Hanlon continues Barbury success with International double

Boasting prize-money of £7,250, the richest race day in the British calendar, the Barbury International point-to-point, took place on Sunday in a move from its previous Saturday date in January.

That resulted in a clash with the over-subscribed Boulta fixture, and consequently the Irish representation at the fixture was limited to a handful of entries from Shark Hanlon.

It once again proved to be a successful venture for the Carlow handler, as his horses won two of the nine races that took place on the international card.

The day began well for him when Be One made much of the running in the second part of division two of the JRL Group four, five and six-year-old point-to-point flat race over two miles.

The son of Multiplex ran out a one and three-quarter length winner in the hands of Roger Quinlan over the Ben Clarke-handled So Socksey, a Coastal Path filly that he was giving seven pounds to.

Hanlon said: "He is 17 hands and a big backward horse. He will probably go to the Doncaster Sales in January."

Quinlan and Hanlon quickly doubled up in the following Tattersalls Ireland open maiden for four and five-year-old’s, with Woodbrook Boy.

The Doyen gelding, a €26,000 purchase out of the Land Rover sale that had pulled-up on his debut in a competitive Loughanmore maiden, was making a quick reappearance, having had his second start of the campaign at Borris House just seven days earlier, where he had been hampered and unshipped Tom Hamilton at the second-last.

Taking advantage of the generous seven-pound allowance that is offered to four-year-old’s in British point-to-points when they take on older horses, the Rachel O’Neill-owned gelding took up the lead bypassing the final fence and went on to defeat the two-times previously raced Bridge Of Cally by a length. That September Storm gelding, being one of nine five-year-old’s giving the winner seven pounds.

The pair ultimately pulled 25 lengths clear of Spring Break, a horse that had finished last at Lisronagh on his one and only start for Sam Curling in the spring.

"I am disappointed with him,” admitted the winning handler. “He won, but I think he is a very, very good horse. He only ran last Sunday and the shipping over probably affected him.
"He will probably go back to Ireland for a winners' race because he hasn't won well enough to get sold."

The winners of the Tattersalls Ireland and Albert Bartlett-sponsored maidens also received vouchers worth £500 each to be spent at any Irish sale thanks to a new initiative between Barbury and Irish Thoroughbred Marketing.


Image courtesy of @TattsCheltenham