'What more can you ever ask for in a horse?' - immortality awaits as legendary Irish pointer closes in on record

Winged Leader jumped to within one victory of Irish pointing legendary status when he won his 32nd race at Loughanmore in East Antrim on Saturday

He now has five weekends in which to draw level with Still William’s 59-year-old record of 33 landmark victories for the late Helen Bryce Smith in the 1950s and 1960s.

The 11-year-old gelding, owned by John Hegarty and Jennifer O’Kane, achieved his latest victory only eight days after victory at Tattersalls, showing what an iron constitution he has.

And he did it in a match for the John Thompson & Sons open with old foe Ballyphilip, who had beaten him by a length at Loughbrickland at the end of March five weeks after finishing third behind Winged Leader at Farmacaffley.

With the head-to-head score at one-all, Barry O’Neill was intent on taking the fight to Ballyphilip by setting a relentless gallop from flagfall on Winged Leader - and it worked a treat. He ran the finish out of his rival, coming home eight and a half lengths clear.

After the race trainer David Christie revealed Winged Leader hadn’t been spot on. “Barry said he was feeling last weekend a little bit and he just didn’t travel as well as he would have liked him to; but he’s so tough and genuine. At 11, what more can you ever ask for in a horse.”

Best of the rest at Loughanmore

Having saddled a double at the Antrim venue on Saturday, Ger Quinn was responsible for the first two home in the Wilsons Auctions mares’ winners-of-two when Tamlaght Eyes got the better of her stablemate Bayonetta.

Second at Kirkistown in February behind Saturday’s impressive winner Hathaways Cottage and with that form having been handsomely advertised, the nine-year-old may have been an unlikely winner when ridden at the rear of the field coming away from the second-last.

However, when Glenmalure Lady blundered at the last, Noel McParlan’s mount pounced to gain her third victory by three lengths.

“She had to be tough because she got in deep at the second-last, but she was very game,” Quinn said. “We’ll just keep tipping away with her. We can’t put her into the field because she just keeps jumping out.”

David Christie: "He’s so tough and genuine"

Bayonetta’s rider Eoin Mahon went one place better an hour later in the Topping Meats adjacent winners-of-two when his mount Connorhill backed up two promising efforts in recent weeks to open his account at the third of asking.

Sporting the silks of the course’s landowner, Wilson Dennison, the Walk In The Park gelding, who was bought for €38,000 as a foal, had his task simplified when Cadoudal Saint exited Two out, and although idling in the straight, he was able to hold off the similarly Dennison-owned Carrhill by a length and a half.

“I fancied him coming here. He had a good run the last day in Loughbrickland where he probably just got tired late on, but I actually thought that he was a very nice horse,” Mahon said.

Maynooth rider Aidan Coonan rode his first winner when Squire Ohara deservedly landed the Jackson’s Butcher Shop and Bakery older geldings’ maiden for novice riders.

The Tony Martin-trained seven-year-old had finished placed in each of his last four starts, and having started his career in the Philip McBurney colours, it was a horse sporting McBurney’s red and blue silks, Braidside Boy, that chased him home.

“He travelled very well. I was in the perfect position, exactly where I wanted to be, tracking the leaders,” Coonan said.

“They started to come back to me along the back straight and he just kept on going. For now, the plan is to go back to Punchestown for the Farmers race [Bishopscourt Cup], but we’ll see how he comes out of this.”

Peppers Corner was the form horse in the Islandbawn and the INHSC older mares’ maiden after her narrow defeat at Loughbrickland, and she showed it by beating Currish Lane by six lengths for Adam Ryan and Eddie Power.

Having been forced to settle for placed finishes with three of his runners earlier on the weekend, Matty Flynn O’Connor had better luck in the Dennison JCB four-year-old auction maiden.

Max’d Out had been beaten more than 27 lengths at Dromahane on his debut a fortnight earlier, and he took advantage of the drop in grade to beat Greer Hill by six and a half lengths to give Brian Lawless his second winner back from injury.

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