Jamie Codd won the final race of the 2019 Grand National Festival at Aintree on Chief Justice in the handicap hurdle yesterday and today he arrived in excellent form and in a very tight finish got Baptism of Fire up by a head in the first division one of the maiden race for four year olds.

Incidentally, Codd had ridden in the Foxhunters Chase over the National fences at Aintree on Thursday, returned home to Wexford to win the bumper on Mount Ida for Gordon Elliott, and back to ride Mala Beach (pulled up before two fences from home) in the Grand National won by Tiger Roll.
It was an exciting start to today’s renewal of The Island Hunt’s annual point-to-point held in good Spring weather conditions at Ounavarragh, near Courtown.
Codd’s victory was for owner/trainer Denis Murphy, Ballyboy Stables, The Ballagh with Colin Bowe’s Tupelo Mississippi (Barry O’Neill) piling on the pressure in the best finish of the day.
Afterwards Murphy was full of praise for Baptism of Fire, having his first run, saying “he is a beautiful horse” and rates him “better than your average horse”.
There was also a close finish to division two of the maiden race for four year olds where Shane O’Rourke, Horetown, Foulksmills, brought Crack Du Ninian through to win for owner Una Lawlor of Stradbally and trained at Loftus Hall by Pierce Power.
“An out and out jumper and as tough as nails,” was how his trainer described him afterwards. It was an exciting week for the Power family as Burning Ambition was runner-up in the Foxhunters Chase at Aintree on Thursday.
The mares maiden race for five and six years olds produced a fine winner in Moonlit Wings, a home-bred Presenting mare owned by Tommy James, Norrismount, Camolin, and trained by Andrew Latta at Ballinakill, Ballycarney. Rob James took the mount and the winning verdict was six lengths.
John A. Berry, Ballyroe Stables, Blackwater saddled Five Star Getaway for a six lengths success in the maiden race for fve year old geldings to complete a double for jockey Shane O’Rourke. The winning owner was Shirely Berry, Lingstown.
Costalotmore lead the field all the way in the Winners of One and was still ‘a distance’ clear at the finish. Owned and bred by Desmond Ellard, Carne, the five year old gelding won his maiden at Lingstown last month and is trained by his rider, Mark Scallan.
Rob James applied front running tactics on Longhouse Music for Sam Curling in the mares open race and scored by an easy ten lengths. This was the only non-Wexford trained winner on the card and the consistent mare was winning her seventh race of the saeson! This was a double on the day for James.
Barry O’Neill won the final race of the race on Sadhbh’s Delight, owned and bred by John McCabe, Adamstown, and trained by Kieran Roche. Stamina was the name of the game and the eight lengths winner showed lots today.
THREE WINNERS FOR LUKE MURPHY

It was a great weekend for Luke Murphy with three winners over two days. At Moira, near Lisburn, Co. Antrim, on Saturday, the Gorey rider had a nice victory on The Mulchair, owned by Tipperary-man Pat Coffey, and trained at The Ballagh by Denis Murphy. The winning margin was five and a half lengths and the test was for five year old maiden geldings.
Luke bypassed his native Courtown today but headed instead for Rathcannon, Co. Limerick, where he and Denis Murphy shared a double success.
Pure Bliss got the verdict in a tight finish to the maiden race for four year old mares, but Goodoldtimes had an easier time and had seven lengths to spare in the maiden race for five year old geldings.
Donnchadh Doyle saddled a winner at the Limerick track too. Runner-up last time Firak moved up a place to take the four year old geldings maiden race for rider Jimmy O’Rourke, Clonard. There was only one length in it!
There was also point-to-point action at Castletown-Geoghegan where Cormac Doyle saddled Coconut Splash with Roger Quinlan up in the maiden race for four year olds and they liked the Westmeath track with four lengths advantage at the end.

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