With 18 winners, being named ‘Point-to-Point Rider of the Year’ and achieving his 500th career winner at Borris House last Sunday week, Barry O’Neill is in a happy place at the end of the 2018 Autumn series.
O’Neill is one of only four riders to get into double figures since the current season commenced in October. The others are Rob James (16), Derek O’Connor (15) and Jamie Codd (13).
Today’s fixture was at Boulta in west Waterford where there was a big entry and with three races divided, making it a 9-race card, but only one Wexford handler managed to grave the winners’ enclosure.
Sopat, who last ran at Tralee in May, lead from flag fall in the first division of the maiden race for mares and was ‘a distance’ clear crossing the line with James Walsh, Preban, Tinahely.
A five year old by Gold Well out of Silver Prayer, Sopat is owned by Michael Kenny and was a good winner for Adamstown handler Kieran Roche.
Incidentally, two fences in the back straight were omitted on both circuits due to low-lying sun.
Colonel Sam, trained and ridden by Benny Walsh at Crossgales, Tomhaggard, was a seven lengths runner-up in the Winners of One race.
Veteran Walsh was paid a fine compliment by John Lloyd Rogers in this week’s edition of The Irish Field.
Racing journalist Rogers was writing about riding the banks’ races at Lingstown and Punchestown, and regards the latter, he wrote; “To my mind Benny deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as Enda Bolger and Ken Whelan as the best cross-country riders of the last three or four decades.”