Hearts And Spades became the latest horse to secure the champion point-to-point horse title in the same season that he had won his maiden, when nine winners saw him edge out The Great Unknown.
Trained by Ian McCarthy, the seven-year-old won eight races this season, beginning with a successful stable debut in an older maiden at Peppards Castle in October.
The Maxios gelding entered that race after four unsuccessful runs over hurdles for Colm Murphy, but he justified market support on his return to pointing duties when defeating the long-standing maiden, Long Road, by a length at the Wexford venue.
That kick-started a run of success, as he followed up a month later in a winners-of-one at Boulta in late November, before continuing his rise through the ranks at Dromahane a fortnight later. The bay just getting the better of Dromleigh by a head in a thriller in this winners-of-two.
Kickstarting his spring term at Tyrella in a winners-of-three, he proved to be four lengths too strong for Clough Clouds, before adding a fifth straight victory to his CV when dominating a two-runner winners’ contest at Ballinaboola in early February.
Despite having to step up to open company at Lisronagh a month later, he mastered that climb in class by defeating the capable Magic Sadler by two lengths, before he met with defeat for the first time in the campaign.
It took the reigning champion and record-breaking Winged Leader, to end his run of success, although Hearts Of Spades certainly ran the champion close, just coming up short by a neck at Portrush in late March.
Connections elected to turn him out quickly for a switch to the track, as he suffered two consecutive defeats in hunter chases, firstly only managing third at Cork, before Jetbob got away from him in the Bishopscourt Cup at the Punchestown Festival.
With regular rider Eoin Mahon having been ruled out for the remainder of the season in a penultimate fence fall at Castletown-Geoghegan in April, that opened opportunities for other riders to get aboard.
A return between the flags saw him swiftly regain the winning thread, with Barry O’Neill aboard as he defeated the 12-year-old Dorking Cock at Necarne, before he followed up eight days later with Cormac Byrne in a novice rider’s open at Loughrea, in a win that pushed him one winner clear of The Great Unknown.
Those eight victories contributed to a notable campaign for his handler’s Grangecoor Farm operation, with 15 wins from 29 runs and a notable 52% strike rate for the season.
The connections of Hearts And Spades will be presented with their trophy at the 45th annual point-to-point awards, hosted by the QR Association, which takes place at Whites Hotel, Wexford, on Saturday, June 13th. Tickets can be purchased here.
