Irish pointing provides well-worn path to stardom

Colin Bowe, Donnchadh Doyle, Denis Murphy and DeclanQueally have been among the most successful trainers of jumpers in Ireland over the past eight months or so, sending out winners on a regular basis.

For the most part, their achievements have passed unnoticed by the general racing public, even in Ireland. With the exception of Bowe, responsible for Graded-race jumps winners Little King Robin and ShantouFlyer in recent seasons, these names will hardly be recognised by the average race fan in Britain.

Yet they are not only among the most skilled trainers of jumpers on the Irish scene, they are also among the most influential, since their principal business lies in finding the future stars of the jumping game and giving them a first taste of action in the point-to-point field.