Curling reaches 100th winner milestone

Over ten years after sending out his first point-to-point winner, on what was also his first day of having runners at Glenbane in 2009, Sam Curling enjoyed a memorable day at Aghabullogue when recording his 100th winner between the flags.

Knockanora Damsel provided Curling with his first success of the day when battling it out with No Fame No Game to get up by a head in the opening race of the fixture, the five-and-six-year-old mares’ maiden.

He didn’t have long to wait until he was credited with his second success when Lite Duties returned home four lengths clear of his rivals in a competitive open race. The Eamonn Casey-owned 11-year-old made the journey from Charles Byrnes’ Limerick yard, where he was a four-time winner from 15 starts, the last of those victories coming at Cork in January 2018.

The winner-of-one contest saw Curling bring up the concluding leg of his three-timer by teaming up with Pa King, who also enjoyed a treble on the day, to capture this eight-runner contest with Turtulla winner Templebredin, who recently ran in the Limerick Hunter Chase and finished up fourth behind Samurai Cracker.





In the time since that initial winner with the Wilson Dennison-owned Royal Reveille, Curling’s Skehanagh Stables have introduced a number of smart prospects in point-to-points.

These include the likes of The Nephew, an Oldtown four-year-old maiden winner who gained notoriety as a prolific performer in timber racing Stateside, dual Grade 2 winner Seeyouatmidnight, who won his maiden for Curling at Dromahane in 2013, whilst more recently, his May 2018 Dromahane winner, Longhouse Sale, won seven consecutive races for Dan Skelton.

Last season was an undoubted highlight for the team at Skehanagh Stables with career-best 32 winners, which saw him end the season in second on the handler’s leader board with a 35% strike rate, far and above the other handlers in the top four.





Those 32 winners from last season included a record-breaking 13 wins for champion mare and joint-champion point-to-point horse, Longhouse Music, backed up by the winning exploits of Some Are Lucky.

This season has seen a steady stream of winners since October when it was Boomtime Banker who opened up Curling’s account at the start of the season when scoring in her five-year-old maiden at Toomebridge while carrying the colours of owner Tadhg O’Leary, and after that win, the daughter of Kalanisi realized a price of £30,000 at the November Tattersalls Cheltenham sales.

Aloneamongmillions, previously described by Curling as a “potentially a top-class point-to-pointer” is living up to his promise, as he is responsible for two of the Tipperary-based handlers successes this season while preserving his unbeaten record of three from three.

Whilst Vanillier ran out a fine winner at Dromahane at the end of December and provided Curling with his first four-year-old winner of the season, and the son of Martaline will now head to the upcoming Goffs UK January Sale.





The first ever treble on Saturday has brought his tally for the season to ten winners from 32 runners, preserving his standout strike rate from last season.

A full list of Sam’s 100 point-to-point winners can be viewed below.