Special day for Black and Cogley BREE POINT-TO-POINT

THE LOCAL highlight of a very busy point-to-point weekend was the Bree Hunt meeting at Monksgrange, Rathnure, which was blessed by perfect conditions, a good crowd and some exciting racing, and a good deal of success for Wexford connections.

Last week I reported on the world record sales price of £320,000 achieved by young Bunclody trainer Richard Black for his mare, Maire Banrigh, which had recorded his first win of the season at Lingstown two weeks ago.

Well, not to be outdone, his father, Tony (Bunclody), followed up here with his first winner of the season in the Nitro Fert older mares’ maiden. Someone’s Opera (Mahler-Someone Told Me), was ridden by J.J. Walsh from Tinahely and they won snugly from Rathbawn Rose for Carlow trainer, William Murphy.

Tony (Anthony John) Black has been in horses all his life and has enjoyed some success on the track as well as between the flags. He has cut back on numbers in the past year or two but still enjoys the game. He said the mare was entitled to win and this gave him as much pleasure as any he’d had before.

It was a special day also for Keith Cogley, New Ross, who rode his first winner since the 2012-’13 season in the Ballywalter Farms older geldings’ maiden - Doc Carver was well clear for Mark Clifford, Graiguenamanagh, ahead of Buberry for Barry O’Neill and Colin Bowe, and another Clifford runner, Thyne for Ruda.

Barry O’Neill and Colin Bowe combined to win the Tattersalls Ireland four-years-old geldings’ race with Madison to Monroe (Presenting-Caltra Princess), outclassing the field, to consolidate their positions at the head of the riders’ and handlers’ tables. They also had a couple of seconds and a third.

Second here was The Big Dog for Harley Dunne and Aidan Fitzgerald (Borris), with Jimmy O’Rourke third on Derby for Denis Murphy.

The opening IRE Wel Pallets and Farm Shop four-year-old mares’ maiden went to Kiltealy rider Harley Dunne and Borris trainer Aidan Fitzgerald with impressive Kupatana to complete a great hat-trick as they had won the mares’ and geldings’ races at Borris on Saturday.

Second here was Jimmy O’Rourke on Bernadette Murphy’s (The Ballagh) Mrs. Barnes, with Barry O’Neill third on Colin Bowe’s Western Victory.

Young Gearóid Doyle’s successful first season continued in the Cooney-Furlong Winners of Two race when he rode his sixth win of the year and his third on Fightfirewithfire (Firebreak-Simianna), trained by older brother, Seán, at Ballindaggin for the Monbeg syndicate.

Second was Barry O’Neill on Colin Bowe’s Lacken Bridge, and third was the previous Sunday’s Ballyragget winner, So Influential, for Conor and Laurence Murphy (Ramsgrange) and Mark Clifford.

Trainer and TV pundit Ted Walsh and his daughter, Katie, won the Goffs UK Aintree Sale five-years-old geldings’ maiden with Carefully Selected, their task being helped by the last fence fall of Tom Keating’s Over Stated. Barry O’Neill was second here on Alone No More for Colin Bowe, and Jimmy O’Rourke was third on Neyja Blue for Denis Murphy.

All the arrangements went off like clockwork, and the organisers can take a bow.