Hewick's link with former top pointer Deep Bramble provides food for thought

Another chapter in the amazing story of Hewick and Shark Hanlon was written in America on Saturday, a long way from Knockanard where the €850 purchase made his debut in a race won by the top-class Ferny Hollow in February 2019.

It's a well-known story by now, extraordinary for the fact that the Galway Plate and Grand National Hurdle hero failed to complete the course in his three point-to-point appearances. Three different riders parted company with him.

With that sort of record it's hard to know what impact his point-to-point career had on his development.

It wasn't until his 12th start over hurdles that he won for the first time. In contrast, he won first time over fences at Clonmel, where he made mistakes but was very well handled by Shane Fenelon. Now a conditional rider, Shane was one of the three who partnered him in points.

Hewick remains prone to the odd mistake, as we know from his last-fence exit when attempting to complete the Galway Plate/Kerry National double, so in that sense you could hardly claim he's a brilliant advertisement for the education young horses receive in points. Perhaps he learned some valuable lessons.

I'm interested in a point-to-point connection in his pedigree that I wasn't aware of until recently.

I discovered that his unraced dam, the Oscar mare Ballyburn Rose, is a granddaughter of a sister to a horse called Deep Bramble.

It was just before my time, but Deep Bramble was a talented staying chaser, originally trained by Michael Hourigan for his Wexford owner-breeder Jim Mernagh.

Jim is a highly respected man in the jumps breeding world who is still going strong and was recently associated with Paul Nolan's talented, but sadly ill-fated chaser Latest Exhibition.

Michael Hourigan: trained Deep Bramble, who has a family connection with HewickCredit: Patrick McCann

Deep Bramble won the Ericsson Chase (now the Savills) at Leopardstown. He was sold to Paul Barber and joined Paul Nicholls. He won two big handicaps at Sandown in 1995 but was never the same again after being pulled up in that year's Cheltenham Gold Cup.

Older point-to-point followers remember Deep Bramble as an exciting horse early in his career. A son of the great Deep Run, he won five points, the first of them at Nenagh in 1991 when ridden by Adrian Maguire.

The first time he set foot on a racecourse he was sent off at 13-2 for the four-mile National Hunt Chase at Cheltenham. He must have had some reputation! Apparently, he was in contention when unseating his rider at the second-last.

Hewick's point-to-point failures were in total contrast to Deep Bramble, but maybe that family link has something to do with the talent we're seeing now. It's not something you could prove or disprove, one of the fascinating things about thoroughbred breeding.

He's begun to capture the public imagination; the cheap purchase price and unpromising start to his career are part of the appeal, along with his trainer's big personality.

Winning on the other side of the Atlantic has added another dimension, and he won in great style under Jordan Gainford. Hewick has come a long way, and so has Jordan, who rode his first point-to-point winner at Oldcastle in April 2019.

Links between Irish point-to-pointing and the Grand National Hurdle are becoming frequent.

Gordon Elliott's 2018 winner Jury Duty started his career with runs at Curraghmore and Ballyarthur in April 2015, finishing third on the second occasion.

Brain Power, who captured the 2019 race for Nicky Henderson, began his career with a bumper win. He's now in action in points.

After leaving the Henderson team, he joined Warren Ewing and got off the mark at Tyrella in January on his fourth attempt. He gave a good performance to beat Some Man on his reappearance at Moira this month.

The Mean Queen: won first time out for Ellen Doyle at LoughanmoreCredit: Tod Marks/National Steeplechase Association

After two years of Covid interruption, the Far Hills race was won last year by The Mean Queen, a mare who won first time out for Ellen Doyle at Loughanmore during the previous autumn campaign.

After a spell with Yvonne Latta, she joined American trainer Keri Brion at her temporary base in Wexford before travelling to the States with her.

On Saturday the point-to-point influence extended to Ted Hastings, a 2021 Dromahane winner for Peter Flood. He won one of the main supporting races for Gordon Elliott, beating Brion's runner Howyabud, an Ellen Doyle graduate who was second in three points before winning a maiden hurdle at Leopardstown's Christmas meeting last year.

Samcro's back
On Sunday, Gordon's former track star Samcro returned to the point-to-point field six and a half years after his winning debut at Monksgrange for Colin Bowe.

Reunited with his original jockey, Barry O'Neill, who also rode a treble at Portrush on Saturday, he won the open at Tinahely in good style in the colours of Camilla Sharples.

Deep delving
I've been delving into the past this week, so I know that Kilballyowen, a Court Cave gelding who gave me a first winner of the season in the four-year-old maiden at Tinahely, has the same name as the 1957 Irish Grand National winner, trained by Paddy Norris, father of racing photographer Caroline Norris.

This Kilballyowen is trained by Enda Bolger who might not enjoy the reminder of what happened to Deep Bramble at Cheltenham 30 years ago.