Belharbour point-to-point under starter’s orders

County Clare Hunt host their annual point-to-point at Belharbour on Sunday and a big turnout is expected at the North Clare track for what promises to be a great day’s racing.
The lands of Dermot and Jennifer Linnane will be turned into a racecourse for the afternoon and this well-appointed left-handed venue in now considered one of the best tracks in the entire country.
Sunday’s six-race card kicks off at 1pm with a four-year-old maiden over two and a half miles and this will be followed half an hour later by the confined maiden that is restricted to horses holding a hunter’s cert from the County Clare Hunt.
A maiden race for five-year-old geldings’ is next on the list with a similar event for six-year-old geldings following that. The penultimate contest is a winners of one race with a five-year-old and upwards mares’ maiden bringing proceedings to a close.
As usual at this venue, punters will be paying particular attention to the local participants and race-goers are sure to be keeping a keen eye on seven-time champion jockey, Derek O’Connor, who dominated this meeting 12 months ago, riding four winners.
O’Connor has struck up a profitable relationship with Hollycross trainer Pat Doyle over the past few seasons – particularly aboard horses carrying the colours of Michael O’Leary’s Gigginstown House Stud – and the Tipperary handler will most likely provide the 28-year-old with most of his ammunition on Sunday. Other jockeys’ that have done well here in the past include John Thomas McNamara, James ‘Corky’ Carroll and Johnny King, while Paul O’Neill, Niall Kelleher and James Conheady will fly the flag for the home-based riders.
There is quite a strong local representation among the 116 entries for Sunday’s meeting with Jason Titley, Brian Hassett, John O’Neill, Malcahy Hassett, Pat Lynch, Raymond Lee and John Staunton among those who have horses listed for duty. In addition to Doyle, Robert Tyner, Michael Hourigan, Tony Martin and Eric McNamara look set to take a hand in proceedings on what appears a very competitive card.
Punters’ heading to Bellharbour wishing to keep abreast of the happenings at the big Hennessy Gold Cup meeting at Leopardstown will be well catered for as most of the major races at the Foxrock track will be shown on TV throughout the afternoon, while the Gold Cup itself (which goes off at 3.45) will be broadcast live over the public address system.
Car parking is available on-site and there will be stewards on duty in and around the track to facilitate easy access to the course. A day’s racing at this unique venue is always hugely enjoyable and, with a large turnout expected, best advice is to get there early and sample the wonderful atmosphere. 
Tubber trainer, Pauric O’Connor, who will also have runners at Bellharbour on Sunday, moved to the head of the 2010/11 Handlers’ Championship with nine wins (one ahead of second-placed Colin Bowe) when sending out the game Media Queen to land the open lightweight at last Sunday’s Kingdom Harriers fixture at Tralee racecourse.
A fine crowd turned out to welcome racing back to Ballybeggan Park for the first time since the Kingdom facility closed its doors to the public back in September 2008, and they were rewarded with a good day’s racing.
Media Queen was a big drifter in the ring finding 5/2 from an opening show of 1/2, but that didn’t stop this talented mare as she ran on really strongly in the closing stages under Derek O’Connor to beat the fast-finishing Priests Leap by a length.
A mares’ open at the East Clare fixture at Killaloe on February 20th will be the next stop for Media Queen, who carries the colours of Shannon teacher, Padraig Duddy.
Derek O’Connor, who is locked in a great battle with Jamie Codd as he bids to retain his jockeys’ crown, went on to complete a double when guiding 5/4 favourite Dog Barrell Hill to a comfortable success in the first division of the concluding older horses’ maiden.
Trained in Bandon by James Dullea, Dog Barrell Hill is owned by the master of the Co Clare Hunt, Pat Lynch, who hails from Blarney. The seven-year-old looked an exciting prospect when giving O’Connor his 28th win of the season in this 16-runner event and a winners’ race will be next on Dog Barrell Hill’s agenda.
O’Connor was in action at the rescheduled Dungarvan Harriers meeting on Tuesday afternoon where he was quickly into his stride when taking the opening five-year-old geldings’ maiden aboard Robert Tyner’s 7/4 shot Ruben Cotter.

Five-star Mullins show

Champion trainer Willie Mullins had a day to savour at Punchestown on Sunday where the Closutton trainer saddled the first five-timer of his career.
As well as overturning hot-pot Big Zeb with Golden Silver in the Grade 2 Tied Cottage Chase, Mullins also won with, Gagewell Flyer, Some Target, Raptor and Celtic Folklore leaving supporters of the Mullins camp on good terms with themselves as the combined total came to a whopping 952/1.
The opening cross-country Chase was cancelled due to heavy overnight frost, but Mullins must have been delighted when the rest of the card got the green light as he won five of the six remaining races.
The defeat of reigning Champion Chaser, Big Zeb came as something of a surprise but to be fair to Golden Silver, he is a very good horse in his own right. Barry Geraghty sent the sweet-jumping 4/6 favourite Big Zeb to the front three out and it was pretty much a case of being there to be shot after that as Paul Towened, who rode four of Mullins’ winners, got a tune out of Golden Silver (3/1) on the run-in with the pair swooping in the shadows of the post to score by half a length.
Big Zeb remains on course to defend his Champion Chase crown at Cheltenham, while the winner will turn out at Naas later this month before a final festival target (Ryanair or Champion Chase) will be decided.
The other Grade 2 contest on the cards was the Moscow Flyer Novice Hurdle where 13/8 favourite Gagewell Flyer kept the Mullins run going when beating his eye-catching stable companion Earlson Grey by a neck.  This win was Gagewell Flyer’s third win on the trot over hurdles and he has now booked his place in the Neptune Investments Hurdle at Cheltenham.
Some Target (9/2) also contributed to the Mullins and Towened haul when winning on his handicap debut in the AIR Grand National Trial Handicap Chase.  This marathon three and a half-mile contest certainly sorted out the men from the boys and Some Target, who overcame a lack of experience, certainly wasn’t stopping in the closing stages as he powered clear to beat runner-up Noble Concorde by two lengths.
Mullins has done very well with his French imports over the years and he unveiled yet another smart recruit as Raptor (2/1) made a successful Irish debut in the two and a half-mile maiden hurdle.
A brilliant day for team Mullins was rounded off in great style as ex-point-to-pointer Celtic Folklore ran out a convincing winner of the concluding bumper under his trainer’s son Patrick.
Meanwhile, a serious contender for the Cheltenham Bumper emerged on Sunday at Hereford where Nicky Henderson’s even-money favourite, Mono Man, bred by John Costello at his Ballyalla Stud just outside Ennis, made a winning debut under jockey David Bass.
A son of Old Vic, whom Costello sold to bloodstock agent John O’Byrne as a three-year-old at the Derby Sales, Mono Man pulled right away in the closing stages of this two-mile, one-furlong event to score by 17 lengths, earning a 20/1 quote from Paddy Power for the Festival bumper on St Patrick’s Day.