Jimmy ‘Pudden’ Cullinan was a star hurler for Newmarket-on-Fergus and Clare during the 1960s and ’70s and the horse named in his honour, Puddencullinan, was one of four winners for champion jockey, Derek O’Connor at last Sunday’s Muskerry Foxhounds point-to-point meeting at Aughabullogue, County Cork.
Trained just outside Newmarket village by John Brassil, Puddencullinan, who races in the Numbersixvalverde Grand National-winning colours of Ennis-born, Dublin-based property developer Bernard Carroll, went off a 3-1 shot (from 7-2) to account for his 12 rivals in the winners-of-two contest.
Sent straight into the lead, the Beneficial 10-year-old led his 12 rivals a merry dance as he jumped for fun en-route to a very comfortable three-length victory over runner-up Schindler’s Prince.
Brassil, whose Lisduff yard has really hit form of late, was thrilled with the winner’s performance. He said, “That was a great success. This horse has some cracking runs in handicap chases on the track and was unlucky not to have won one or two. Derek won two point-to-points on him at Dromahane and Ballysteen back in 2009 and he said he felt like he was back to that kind of form again today.
“There’s a winners-of-three at Kilfeacle next Sunday and he’ll probably go there.”
O’Connor continues in unstoppable form and the Tubber rider posted the first of his four successes when guiding Robert Tyner’s Sea Diamond (9-4) to victory in the five and six-year-old geldings’ maiden.
Unlucky when brought down at Ballinaboola back in the autumn, Sea Diamond made no mistake this time round as the son of Peintre Celebre improved to lead between the final two fences before pulling right away in the closing stages to beat Róisín Hickey’s Yukon Delta by half a dozen lengths.
Kinsale-based, Tyner and O’Connor also joined forces to take the open lightweight with classy former track performer Footy Facts.
Successful under a vintage O’Connor ride at Dromahane the previous Sunday, Footy Facts led with a circuit to race but, having been headed at the final fence by Carthalawn, the nine-time track winner found enough on the run-in to get back up to deny that rival by half a length.
The winner looks the type that can pick up a good few of these open races and he’ll surely turn out to be a good money-spinner for his connections over the coming months.
O’Connor moved onto the 37-winner mark for the season when completing his four-timer aboard the Sean Aherne-trained mare Tukawhile (7-2) in the concluding seven-year-old and upwards mares’ maiden.
This daughter of Flemensfirth was making her debut and received a typically sympathetic O’Connor drive when arriving from well off the pace to lead on the approach to the final fence before edging clear to beat runner-up Nothing To Say by six lengths.
The point-to-point season will be really hitting top gear over the next few weeks and pointing fans in the Banner County can look forward to their first taste of local action with the County Clare Hunt fixture set to take place on the first Sunday in February (5) at Bellharbour. Two weeks later (February 19) East Clare Harriers will host their annual meeting at Killaloe while it will be back to North Clare on April 8 for the traditional County Clare Hunt Easter Sunday meeting at Quakerstown.

Monksland impresses at Naas

Noel Meade’s Monksland booked his ticket to the upcoming Cheltenham Festival when recording a fluent victory in the Grade 2 Slaney Novice Hurdle at Naas on Sunday.
Ridden by Paul Carberry, there was a lot to like about the way the five-year-old quickened up in the closing stages as he effortlessly pulled away on the uphill climb to the post at the Kildare track to beat Lyreen Legend by four-and-a-half lengths.  Tony Martin’s highly-regarded 11-10 favourite, Dedigout, filled third, a further length-and-a-half in rear.
The 6-1 winner, who ran out at the final fence at Ballysteen on his only start between the flags back in May, when trained by Andy Slattery, was purchased later that month for £80,000 by Meade at the Brightwells Sale at Cheltenham on behalf of his present owner, Patricia Hunt, and that looks a bit of value right now.
“That went exactly to plan,” admitted the Meath-based winning trainer. “This horse worked well in soft ground last Tuesday and we thought he would win today. Paul (Carberry) was delighted with him and he felt there was plenty left in the tank.”
Outlining his plans for Prestbury Park, in-form Meade continued, “The two-and-a-half mile [Neptune Investments Novices’ Hurdle] looks the race for him at Cheltenham. I don’t know if he’ll run again before then or not, because he’s a horse that doesn’t need much work and is easy to get fit.”
Bookmakers were also suitably impressed by Monksland’s performance and, having been introduced into the Neptune betting at 25s, he is now a general 14-1 chance for the March 14 contest.
Meath jockey, Andrew Lynch is riding on the crest of a wave at present and he followed up a treble at Thurles the previous afternoon when coming out the right side of a tremendous tussle with Ruby Walsh to land the Irish Stallion Farms Novice Chase aboard Peter Casey’s smart recruit, Flemenstar.
Willie Mullins’ 11-10 favourite, Lambro, was fancied to score here under Walsh but Lynch had other ideas as he sent Flemenstar to the front at halfway.
Walsh was keen to take him on, however, and sent the market leader up to vie for the lead before three out. The pair then settled down to have right old set-to with Flemenstar well equal to the task as he shrugged of the constant attention of the runner-up to score by three-and-a-half lengths.
The winner will not be journeying across the Irish Sea with Stamullen, County Meath trainer Casey, nominating the Grade 1 Irish Arkle at Leopardstown on February 28 as Flemenstar’s next target before stepping his exciting seven-year-old up in trip for the Power’s Gold Cup at the Fairyhouse Easter Festival.
The familiar JP McManus colours were carried to success in Sunday’s opener at the Kildare track as Edward O’Grady’s Sportsmaster justified the cramped odds of 2-5 favourite to land the January Maiden Hurdle.
A casualty at Leopardstown’s Christmas Festival – where he unseated his rider at the fourth flight having been badly hampered – Mark Walsh’s mount, who was backed from 11-10 against, ran on strongly in the closing stages to beat Dermot Weld’s promising sort Hisaabaat by a length.
Twice a winner on the flat over the summer, when trained by Andy Oliver, the successful son of Ad Valorem subsequently changed hands and was introduced at 25-1 in the betting for Cheltenham’s Triumph Hurdle following Sunday’s performance.