Ex-Irish Pointers

Few trainers in Ireland have been producing four-year-old maiden winners as often as Gary Murphy across the past two spring terms, and Catchem Black appeared to be among the most eyecatching winners last season for the handler, who has previously introduced the likes of subsequent Grade 1 winner Affordale Fury and dual Grade 1 runner-up Only By Night. Comea was selected as the venue for the debut of Catchem Black, and the €15,000 store purchase bossed the race from his always-prominent position to such a degree that the race was already over as a contest before reaching the home straight, with a 16-length winning margin giving an insight into his clear superiority. He is one of several exciting new additions to the team of Ben Pauling.

Adam Leahy was a new name to the training ranks last season, and the former jockey will undoubtedly count himself particularly unlucky not to have saddled an impressive four-year-old maiden winner with just his second runner in that new role. That is because Cleverfox had looked to be booked for an eyecatching debut victory at Ballygogue House in February only to jink on the flat in between the final two fences, unseating his rider in the process. Prior to that, the Berkshire gelding had proved himself to be a youngster with plenty of speed. Once conquering the challenge of the eventual winner off the home bend, he easily pulled clear in the manner of a horse that will excel over shorter trips for his new trainer Willie Mullins.

County Prospect had a lofty reputation to uphold, having gone through the store sales for €130,000, but he certainly could not have made a better start to his racing career when he won by 12 lengths on debut at Punchestown in early February. This is one of just a handful of early spring point-to-point maidens that are run over the shorter two and a half mile distance, and the Chanducoq gelding travelled strongly throughout at this trip. Added to his speed, he cut quite a picture over his fences, jumping almost impeccably as he burned off his rivals by the home bend to win as he pleased, ensuring he has to be considered a particularly exciting addition to the yard of Jamie Snowden.

Down Jones Road is out of a black-type-winning mare in Stephanie Frances, and it will be disappointing if he cannot surpass her listed successes after he created a big impression on debut at Tattersalls in mid-April. Always to the fore in a race that was largely steadily run, he jumped his way to the front at the second-last fence. From there his rider Barry O’Neill was left searching for rivals as he swiftly put distance between himself and his rivals in a turn of foot that none of them were able to live with. The Crystal Ocean gelding will next be seen in the colours of Joe and Marie Donnelly, having been purchased privately to go into training at Seven Barrows with Nicky Henderson.

Dan Skelton arguably faced a tougher test to win the bidding war to secure Mifa D’Airy in the sales ring, compared to the facile victory that she had enjoyed when making a winning start to her career, with the reigning British Champion having to fend off the likes of Gordon Elliott and Harold Kirk in order to secure the daughter of Masked Marvel. The French-bred was introduced at Dromahane in mid-April, and she was never out of the first three when she made her debut. From that always-prominent position, she struck the front approaching the third-last fence, going best of all, a lead that she simply extended further and further over the final three fences, before ultimately returning 16 lengths clear in a performance which saw her become the highest-rated four-year-old mare from the 2026 spring term in the process. Skelton ultimately had to go to £435,000 in order to secure her.

Rewind eight years and Mark O’Hare was the first jockey to partner Honeysuckle to success when she won her four-year-old maiden by 15 lengths. The subsequent 13-time Grade 1 winner landed her maiden point when owned by O’Hare’s wife Sara, and those same silks were carried to victory last season by Milady Du Plessis. That Jeu St Eloi mare was also trained by Mark, who retired from race-riding in 2020, and she proved herself to be well worth his €52,000 investment at the store sales when she made a winning debut at Lisronagh. Conditions were testing when the French-bred travelled to the Tipperary venue for her introduction, and despite making a couple of slight errors through the race, she was confidently produced by Declan Leavery to deliver her challenge approaching the last when her chief rival exited. That allowed her to defeat a next-time-out winner snugly. Now trained by Willie Mullins, that is already a route that has proved fruitful in the past, with O’Hare’s point winner Spindleberry becoming a Grade 1 winner since being bought to join the Closutton team.

Pat Doyle’s roll of honour of past graduates is undoubtedly the envy of other point-to-point handlers. Last season, Le Frimeur and Bob Olinger added to the extensive list of Grade 1 races that his past point-to-pointers have won over the years, and with the Tipperary handler having announced his retirement from training in May, Monzon Sport could be one of his final four-year-old winners that adds to his list of subsequent graded performers in the years to come. Owned for his debut by Jet Bloodstock Partnership, the new venture within point-to-pointing of Simon Munir and Isaac Souede, Doyle saddled the Goliath Du Berlais gelding to make a winning start at Borris House in March. Conditions were testing at the Carlow venue, but that did little to diminish the performance that the €67,000 store purchase produced. He had just joined the leader jumping two-out when that rival fell before galloping to a 20-length success. Willie Mullins and Harold Kirk were sufficiently impressed by the performance that they went to £400,000 to secure him at the Cheltenham Festival sale afterwards.

Mourne Crystal was undoubtedly one of the standout performers of the season. The €38,000 store purchase was introduced to competitive action at Portrush by Paddy Turley, the same venue that the Downpatrick trainer had selected to give the subsequent Champion Bumper winner The Mourne Rambler his debut last autumn. Whilst The Mourne Rambler had to settle for runners-up honours at Portrush, Mourne Crystal was able to go one place better with his winning introduction in late March. Always to the fore in a strongly-run contest which clocked a time 14 seconds quicker than the average on the card, the sweet-jumping Crystal Ocean gelding never looked to come out of his comfort zone as he galloped his rivals into submission, cruising to a nine-length victory without coming off the bridle. Expectations are high for him. Now in training with Ben Pauling.

Jonathan Fogarty only saddled his first four-year-old maiden winner in 2022, but he has grown rapidly to become a leading player within the division, to such an extent that he has now won 32 races in that category. That includes With Nolimit, last season’s Grade 1 bumper winner at the Punchestown Festival. The latest of Fogarty’s four-year-old maiden winners came at Ballysteen in April when Night League justified a lofty home reputation by registering a 31-length success. This is a sharp course that has a downhill run in the home straight, with the race previously having been won by future champion hurdler Faugheen. Once breezing to the front along the back straight, he swiftly had the measure of two previously placed rivals in the manner of a horse with plenty of speed. It was Derek O’Connor who guided the Order Of St George gelding to that wide-margin victory, and given O’Connor’s role within the JP McManus operation, it was certainly a vote of confidence that McManus ended up acquiring Night League when he was offered for sale at the Punchestown Festival for €320,000. Now in training with Nicky Henderson.

Expectations were clearly high for Palinca ahead of her competitive debut at Lingstown back in early March, as the Goliath Du Berlais mare was particularly well-backed in the market pre-race, with her price shortening from 3-1 to even-money favourite. That market confidence certainly proved to be justified in the performance that she produced. Settled in mid-division, she effortlessly cruised into contention along the back straight, and once striking the front, it was impressive just how far out from the winning post she put this race to bed. She had already gapped the field before reaching the home straight, and merely had to be kept up to her work on the long run-in to triumph by ten lengths. Unsurprisingly, demand was high for her when offered at the Cheltenham Festival Sale, with a bid of £400,000 being required to secure her for the Mariga family, owners who enjoyed Grade 2 success last season with The Big Westerner, another mare that was sourced from the pointing fields. Now in training with Henry de Bromhead.

Personal Space is the second of Gary Murphy’s eyecatching four-year-old winners to feature in this list. The daughter of Old Persian dominated at Borris House in early March in testing conditions. Making all of the running and jumping from fence to fence, she effortlessly kicked clear of the field approaching the home bend to win by eight lengths without ever having to be asked anything close to a serious question. The manner in which she was able to dismiss a next-time-out winner that was subsequently sold for £290,000 marked her out as a well above-average maiden winner. The performance itself stood out on the day, but the form has since received several boosts to give real confidence to the performance that she produced. In addition to the aforementioned runner-up, the fourth horse, who was beaten some 16 lengths, won a bumper at the Galway Festival on her rules debut, whilst the 24-length fifth has finished placed in two bumpers subsequently. Now in training with Henry de Bromhead.

Paul Nicholls went all in on the first division of the four-year-old geldings’ maiden that was run at Monksgrange in late March, with the former British Champion spending £520,000 to secure the first two horses home in that particular maiden. Wordfromhome came out on top of a protracted battle with Road To Destiny on that occasion, with the pair pulling clear off the home bend. They remained locked in battle up the long home straight, and despite his rival producing the slicker jumps at each of the final two obstacles, it was the Poet’s Word-sired Wordfromhome that got the upper hand on the run-in, and showed a great attitude in the process to come out on top of a tough battle. They ultimately pulled 25 lengths clear of the remainder in a quick time, one that came in 15 seconds faster than the average on the card.