Sunday doubles for both Ocovango and Shirocco have seen both sires move to the summit of the champion point-to-point stallions table.
Both successes for the off-spring of Ocovango came at Aghabullogue, kickstarted by the deserved success of Driscolls Hill in the five-year-old geldings’ maiden.
Bred by Tim Crowe, the bay was bought from the Goffs Land Rover sale in 2022 by Niall Kelleher, and he was unlucky not to finish in the frame on his debut at Dromahane just ten months later when unshipping at the final fence in a four-year-old maiden whilst sitting in third position at the time.
Trained by Robert Moloney, a breakthrough first success for Dan Lordan’s charge came in fine style last Sunday when he raced from the front under Darragh Allen.
Having kicked for home on the downhill run to the home straight, Driscolls Hill soon had his rivals under pressure as he stayed on strongly to the line to win by three and a half lengths.
His winning owner was greeted by plenty of well-wishers as he led his charge to the number one spot in the winner’s enclosure and described him as “a proper horse.”
Farmers Future was the second son of Ocovango to pass the post in front at the Cork venue when he opened his account in the six-year-old geldings’ maiden.
Out of an Anshan mare that was also a winner in the pointing fields, the Marie Harding-trained seven-year-old had signed off last season with a career-best at Dromahane, when just a length behind the now twice bumper placed Barton Snow.
Picking up in that same vein on his first start of the campaign, he proved to be four and a half lengths too good for Arctic Skua, giving his 24-year-old winning rider Eddie Roche his first success, one that was achieved on a horse owned by his sister Niamh.
Harding was also responsible for saddling one of the two successful sons of Shirocco on the afternoon, with Saffron Hill claiming the winners-of-two contest on the Aghabullogue card.
Owned and bred by well-known points supporter Declan O’Keeffe, the seven-year-old had opened his account in fine style when a wide-margin victor at Quakerstown, and he duly followed that up by running down Beau’s Candle after the last under Eoin O’Brien.
The second pointing success last weekend for the Glenview Stud resident was also achieved in winners’ company, with Wise Move gaining his second success of the season in the winner-of-one at Turtulla.
A Tattersalls maiden winner in October, the Eleanor Broderick-bred six-year-old had left his breeder’s care at the end of last season to join fellow Cork handler John O’Donovan, for whom he was making his stable debut when recording that maiden success.
Just like at Tattersalls, it was again the Pat Doyle-trained I Masked Du Potier that chased him home, as Chris O’Donovan’s mount had three lengths to spare at the line.
“Hopefully, he can pick up another winners’ race, and we might even look at a maiden hunter's chase for him in time.”
Shirocco and Ocovango are now among the quartet of stallions with eight winners to their name this season.
