TrackStats | Umma House

Image © Healy Racing

Umma House is one of the newer courses to the point-to-point calendar, having first appeared in 2020, but it has been well received by handlers, with this year’s fixture again achieving the highest entry of the three fixtures taking place this weekend.

has been home to the South Westmeath Hunt point-to-point sinceHaving staged their annual point-to-point at The Pigeons for over 40 years since 1978, the South Westmeath Hunt move to a brand new track in October 2020 at Umma House.

Situated less than 15 kilometres southwest of their former long-standing course at The Pigeons, which had been their home for over 40 years since 1978, Umma House is a good galloping track with two long straights.

It is a mile round and has proven popular because it is considered a nice, fair test for a young horse with a very slight incline to the finish line.

There are two fences prior to the finish in the home straight with the third past the winning post and the other two fences located in the back straight. It is an all grass left handed track.


Vital Statistics

Fences per circuit: 5
Direction: Left-handed
Top Rider: Derek O’Connor (5 wins)
Winning Favourites: 4 of 6 at last year’s fixture




Last year’s rewind

Tipperary handler Tom Keating gained his first winner of the campaign with his initial runner for the 2023/24 season when Maid On The Moon beat the geldings to land the novice rider’s open under Hannah Phillips.

There was just one finisher to the adjacent winners’ race as Knockiel Synge was able to return in isolation when his sole rival Fiadh’s Ruby exited at the midway point. It was a first success fro the then nine-year-old at the 21st attempt, and he would go on to enjoy big-race success at the Punchestown festival in the Ladies Cup under regular pilot Georgie Benson.


This time around…

The first open of the season took place at the nearby Castletown-Geoghegan course a fortnight ago, and on that occasion, just three lengths separated Au Fleuron and Pat Coyne and they could again be among the principals in the Allen Motors open for novice riders, which is the feature race on the card.

Au Fleuron’s stablemate Vaucelet did not reach the same heights last season that he had previously scaled, having finished a close second in both the 2022 and 2023 editions of the Champion Hunter Chase at the Punchestown Festival, and the nine-year-old could make his first start of the campaign here as he goes in search of what would be his first victory since December 2022.

Fellow returnee Jay Bee Why was a decent performer for Warren Ewing last season and has now joined Sam Curling, a stable that has already been among the winners in this division recently. He was a smart performer last season, regularly crossing swords with some of the top players in the division on the northern circuit, and he is sure to be among the leading contenders here as he debuts for new connections.

Entries: 102
First race: 1pm
Postcode: N37 YY98

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