Sunday’s United Hunt point-to-point fixture at Bartlemy was very competetive

There was some ultra-competitive fare at Sunday’s United Hunt point-to-point fixture at Bartlemy.

The Tom Keating-owned /trained Homegrown Hero justified strong market support by making a stylish winning debut in the second division of the four-year-old geldings’ maiden. 

A tenth winner of the season for Ballyduff Upper native Adam Feeney, the Jukebox Jury-sired Homegrown Hero (7/2 – 4/5) always travelled well close to the pace as fellow debutant Berkie set out with the intention of making all. 

Homegrown Hero had to be pushed along in second spot approaching two out, but he stormed to the fore after this penultimate obstacle to account for the gallant Berkie by two lengths with a further five length break back to I Walked The Line in third spot.

“He’s a nice horse and I thought of him as the best four-year-old that I had this year,“ disclosed Keating of Homegrown Hero, whom he purchased at last year’s Goffs Arkle sale. 

“He will now be sold.“ 

The Carrigtwohill father/son combination of Don and Adrian Browne combined to collect the closing five-year-old and upwards adjacent hunts maiden with Cloneen To The Max (2/1). 

Runner-up at the Brownes’ local Ballyvodock fixture in early February, the six-year-old Cloneen To The Max made virtually all the running and he asserted from the last to beat Garrett Ahern’s Mount Rinjani by a widening six lengths and the victorious son of Sholokhov then returned to a rapturous reception.

23-year-old Adrian Browne, who won three points on his other horse West Of Carrig earlier in the season, also owns Cloneen To The Max and the 23-year-old reported.

“We might go for a winners race with him at Ballingarry in two weeks time and after that, we could run him in a bumper.“ 

Darragh Higgins, a 23-year-old that hails from Ballymacoda, brought his seasonal tally to seven aboard south County Wexford-based handler Michael Murphy’s Recite A Poem (6/1) in the opening four-year-old mares’ maiden. 

The Poet’s Word-sired Recite A Poem was always positioned on the pace and she came a second time to lead from before two out to see off Walkingmayotomilan, who blundered ag the last, by a comprehensive five lengths.

Brian Dunleavy is another that’s experiencing a most productive campaign and, with his family present to cheer him on, the Dungourney native combined with Ellen Doyle to collect the first division of the four-year-old geldings’ maiden aboard newcomer Pointofdifference (3/1). 

The Crystal Ocean Pointofdifference made virtually all the running and he swept clear from the last to dismiss Out In The Wild by a comfortable four and a half lengths. Handler Ms Doyle, who is nursing a broken bone in her foot at present, indicated that Pointofdifference will now be sold.

Yet another Cork rider got on the scoresheet as Luke Burke Ott from Boherbue struck aboard owner/trainer Jennifer Lee’s Halo Halo (10/1) in the five-year-old and upwards mares’ maiden, the race that attracted the biggest field of the afternoon in 15 runners. 

In what was also the day’s closest finish, the previous Monday’s Dawstown fourth led in the shadow of the post to eclipse Lady Tia by a nose.

“She’s a good tough mare and she flew home, it’s only six days since she ran in Dawstown,“ commented Seamus Hartigan from west Co Limerick who holds an interest in the five-year-old Halo Halo with Miss Lee.

Downpatrick-based handler Paddy Turley made his initial visit to Bartlemy a memorable one by saddling his wife Mary’s five-year-old She’s Delighted (13/8) to oblige under Darragh Hanlon in the mares’ winners of two. 

The patiently-ridden She’s Delighted, winner of a Portrush mares’ maiden on her previous start in March, still had five horses in front of her approaching three out and she then came through to lead just before the last en-route to dispensing Kilmore Coral by two lengths.

There was a dramatic conclusion to the five-year-old geldings’ maiden as the Sean Doyle-trained Old Comrades (8/1) returned to the coveted number one slot under Jamie Scallan. 

Old Comrades was only fourth on the run to the last as Keep Joy led from Blazing Nelson. However, the Pat Collins-trained Blazing Nelson fell here, badly hampering his stable companion Twofoursixohone in third spot who then unseated. 

Old Comrades was duly left second and he stayed on powerfully to surge past Keep Joy some 75 yards out to score by an increasing two and a half lengths.

Next weekend, the United Hunt holds their final meeting of the season at Ballindenisk (1pm start).