Roche’s Sopat led all the way

THE final meeting of the autumn point-topoint season took place at Boulta in Cork on Sunday in very testing conditions.

Wexford connections did not make a major impact but it was a good day for Adamstown based Taghmon man Kieran Roche, who had his first win of the season, and his fifth victory in total.

There was a massive turn-out of 111 runners which caused three divides to make it a gruelling nine-race card which started at 10.30 a.m.

Handlers have been frustrated by the unseasonably good ground for most of the season so far and seemed anxious to avail of the softer conditions but for many the going was a bit too tough later on.

Roche’s Sopat was an impressive all-the- way winner of Division 1 of the five-year-old plus mares’ maiden under James Walsh, a race where there was lots of grief and just three finishers from a field of 13. Bred by Mary McCabe, the horse is owned by Michael Kenny.

Colonel Sam, ridden and handled by Benny Walsh (Murrintown) for Michael Staples, came second in the Winner of One, behind Declan Queally’s Gaye Breeze.

Champion Barry O’Neill had to be content with a couple of seconds and one of those was on the 2015 Irish Grand National winner, Thunder and Roses, for Ross O’Sullivan in a high quality Open race.

He was three lengths behind Johnny Barry on Arctic Skipper.

He was also second on David Harry Kelly’s Moon Rua in the five and six-year-old geldings’ maiden, behind Declan Queally’s Springfield Fox.

Title rival and 11 times former champion, Derek O’Connor, did manage a winner and at the break O’Neill leads with 18, from Rob James (16), O’Connor (15), Jamie Codd (13) and Luke Murphy, Inch (6).

Declan Queally is leading handler with 10, from Donnchadh Doyle (9), and Colin Bowe and Denis Murphy, sure to have plenty of ammunition for the spring campaign, on six winners each.

Racing resumes at Dromahane, near Mallow, on December 30, and will continue with a planned programme of almost 80 meetings until the June Bank Holiday weekend.