For the second time in a fortnight, point-to-point racing takes place in the Banner County this weekend, with the East Clare Harriers staging their annual meeting on the Flynn family lands at Garranboy, Killaloe.

Sunday’s six-race card kicks off at 1pm with the East Clare Hunt members’ mares’ maiden. This will be followed by the Pat Jones, Liam O’Halloran, Pat and Declan Minogue winners-of-two event. The third race is the East Clare Hunt five and six-year-old geldings’ maiden while half an hour later, runners will go to post for Teach Uí Bhrian, Paul Kilkenny older horses’ maiden.

The penultimate event is the Jim and Robert Bailey older mares’ maiden with the CSG Electrical, Stephen Kerin and Clare Refrigeration mares’ open bringing proceedings to a close.  

Given the recent prolonged spell of poor weather, conditions at the East Clare venue are sure to be demanding as this undulating course takes a bit of getting used to, with the emphasis firmly on stamina but East Clare Hunt point-to-point secretary Ger English is looking forward to this year’s renewal.

He said, “We are hopeful that things will go ahead as planned and the course is currently in good condition. All the fences are in place and we have made a few improvements this time round, like a road into the lorry park, which should make things easier for all concerned.

“We are very grateful to Miriam Flynn and her family for giving us use of their lands and, of course, to all the volunteers who help, not just on the day, but on the build-up to the meeting. We expect a good turnout and punters can be assured of a competitive day’s racing,” added the Ogonnelloe native.

As always, there is likely to be quite a lot of local interest, with home-based trainers sure to feature strongly as the action unfolds. Quin trainer Brian Hassett has a terrific record over this course and anything the former jockey runs is sure to come in for close scrutiny. Paurick O’Connor and Niall Kelleher also have entries, while ‘outside’ trainers like Gordon Elliott, Robert Tyner and Martin Cullinane will also fancy their chances of getting on the scoresheet.

Having picked up a shoulder injury that will keep him on the sidelines for a couple of weeks following a nasty fall at Askeaton last Sunday, former champion jockey John Thomas McNamara will be missing from the saddle on Sunday but the likes of Paul O’Neill, James ‘Corky’ Carroll and possibly Jamie Codd will be in action. 
Nine-time champion jockey Derek O’Connor, who rode his first winner at Killaloe and may yet be riding there on Sunday, was on the mark at Askeaton last Sunday, where he took the opening four-year-old maiden aboard Pat Doyle’s 11-8 favourite, Speed Demon.

The Tubber rider settled this son of Beneficial in third place in the early stages as Vinnie Keane’s Roe Your Own Boat cut out the running on what was very testing ground. Heading towards two out, O’Connor edged his Gigginstown House Stud-owned mount to the front and the pair had little difficulty when pulling away in the closing stages to beat fellow newcomer Verko by 10 lengths.

Pat Doyle trains the winner at his Holycross, County Tipperary yard and he predicted the winner would develop into a high-class staying chaser.

Hennessy cheer for Sir Des Champs

Sir Des Champs, from the all-conquering Willie Mullins yard, did his Cheltenham Gold Cup claims no harm at all when turning in a gutsy performance to land the €160,000 Grade One Hennessy Gold Cup at Leopardstown last Saturday.

Opposed by 4-5 favourite Flemenstar, Sir Des Champs went off second favourite at 11-8 as he attempted to give Mullins his eighth success in the race.

The big chat ahead of Saturday’s big race was what tactics would Flemenstar’s connections employ, given that Andrew Lynch’s mount had patently failed to stay when beaten by Tidal Bay over course and distance in the Lexus Chase at Christmas.

On that occasion, Flemenstar was allowed bowl along in front and, while he seemed to be full of running at the final fence, the petrol light began to flash halfway up the run-in as he faded to finish third.

On Saturday, his trainer Peter Casey and owner Stephen Curran obviously tried to change things, as they opted to anchor Flemenstar at the rear of the four-runner field while Mullins’ second-string Quel Esprit set a good gallop up front.

Jumping the third-last fence, Davy Russell had allowed Sir Des Champs poke his nose in front as Lynch seemed to be biding his time in behind. Like the champion jockey that he is, Russell kicked from the front off the home bend and this, in some ways, was the winning of the race.

That manoeuvre made the race a real test of stamina and while Flemenstar got to Sir Des Champs’ quarters at the final fence, he just couldn’t get past with Russell’s mount, having weathered the storm, actually pulling away again as he crossed the winning line.

Make no mistake about it, Sir Des Champs is a class act. He finished like a train to take fourth in the Lexus but one suspects that Mullins had one eye on last Saturday’s prize on that occasion. Another huge plus for the Gigginstown House runner was his jumping last Saturday.  At Christmas, he butted a few early on but this time round he was as clean as a whistle and, having won twice at Cheltenham already, the track or the extra two-and-a-half furlongs of the Gold Cup will hold no fears for him. He is surely now a genuine Gold Cup contender.

What of Flemenstar? Apparently he was found to be suffering from a lung infection when examined post-race. Maybe that hindered his performance on Saturday but if it did, he still ran a good race.  He had beaten Sir Des Champs on the two previous occasions they clashed but Sir Des Champs is a progressive horse with no stamina issues, whereas the runner-up is in no man’s land as it were as to where his optimum trip is concerned.

His trainer, Peter Casey, is a very down-to-earth man who has, on more than one occasion, stated he would like to see Flemenstar go for the Queen Mother, where he could revert to his customary front-running role rather seeing him being restrained to conserve his energy when he jumps big and bold over his fences, as was the case last Saturday.

In any event, that lung infection is going to rule the horse out of Cheltenham 2013 entirely, with a trip to Aintree for Betfair Bowl being mentioned as his possible end-of-season target.

Dominant Mullins has an ­embarrassment of riches

To say Willie Mullins is dominating jump racing here in Ireland at the moment would be a massive understatement.

The monopolies commission will be after the Closutton, County Carlow handler if things keep going the way they are at present. Take last week, for instance. Mullins saddled four winners at Clonmel last Thursday before journeying on to Leopardstown on Saturday when he bagged another 123-1 four-timer.

In addition to the high-profile win for Sir Des Champs in the Hennessy, former Quakerstown point-to-point maiden winner Champagne Fever underlined his Cheltenham novice hurdle claims when bouncing back to form to land the Grade One Deloitte Novice Hurdle, while half an hour later Boston Bob booked his festival ticket with a smooth success under Paul Townend in another Grade 1, the Dr PJ Moriarty Novice Chase.

To round off a good day for Mullins, Townend registered a hat-trick in the saddle when landing the Paddypower.com Handicap Hurdle aboard his 6-1 shot, Tennis Cap.

Last week’s haul puts Mullins on the 164-winner mark for the season, a total that leaves him almost level with the combined total of the next four trainers in the table. When you take into account that those names include Noel Meade, Dessie Hughes, Gordon Elliott and Tony Martin – all top-class trainers in their own right – it is easy to see just how rampant Team Mullins is at present.

Sensibly, the executive at Leopardstown moved last Saturday’s card forward by 24 hours to avoid a clash with Sunday’s high-profile Ireland v England Rugby match, which was taking place just down the road at the Aviva Stadium. Not surprisingly, that bit of level-headed thinking was rewarded with 10,656 punters passing through the turnstiles, representing a 6% increase on 2012.