Dark horses: The Irish pointers set to make a splash under Rules

First published October 8

For a subset of the sport that produced the 2020 Cheltenham Festival winners Samcro, Honeysuckle and Envoi Allen, not to mention past greats such as Denman and Best Mate besides the hundreds of winners that flow from its races each year, the Irish point-to-point scene gets little coverage in the mainstream racing media. That’s possibly because the sport is not easily accessible - the only way of involving yourself in the action is by taking out a subscription to the excellent Irish P2P website (www.p2p.ie) - or there are few understandable reference points (there are no official ratings, for example, and the most sought-after horses might only run once or twice). The upside, however, is that the edge gained by identifying promising horses, and rating them on a scale comparable with those used officially or by Timeform, is all the bigger. Here are eight horses that displayed a high level of form in Irish points last season and will be worth keeping onside when they run under Rules.

AMARILLO SKY (Ire) 4g Westerner – Bag of Tricks (Flemensfirth)

One of the most anticipated four-year-old maidens held last spring was that at Borris House in March. The preceding two renewals had been won by Andy Dufresne and Sporting John, who currently have Timeform ratings of 140 and 143 respectively, and this year the race attracted such a large entry it had to divide. The winners of both divisions, Amarillo Sky and Gars De Sceaux, ought to be high on anyone’s list of dark horses to follow. The time of Amarillo Sky’s heat was slightly the slower of the two, but he looked to win with something in hand in a race in which he and the runner-up pulled clear, and what was most impressive about his performance was how easily he travelled in front and how slickly he jumped. His pedigree is strong on stamina and he looks the sort of horse that Colin Tizzard (whose previous Irish point recruits include Native River, Elegant Escape and Lostintranslation) will run up a sequence with over hurdles - having bought him for £280,000 at Tattersalls Cheltenham Sales in March - before switching him to fences.

Winning a division of the 4YO Maiden at Borris House that was won by Sporting John & Andy Dufresne before him, AMARILLO SKY of @colinboweracing is the new top lot after being sold for £280,000 @tattscheltenham Festival Sale.#IrishPointers #CheltenhamSwoop4 pic.twitter.com/Kdrpz4prOq

— p2p.ie (@irishp2p) March 12, 2020

FISTON DES ISSARDS (Fr) 5g Buck’s Boum – Saboum (Robin Des Champs)

Fiston des Issards was one of the horses that made a big impression in the first half of last season – indeed, he was sold for £255,000 at Tattersalls Cheltenham Sales last November and joined Gordon Elliott. That was a huge mark up on the £28,000 he had cost as an unraced three-year-old 18 months earlier but not unsurprising in view of the manner of his win at Loughanmore for Colin Bowe last October, where he travelled easily in front for the most part only to run green from the home bend. The form of that race at what is one of Ireland’s most galloping courses is extremely strong as both the runner-up Boothill and fourth-placed Smurphy Enki went on to win bumpers on their debut under Rules for Harry Fry and Chris Gordon respectively. Needless to say, Fiston des Issards, who is by a half-brother to the outstanding staying hurdler Big Buck’s out of a winning jumper, almost certainly has the Cheltenham Festival in his sights and looks bound to win a handful of races. 

There was a lot to like about the debut performance which saw the French-bred Fiston Des Issards came out on top of a competitive looking 4yo race at Loughanmore for @colinboweracing. View catalogue online here: https://t.co/IjFS8eCjYJ pic.twitter.com/lgJcI2iwXo

— Tattersalls Cheltenham (@tattscheltenham) November 9, 2019

GARS DE SCEAUX (Fr) 4g Saddler Maker – Replique (April Night)

If asked to choose, I would probably lean marginally towards Gars de Sceaux as being the more impressive winner of the Borris House maiden referenced earlier. The grey started second favourite behind the Donnchadh Doyle-trained Magic Tricks and looked like he would come off second best when nearly coming down at the second-last, but he rallied in spectacular style, getting his head back in front quickly. After a good leap at the last forged six lengths clear on the short run-in under Jamie Codd. All in all it was one of the most promising debuts last season and there won’t be any shortage of races to be won with him over the smaller obstacles at first.

PETIBONOME (Fr) 4g Al Namix – Olafane (Le Balafre)

Aside from Gars de Sceaux and Ballyadam, who was bought for £330,000 by Cheveley Park Stud after winning a point at Portrush last October, possibly the most exciting prospect that ran in points last season was Petibonome. The son of Al Namix failed to complete on his debut, disputing the lead when falling five fences from home, but made no mistake second time out at Lismore in March when pulling right away from the second-last only to be disqualified for a minor infringement (took the wrong course between the last two fences). Petibonome’s winning distance was given officially as 12 lengths but putting a stopwatch on showed it was closer to 25 lengths, most of which came after the last fence. Lismore is one of the more testing Irish point venues, one that takes some getting, so one would imagine that Petibonome, who took some pulling up after the line, will need at least two and a half miles when running under Rules. He looks a smart prospect.  

REALITY CHEQUE (Ire) 5g Getaway – Coolaghmore Yeats (Yeats)

Reality Cheque shares something in common with Petibonome in that he fell on his first start (for which he started favourite in a strong-looking maiden at Dromahane) and won his second. A stoutly-bred son of Getaway, Reality Cheque was easy to back at Kilfeacle second time up but he made amends in no uncertain fashion in a well-run race that returned easily the quickest time of the day. The race concerned only Reality Cheque and the only slightly less promising Pozo Emery from the second-last as the strong gallop took its toll on the remaining runners, but even then it was clear that Reality Cheque was travelling the better and come the line he was well on top and going further clear. That effort, on a galloping track in testing conditions, suggests that his future under Rules lies over two and a half miles and more. 

RED LION LAD (Ire) 4g Flemensfirth – Hotline (Poliglote)

One run and one win is Red Lion Lad’s record, and, being by the champion sire Flemensfirth out of a half-sister to the dual Champion Chase winner Master Minded, he certainly has plenty going for him on paper. That win came at Ballyarthur’s galloping track in March and didn’t look likely at various points as he showed plenty of greenness, but on the run to the last he knuckled down well, displaying a fair bit of knee action, and drew a very long-looking ten lengths clear. Given that the race took nearly seven and a half minutes to complete, unusually long for a four-year-old maiden even in testing conditions, Red Lion Lad’s future looks to be over long distances. He didn’t make a reserve well into six figures at Doncaster in June but looks a very interesting long-range prospect.

UPANDATIT 5g Winged Love – Betty Beck (Westerner)

Upandatit is one of the more speculative inclusions in this list. Third behind Fiston des Issards in that aforementioned Loughanmore maiden, he has since joined Nick Alexander after being withdrawn from Tattersalls Cheltenham Sales last December. Held up towards the rear at Loughnamore, Upandatit would probably have finished closer had he and Smurphy Enki not had to divert around a faller at the last fence but he caught the eye all the same, staying on very strongly. Upandatit ran once after that, finishing third behind the Colin Bowe-trained Across The Channel at Mainstown in December, but the much greater test of speed that day didn’t look to suit the stoutly-bred son of Winged Love. His half-brother Paddy Buns (also a maiden pointer) caused a big-priced surprise when winning on his Rules debut and Upandatit could easily be one that sneaks under the radar. 

ZOOM ZOOM ZOE (Ire) 4f Leading Light – Sixofone (Tikkanen)

It's worth returning to the race won by Gars de Sceaux and focusing on the horse that finished around 12 lengths behind him in third, Zoom Zoom Zoe. What was significant about her participation is not only that that her handler Mary Doyle elected to run her in an open four-year-old maiden when she could have chosen to run against her own sex in what are nearly always much weaker affairs, but that she was jostling with Gars de Sceaux for second favouritism. Whatever ability she had been showing at home manifested itself on the track as she looked a big danger at the third from the finish only to find the first two too strong from the second-last. Still, that was a cracking first effort and she ought to have no difficulty winning a number of mares' races under Rules. [Editor's note: Zoom Zoom Zoe has been sold to race in the US]

Graeme North (@jumpspacemaps) provides freely available pace breakdowns of National Hunt races (an archive going back two years is available at www.jumpspacemaps.co.uk) and regularly tweets about interesting Irish P2P graduates starting off under Rules

Click here to read a Q&A with Graeme