It was a day to remember for David Christie at Ballingarry on Sunday, as the Fermanagh-based handler recorded his 300th winner in the point-to-point sphere with the success of Marinero in the Ladies Open.
Formerly a successful rider having enjoyed 21 winners in the saddle between 1986 and 1999, since focusing his attentions on the training ranks, he has become one of the leading handlers in the sphere, synonymous for his talents with open horses – often rejuvenating older track recruits who had seemingly lost their way only to thrive under his handling.
Horses such as Finoel, Arctic Copper, Bluefire, Royal Ranger and Top Twig are household names for point-to-point followers, and each dominated races in their respective years in the pointing fields for the Derrylin operator.
In all, Fonoel won 15 races between 2001 and 2004, a total surpassed by the prolific Top Twig who won 18 opens under Christie’s care having joined him from Jimmy Mangan in 2008.
Most impressively, his successes came at a time when the number of races a horse could win in an individual season was capped at just six and the Flemensfirth gelding ended his career on a high when landing the open at his connections’ local track at Necarne in May 2011.
That final start was his tenth victory in a row in the open sphere where he proved to be untouchable.
Stable companion Arctic Copper was an 18-time winner between the flags when moving to the pointing fields after a very successful track career for Noel Meade which had seen him finish second in a number of Grade 1’s over trips from two-miles all the way up to three-miles.
He won his 18th and final open at Maralin in April 2008 under his regular rider Claire MacMahon.
Meanwhile, Bluefire’s first success in an older maiden at Comber in 1999 saw him partnered to success by Christie himself, as was the case for his following successes in winners company at Loughanmore and in a Crumlin open the following year.
Bluefire would ultimately win 13 of his 32 races in the pointing fields, as well as finishing placed in nine further races.
They have since been followed by horses such as The Last Derby, The Hard Hat, Not Before Eight, Valmy Baie and You Must Know Me.
Star mare Maple Mons earned Christie the champion mares title in successive years in 2016 and 2017, and last season Eddies Miracle was a first champion point-to-point horse winner for the handler who has enjoyed success in open’s more than any other.
Barry O’Neill has become a big part of the Christie team in the past decade and has steered almost all of his more recent open stars to success, including the aforementioned title winners Maple Mons and Eddies Miracle in addition to Winged Leader and Marinero - the horse who supplied him with the all-important 300th success under Maxine O'Sullivan.
