Image © Healy Racing
Barry O’Neill signed off on yet another successful season by riding his 56th winner of the campaign at Ballingarry on the penultimate day of the season.
Barry O’Neill signed off on yet another successful season by riding his 56th winner of the campaign at Ballingarry on the penultimate day of the season.
Colin Bowe’s Belle Star Outlaw had been forced to settle for a brace of placed finishes on her opening two efforts when sent off as the favourite, but she was one of a number of horses to beneift from front-running tactics to defeat Queen Of The Gales by nine lengths in the five-year-old mares’ maiden.
Crucially, the win brought O’Neill level once again with Jamie Scallan in his race for the southern rider’s title, with the pair electing to end their season prematurely and share the spoils mid-way through the opening day of the Ballingarry card.
O’Neill was under no pressure to continue riding for the remainder of the concluding weekend of the season as she had already wrapped-up the national tittle with a comfortable cushion over Rob James, with whom he had been forced to share the spoils with a year earlier.
However, it was a different story this year, with O’Neill 16 winners of James ahead of the final day of racing. That was thanks to a 25% strike rate in a season which had started strongly for the Wexford native, as he had won the opening race of the campaign at Toomebridge right back in early October.
That was one of 11 doubles that the recently-turned 36-year-old secured throughout the campaign, whilst he also rode a total of five trebles.
They came at Portrush in March, Taylorstown, the April Tattersalls fixture, in addition to Ballyknock and Ballindenisk, and they helped him to a trio of titles this year.
In the north, O’Neill held off a late charge of Noel McParlan to win that regional prize for a sixth time, whilst this latest regional title in the south was a third time to pick up that prize.
It is a nineth time that O’Neill has secured the overall title, a prize he has held onto consecutively since his first back in 2017.
Barry will be presented with his trophy at the 44th annual GAIN point-to-point awards, which takes place at the Newpark Hotel, Kilkenny, on Saturday, June 7th. Tickets can be purchased here.
Barry will be presented with his trophy at the 44th annual GAIN point-to-point awards, which takes place at the Newpark Hotel, Kilkenny, on Saturday, June 7th. Tickets can be purchased here.
