Image © Healy Racing
The evergreen 11-year-old Winged Leader returned to winning ways at Portrush on Saturday where he recorded his 30th point-to-point victory, moving him into joint-second place with Under Way in his quest to become the winning-most point-to-pointer of all time.
The David Christie-trained Winged Leader uncharacteristically ran out through the wing whilst holding the advantage two out in a novice riders event at Kirkistown two weeks previously.
Thankfully, there were no injuries sustained, and the Winged Love-sired gelding was sent off the 4/6 favourite to beat his eight rivals at Portrush on Saturday.
Duly obliging, Winged Leader jumped off and made all the running under Barry O’Neill to score very comfortably by three lengths from Hollow Games.
This was a fifth victory at the venue that is local to The Royal Court Hotel, owned by Winged Leader’s joint-owners Jenny O’Kane and John Hegarty.
Barry O’Neill, who has been aboard the remarkable Winged Leader for 18 of his victories between the flags and on his four hunter chase wins, had nothing but praise for the horse and his County Fermanagh-based trainer.
“Only one word to describe him, and that's a legend,” he said.
“We were meeting the last wrong, and the revs were up, so I just said do whatever you want there; he had loads left. It’s a great training performance by David Christie after being unlucky the last day.”
Winged Leader began his racing career with County Wexford handler Donnchadh Doyle and shed his maiden tag at Loughbrickland in a four-year-old maiden back in October 2018, and he won a winner of one contest in Ballinaboola that November before changing hands to present connections. Reappearing in his new colours, he landed a winner of three at Ballinaboola on his initial start for Christie in February 2019.
Derrylin, County Fermanagh-based Christie isn’t afraid to travel with his horses for opportunities and Winged Leader has campaigned all over Ireland, winning at no fewer than 16 different venues. Portrush seems to suit the horse and he has now won five from six races there with Farmacaffley and Necarne also providing four successes each.
A delighted David Christie stated on Saturday: “That puts him in a very high place now, equal with Under Way.
“Look, the record doesn't matter; it's what people are seeing, and personally, I never thought any horse would ever get close to it. It’s unbelievable.
“He was in great form coming here; even after the mishap last time where most horses would feel sorry for themselves afterwards, he just brushes himself off and goes again. He took off a stride too soon at the last and jumped it like a stag. It's mighty.”
According to Christie on Monday morning, Winged Leader has a great power of recovery and will turn out again pretty quickly, he will be entered for both Loughbrickland and Oldcastle at the weekend.
“He’s tired but good, he generally recovers in a couple of days. He comes back out of his races very bolshy."
When asked if Winged Leader is an easy horse to train, Christie replied, “He’s a bit of a character around the yard, he’s definitely a one off.
“My son David rides him out and he bucks and skips and leaps around, but if David can’t ride for any reason, and I stick another girl on him, he’s as quiet as a lamb to ride.
“He’s very cute in his races; he waits for his rivals to come to him and then keeps producing more, but if they try to go quicker, he can go quicker, too. For a big horse, he is incredibly versatile on different ground conditions. He’s a very strong horse constitutionally.”
Christie is a phenomenal trainer when it comes to getting the best from open horses and has also had prolific winning horses such as Top Twig and Arctic Copper through his hands.
Christie intends to keep racing Winged Leader whilst he stays fit and healthy and is confident that if the horse stops enjoying racing, he will let them know.
With regards to the title of winning-most point-to-pointer, Christie admits that “as it gets closer, it’s getting harder.”
With plenty of racing left in the spring campaign, it is very possible that Winged Leader will enter the history books, if he can equal or surpass Still William’s record of 33 wins for the late Helen Bryce Smith between 1959 and 1967.
The top ten winning most point-to-pointers are listed below:
1 Still William 33 wins
2 Winged Leader 30 wins
2 Under Way 30 wins
3 Corryvreckan 29 wins
3 Ah Whisht 29 wins
4 Arctic Times 28 wins
5 Annie Sue VI 23 wins
5 Any Crack 23 wins
6 Top Twig 21 wins
6 Colonel Lemon 21 wins
7 Dan’s Your Man 20 wins
7 Longhouse Music 20 wins
8 Arctic Copper 18 wins
8 Carhoon 18 wins
9 Ballymac Boy 17 wins
10 No Other Way 16 wins
