Sam Curling battling successfully on all fronts as he enjoys remarkable campaign

There are few yards active across so many divisions of the point-to-point sphere as Sam Curling's Skehanagh Stables operation. 

He could be considered the perfect all-rounder and it is an approach that has served him particularly well this season. From four-year-old maiden winners to the hunter chase at the Cheltenham Festival, the Tipperary handler has achieved success across all categories in what already has to be seen as his best season.

Curling has had 25 winners between the flags, with only the all-conquering Colin Bowe and the 100-plus horses under his care outperforming him this season. With the exception of the 2018-19 season when the record-breaking 13 victories for Longhouse Music boosted the stable’s tally to 32, Curling has never enjoyed more success.

Sam Curling: brilliant season from the Cheltenham Festival to four-year-old maidensCredit: healyracing.ie

While many of the large stables in the sport have chosen to focus almost exclusively on the commercial categories within the four- and five-year-old maiden races, Skehanagh's boxes continue to house a diverse group. 

La Feline has taken up the mantle from Longhouse Music, securing a historic feat as champion point-to-point mare for three successive years. Her owner John O’Leary has grown to become a big backer of the stable, a decision that was rewarded in spades when Wonderwall landed the St James’s Place Festival Hunters' Chase at the Cheltenham Festival last month, the most coveted prize within the point-to-point arena.

Alongside those successes, the stable has produced six individual four-year-old maiden winners this season, giving Curling a strong footing in what might be considered the new and old facets of the pointing sphere. 

While Bowe is likely to secure the leading handler title again, the Curling team could yet be well represented at the end-of-season awards.

Three of the six riders who have had winners for him hold title aspirations: Derek O’Connor in the west, David Doyle in the under-21 category and Toni Quail, who is just one winner shy of the summit of the ladies' championship. 

Success for one or more of those riders would be a fitting end to Curling's memorable campaign. 

Fixtures 

SATURDAY
Loughanmore first race 1pm

SUNDAY
Curraghmore first race 1pm
Quakerstown first race 1pm

MONDAY
Loughanmore first race 1pm

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