FeatureIrish point-to-point
premium
Can the stars align to make it a memorable Cheltenham Festival for the Irish pointing field?
Eoghain WardPoint-to-point expert
Gerri Colombe: could give Ireland a good start to day two in the Brown Advisory
From the days of Florida Pearl and three-time Gold Cup winner Best Mate, and more recently Faugheen, top-class horses have flown the flag for Irish pointing graduates at the Cheltenham Festival.
In the most recent times, the success has surpassed the exploits of one star name to a peak of 13 winners at the 2021 festival followed by 11 last season.
Given the quality and quantity of stock leaving point-to-pointing each month, the Cheltenham Festival is always a critically important week for the Irish brand.
Read the full story
Read award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing, with exclusive news, interviews, columns, investigations, stable tours and subscriber-only emails.
Subscribe to unlock
- Racing Post digital newspaper (worth over £100 per month)
- Award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing
- Expert tips from the likes of Tom Segal and Paul Kealy
- Replays and results analysis from all UK and Irish racecourses
- Form study tools including the Pro Card and Horse Tracker
- Extensive archive of statistics covering horses, trainers, jockeys, owners, pedigree and sales data
Already a subscriber?Log in
Copymore inIrish point-to-point
- The remarkable eight-month rise of teenager Shane Cotter from debutant rider to under-21 champion
- Honours even - decision of Barry O'Neill and Rob James to share riders' title a fitting end to season
- Store trade might not be as tough as many think but private sales of top pointers could undermine public auctions
- Necarne used to be a vibrant, well-supported fixture - it needs help to recover its old charm
- Highlight of the domestic hunter chase season is defined by a cracking championship contest at Punchestown
more inIrish point-to-point
- The remarkable eight-month rise of teenager Shane Cotter from debutant rider to under-21 champion
- Honours even - decision of Barry O'Neill and Rob James to share riders' title a fitting end to season
- Store trade might not be as tough as many think but private sales of top pointers could undermine public auctions
- Necarne used to be a vibrant, well-supported fixture - it needs help to recover its old charm
- Highlight of the domestic hunter chase season is defined by a cracking championship contest at Punchestown