Blazers Point-To-Point throws up future National Hunt stars

Talking Sport with Stephen Glennon

POINT-to-Point may not be at the most glamorous end of the horse racing spectrum but its value to the sport and the industry was emphasised when the progressive One For Arthur, which began his racing career in the Point-to-Point ranks, won the Aintree Grand National recently.

In the wake of that victory, the importance of Point-to-Point racing was once again alluded to with the likes of journalist Eoghain Ward of The Irish Field newspaper highlighting that owners and trainers were increasingly paying more heed to the form of Point-to-Point horses at the sales.

Ward recently detailed that already over £10 million had been spent at public auctions this season – with several sales still left to go – and that this figure had significantly surpassed the £6.2 million and £4.7 million spent at the same juncture of the year in 2016 and 2015 respectively.

It is a reflection of the quality of horses now being blooded at Point-to-Points and, in this respect, the County Galway Hunt have not been found wanting as among the notable runners at their meets have been Brindisi Breeze (an Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle winner at Cheltenham) and Just A Par (Bet365 Gold Cup winner in Sandown).

“There have been lots of (high profile) horses who have featured in our Point to Point over the years,” notes County Galway Hunt Chairman (she does not buy in to the PC term of ‘Chairperson’!) Janet Coveney.

“Foxrock was another – ridden by Katie Walsh and trained by her father Ted. They won the four-year-old maiden race at Dartfield in October 2012 and went on to further success subsequently and also ran in the Irish Grand National recently.”

It is against such a background that County Galway Hunt – or ‘The Blazers’ as they are known locally – will hold their opening Point-to-Point meeting of the year at Dartfield, Kilrickle, this Sunday. The first race to come under starter’s orders is at 2pm.

Already postponed twice due to bad weather – the meet usually takes place the third week of March while they also run another in the second week of October – this Point-to-Point has always proved a popular event among trainers and owners in the past.

For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.