UK Point-to-Point Round Up | 8th December

Former Irish point-to-pointers continued to perform in UK points at the weekend as the season is now well underway. Irish horses accounted for five of last weekends UK pointing winners. We take a closer look below at where some of these stand out winners started off their racing careers.

Sunday, 08th December 2019

Ffos Las Racecourse

Former Irish pointer, Taboo, ran out a 12-length winner in the five-runner open maiden for mares & fillies at Ffos Las racecourse for Max Young.

The daughter of Tikkanen made her UK point-to-point debut back in November when she was placed third in the opening meeting of the season in an open maiden.

Philip Rothwell started the mare off in Irish point-to-points back in 2011 running four times with her final effort being her best when she was only beaten by a head at Grennan point-to-point in a five-and-six-year-old mares maiden.

The Thomas Symonds-trained Kaki De La Pree made a winning debut in the conditions race on Sunday by coming home in front of Dan’s Wee Man by a widening 20 lengths, with the two being the only finishers in a nine-runner field.

The son of Kapgarde also landed his debut run in Irish point-to-points at Dromahane back in 2011 for owner/handler Pat Doyle and was subsequently sold for £115,000.

The bay gelding enjoyed three wins and was placed a handful of times on the track before returning to point-to-pointing in the Autumn.

Wadebridge, Cornwall

Voie Dans Voie vindicated the promise of his second placed effort at Cottenham in the opening meeting of the season when securing success in the first division of the open maiden for Laura Thomas.

Owned by the handler’s father Norman Thomas, this six-year-old gelding showed the benefit of his experience when beating fellow joint-favourite Queen’s Legacy by three lengths.

Thomas bought Voie Dans Voie off Alan King in May after an unsuccessful spell under rules.
David Kelly initially trained the son of Coastal Path in Irish points where he recorded two placings before being sold for £95,000 in 2017.

The Joanne Priest-trained Phoenix Park found success in the second division in the open maiden when scoring by a length in testing conditions.

The son of Sholokhov rewarded the persistence of his connections by putting in what was by far his best performance to date having been placed on several occasions previous to this performance.
The seven-year-old finished third in a point-to-point in Dromahane back in 2017 for handler Paurick O’Connor.

The Men’s open race went to the Irish point graduate Navanman for trainer John Heard. Battling well in the closing stages the son of Well Chosen got up on the line by three-quarters of a length.

The success marked the geldings sixth success in UK points.
Navanman has been a consistent and genuine performer over the past two seasons for Okehampton trainer John Heard, who handles the ten-year-old for a syndicate of family and friends.

Originally handled by David Kelly, the gelding was runner-up in his only Irish point run before transitioning to the track in the UK. Navanman found success on three occasions there for David Pipe before returning to pointing in 2017.