Derek O’Connor has moved to the head of the 2012-13 point-to-point riders’ table following a barrage of winners over the past 10 days.

An unfortunate injury to championship rival Jamie Codd – he suffered a broken wrist in a fall at Inch recently that will keep him out of action until the middle of next month – has handed the initiative to O’Connor and the Tubber jockey has wasted no time in stepping up his bid for an unprecedented 10th championship in a row.

Following a superb hat-trick at Quakerstown, award-winning O’Connor was in action up north on Easter Tuesday at the east Antrim meeting at Loughanmore, where he bagged two winners.

The 29-year-old’s initial success at the northern venue came in the opening four-year-old mares’ maiden where his mount, Midnight Streaker (7-4), scored for his Ballyclare, County Antrim trainer, Ben Arthey.

Half an hour later, O’Connor was back in the winner’s enclosure following the pillar-to-post success of 1-6 favourite Fort View Wings in what was a match for the confined maiden. Trained by Graham McKeever, this son of Winged Love came home alone, as his only other rival in what was a very weak two-runner affair failed to complete.

Last Sunday saw the nine-time champion plying his trade at the Ballynoe, Cork meeting where he again dominated when riding three winners.

The prestigious Gain Mares’ final provided O’Connor with his opening success of the afternoon as he guided Robert Tyner’s Bingo Bash to a comfortable success.

A winner at Dromahane on St Patrick’s Day, Bingo Bash went off 5-4 favourite to account for her three rivals and the daughter of Oscar did so with the minimum of fuss when forging clear in the closing stages to beat Glenwood Girl by a length and a half.

Tyner, who was saddling his first ever Gain Final winner, indicated that the successful eight-year-old will more than likely go down the hunter’s chase route at some stage.

Waterford trainer Sean Aherne provided O’Connor with his second winner when giving him the leg-up on 7-1 shot Bens Hampshire, who showed improved form to claim the following six and seven-year-old geldings’ maiden.

Produced to lead on the run to the final fence, Bens Hampshire, a son of Ridgewood Ben, kept going in good style to beat runner-up Cloudy Beach by two lengths.

O’Connor completed his hat-trick in the first division of the concluding mares’ maiden, where 8-1 chance Kilashee Lady gave him his 57th winner of the season.

Trained in Kilmacthomas, Waterford by Diarmuid Ryan, this mare by Flemensfirth moved into second place two out and quickly asserted when forging to the front at the final fence for a two-length win over 3-1 favourite, Western Goose.

There was also point-to-point success for Clooney-born Ennis-based accountant Pat Clune at the weekend when the horse he part-owns with former Kilkenny hurling star Kieran Purcell, Tumbledown Shack, scored in the second division of the opening five and six-year-old geldings’ maiden at the Castletown-Geoghegan, Westmeath meeting.

Sent off at 2-1, Tumbledown Shack is trained by Purcell at his Windgap yard and the son of Sakhee had his task simplified when 5-4 favourite Ar Lad crashed out when challenging at the final fence, leaving Colin Motherway’s mount clear to register a facile 15-length verdict over Adrian Murray’s Banned In Bhutan.

 

National glory for Smith and Mania

Hot on the heels of Dot Love’s memorable success with Liberty Counsel in the Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse on Easter Monday, Sue Smith struck another blow for female trainers when her rank outsider, 66-1 shot Auroras Encore, stormed to victory in the Grand National at Aintree last Saturday.

A first-ever National ride for north of England-based jockey Ryan Mania, Auroras Encore made light of the task of jumping 30 fences and travelling all but four-and-a-half miles when skipping clear from the final fence to beat Cappa Blue by nine lengths.

Teaforthree, trained in north Wales by Rebecca Curtis and her Darragh, Ennis-born partner Gearóid Costello, ran a blinder to fill third, while Oscar Time (fourth) and fifth-placed Rare Bob also featured strongly.

Unfortunately for the Spancilhill trainer, his National challenger Becauseicouldntsee, didn’t feature this time round, with the 10-year-old, who led briefly on the run to the first fence, jumping slowly, which resulted in him getting detached, forcing his rider Martin Ferris to pull him up at the 21st fence.

With no great form to recommend him – bar a second-placing in last year’s Scottish National – Auroras Encore slipped mainly under the radar but that mattered little to his Yorkshire trainer and her husband Harvey Smith, who is a very familiar face on the showjumping scene having represented Britain in a host of major competitions in that sphere for many years.

“It’s an unbelievable feeling to have trained a National winner,” said Ms Smith. “Ryan (Mania) gave him a brilliant ride and had him in the right place at the right time all the way. I knew the ground had just come right for him and while we’ve had to contend with horrific conditions like snow and ice on the build-up to the race, we were confident he was fit enough to do himself justice.”

For winning jockey Mania it was something of a redemption as the 23-year-old, who became the first Scottish-born rider to win the National, handed in his license for a six-month period two years ago having become disillusioned with the jumping game.

Reflecting on his fairytale success following Saturday’s race, Mania said, “My main trainer, Howard Johnson, was banned and the rides dried up so I opted to take time out to reflect on my career.

“I meant to take a year out but Sue and Harvey Smith enticed me back after six months, so I owe a huge thanks to them.

“Obviously, this is the biggest day of my life to-date and it will take a bit of time to sink in that I’ve won the greatest race in the world.

“Auroras Encore was brilliant all the way and, while he didn’t have any great recent form to recommend him, he had finished second in Scottish National at Ayr so I decided to stay to loyal to him, thank God,” added Mania, who was brought down to earth with a bang when forced to spend a few days in hospital earlier this week (he was released on Tuesday) having suffered minor injuries in a heavy fall in at Hexham the following afternoon.