Plenty of runners and lots of ‘divides’ was the order at Loughanmore, Co. Antrim, on Saturday and the Wexford winners began to flow in the first division of the maiden race for four-year olds with Sean O’Keeffe, Taghmon, winning by a length on first time out Thunderstruck trained at Bunclody by Cormac Farrell for Edgar Allen.

SEAN O’KEEFFE Leading the way in the national novice point-to-point riders’ championship.

This was O’Keeffe’s 11th point-to-point winner of the season and he is now three wins ahead of Shane Fitzgerald in the novice riders’ championship.
Division two also went the way of a first timer, Tribesmans Glory, trained at Monageer by Michael Goff for his wife, Caitriona, and ridden by Shane Fitzgerald. The winning margin was two and a half lengths.
The first division of the maiden race for five and six-year-old geldings provided Donnchadh Doyle with a winner – keeping him at the head of the national handlers’ championship with 26 victories so far – Diomede Des Mottes by one and a half lengths and another success in the saddle for Rob James, who is enjoying his best season ever.
James O’Rourke, Bridgetown, won division two of the maiden race for older mares on Shelcomeonfordrun, trained by Paul Pierce, Blackhall Stud, Killurin, for delighted owners, John O’Connor and Andy Pierce.
Harley Dunne teamed up with Gerald Quinn and won the adjacent maiden for five-year olds and upwards with Ellanabough. It was a good point-to-point weekend for young Wexford jockeys and the new kids on the wheel of success were prominent at Bartlemy, Co. Cork, on Sunday.
The maiden race for four-year olds was divided and both divisions fell to Wexford riders.
James Walsh, Preban, Tinahely, back after a recent shoulder injury, was back to winning ways on Silver Forever, trained by Kieran Roche for Michael Kenny by 10 lengths. Walsh is having his best ever season and was enjoying his ninth success of the season.
Colin Motherway saddled Subway Surf to win division two with Luke Murphy, Inch, Gorey, riding his 10th winner of the season and his 15th career winner. The verdict was tight with only one length in it.
On Bank Holiday Monday a second consecutive day of point-to-pointing went ahead at Dawstown and Wexford raiders were firing on all cylinders at the Cork track.
Harley Dunne took the opening maiden race for four-year-old geldings on James Doyle’s Run Wild Fred for the Baltimore Stables Syndicate by a head and just defeating Barry O’Neill’s mount Easyrun De Vassy.
O’Neill struck back in the next race – a similar contest – on Lock’s Corner for Colin Bowe’s Kiltealy yard going clear before the last and running on to score by a dozen lengths.
Billy Gahan from Monageer saddled Stream Lady for the Bookeys Stream Syndicate in the maiden race for five-year-old mares and with Rob James up enjoyed an easy success by 12 lengths.