Pace of the season will increase when four-year-olds are unleashed

The new crop of four-year-olds, being readied for their upcoming debuts from February onwards, will inject a fresh lease of life into the season.

The quality likely to be contained within the 2023 group of four-year-olds is sure to at least match, if not better, those that have gone before them. Recent results on the track have shown what graduates can go on to achieve.

Grade 1 wins over Christmas and the new year for the likes of Constitution Hill, Bravemansgame, Gerri Colombe, Conflated and Hermes Allen have been followed by the successes this month of Champ Kiely and Tahmuras in the two Grade 1 contests run in 2023.

The British hand of former Irish pointers, in particular, looks to be notably strong at present with the Champion Hurdle favourite and Paul Nicholls’ trio of Grade 1 winners standing up strongly against those who have remained on home soil since graduating from the pointing fields.

Gerri Colombe: Irish point-to-point graduate bagged a Grade 1 win over ChristmasCredit: David Keane

Another consistent yet less positive element to point-to-pointing at present is the issuing of whip bans to riders. One penalty this month has seen a rider suspended for five days.

As this column has previously noted, this represents a very unfair proportion of the season for a rider to be suspended when compared to their track counterparts.

There are only approximately 60 racedays throughout the point-to-point season and many meetings can take place on one day, meaning a five-day suspension handed out in March or April could see a rider miss up to 11 fixtures.

In the January 2023 British point-to-point newsletter it was noted the sport would adhere to new rules to align with those being implemented on the track in Britain, and to ensure riders are also prepared for competing in hunter chases and under rules.

The result of this is that riders can use their whip a maximum of seven times. However, unlike in Ireland, there does not seem to be a strict three-stride rule to allow their mount the time to respond, which is proving to be one of the chief reasons Irish riders are being penalised in point-to-points this season.

In Britain, when a horse is struck four or more times above the permitted limit, the horse will be disqualified and the rider stood down for the day. Further penalties deemed appropriate will not be dealt with on the day but thereafter by the BHA.

It is interesting that standing down for one day is the default position, and although the further penalties are not yet clear, it would appear ideal if the punishment could match the crime in terms of days suspended in Ireland.

Equally, it would be hoped that the British disqualification path would not be followed in Ireland as video evidence would surely need to be of an extremely high quality given the high stakes involved in order to ensure accuracy for stewards and connections alike.

Star performance

Pat Doyle is associated with any number of former point-to-pointers who have gone on to achieve Grade 1 success, most of them geldings. But the man who started out Colreevy looks to have another future black-type mare on his hands after Sainte Baol impressed on debut in Turtulla.

Weekend fixtures

Sunday

Ballinagore (H) at Ballycrystal First race 12.30

Denis Murphy enjoyed a hat-trick at the last Ballinagore fixture in Ballycrystal back in 2020 and he looks to have another strong hand in a bid to repeat the feat. Sergeant Moss stands out in the confined maiden having finished second at the venue in October.

Lismore (H) at Dungarvan has been cancelled due to unsuitable ground conditions.

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