POINT-TO-POINT

JAMIE CODD is setting a strong early pace in a bid to regain the point-to-point riders’ title which he lost to fellow Wexfordman, Barry O’Neill, by a single winner last season, and he had three winners at the weekend.

At Loughanmore, Co. Antrim, on Saturday. Codd and Denis Murphy (The Ballagh) struck in the five- and six-years-old mares’ maiden with Frozen Motion (Black Sam Bellamy/Katys Jools), beating Tony Martin’s Absainte under O’Neill in a great finish.

Jimmy O’Rourke also got on the mark with The White Volcano for Armagh trainer, J. Woods.

At the Galway Blazers meeting in Loughrea on Sunday, Codd had a double, in the five-years-old geldings’ maiden on Róisín Hickey’s Canyouringmeback, and on Adrian Maguire’s Knockraha Boss in the winner of one.

O’Neill and Colin Bowe won their second four-year-old maiden in successive weeks, with Rath An Iuir (Flemensfirth/Amathea) getting up by a short head on the line, O’Neill pipping perennial champion Derek O’Connor.

Next weekend sees the first local fixture of the new season with Shillelagh and District racing at Fairwood, Tinahely, and they also race at Rathcannon, Limerick, on Sunday and Moira, Co. Down, on Saturday.

A Wexford horse that could be one of the season’s stars had an impressive first outing over fences on Saturday.

Finian’s Oscar began his career at Denis Murphy’s Ballagh stables for Edelle Logan who paid a hefty €50,000.

He was bred by Richard and Martin O’Keeffe, Taghmon. He won his maiden at Portrush, ridden by Jamie Codd, and after just four months with Murphy he was sold on to Colin Tizzard for Alan Potts for £250,000 Stg.

He won his first three outings in England under Tom O’Brien, nephew of Aidan; he missed out on Cheltenham but won at Aintree in a champion novice hurdle under Robbie Power.

Finian’s Oscar was an easy winner at Chepstow under Bryan Cooper, now contracted to ride the Alan Potts horses in England.