Vincent (trainer) and Jimmy (owner) Devereux, Rostoonstown, had a clear success in the last, the older geldings’ maiden for novice riders, with You Know Best (Publisher-Devs Delight), under a confident ride by Shane Fitzgerald.

Racing this Sunday is at Ballindenisk, Watergrasshill, Cork, and at Lisronagh, near Clonmel.