Image © Healy Racing
Jack Doyle made a winning start with his first point-to-point runners under his own name when Endless Drinking and Lifetime Ambition supplied a double at Castletown-Geoghegan on Saturday.
Both winners justified favouritism, with City Slippers also finishing second and Antique Fortune taking fourth at Loughrea the following afternoon. It was a productive opening weekend for the former jockey, who took over the reins from his father Pat at Suirview Stables in Co Tipperary earlier this year.
“It was a good weekend. They all ran well, so I’m very happy,” said Doyle.
Endless Drinking was the first to score in the opening four-year-old maiden, battling back under Adam Ryan to defeat Back The Park by two lengths.
The Carsena Bloodstock-owned son of Affinisea had finished sixth on his debut at Tullaherin in April, when suffering interference, and Doyle was confident he could show more on his return.
“We thought he’d go very close. He’s a horse that works very well. He was a bit unlucky at Tullaherin and was still running a good race when he got hampered going to the second-last.”
Sent off the 11/10 favourite, Endless Drinking disputed the running before being headed three out. He rallied approaching the final fence, where a quicker jump helped him regain the lead, and stayed on strongly to secure the first leg of the double.
The four-year-old is now likely to head to the Tattersalls Cheltenham sales in November.
“He’s come out of the race 100 per cent. He’ll probably go to Cheltenham in November, I’d imagine.”
Lifetime Ambition completed the double in the novice riders’ open, making all under James Sampson and holding off Dreal Deal by a neck.
The 4/5 favourite was recording his eighth point-to-point success, and the Timmy O’Byrne-owned 11-year-old remains a firm favourite at the yard.
“He’s been a star for us over the last couple of years. He never runs a bad race. He loves that bit of nice ground.
“He comes out every day fresh as paint and loves his job. He’s just a joy to have around the place.”
The victory was Sampson’s third career success, with the 19-year-old from Shinrone having joined the Suirview team during the summer.
“James has been here since the middle of the summer and has been a great addition. He’s very good on the young horses and is a lovely rider, so it’s great to get a winner for him.”
Adam Ryan also comes into the yard each week to school and ride work, while the wider family remains closely involved. Doyle’s mother Mary and wife Fiona work in the yard each morning and also handle the office duties.
“We have a great team and we’re very lucky. There are plenty of good riders here, and Dad is here the whole time, so that’s a big help as well.”
Pat’s reputation for developing top-class horses stretches across decades, with Grand National winners Miinnehoma and Nick Rockett among his graduates. Their victories in 1994 and 2025 underline the lasting influence of the Suirview operation, which has also produced Grade 1 stars such as Bob Olinger, Appreciate It and Honesty Policy.
Having worked alongside his father before taking over the licence, Jack has retained the yard’s established approach.
“There’s a fairly good system set up here, and we stick to it and keep it fairly simple. There hasn’t been a whole lot of change. Dad is still here every day.
“He doesn’t take anything easy. He’s here every morning. I just have a little bit more say now.”
Pat was on hand at Castletown-Geoghegan to see the double, and although he rarely ventures far from the yard, a day’s pointing remains a favourite outing.
“He’ll be at all the point-to-points. He loves going point-to-pointing. He doesn’t go too far apart from the yard and a point-to-point, so that’s his day out,” said Jack.
Doyle returned home around seven years ago following a successful riding career in Britain and America. He rode more than 300 track winners, including six Grade 1 victories in America, where he was champion jockey in his final season.
“I only went to America for a summer and was planning on coming home afterwards, but I ended up staying about five and a half or six years.
“I felt the time was right. It was always going to be a natural progression to come home, and I was home every winter, so I was fairly involved.”
With 47 horses currently in the yard, including a sizeable team of three-year-olds and another eight to ten four- and five-year-olds to run, the emphasis will remain on developing young horses for point-to-points.
Asked what he had learned from his father, Doyle highlighted the importance of finding the right stock.
“It’s trying to buy a bit of quality. We try not to hang on to horses too long if we don’t see a future with them. We like to get them fit and well-schooled, and if they’re good enough, they’re good enough.”
Having also opened his account under rules with No Mon No Fun at Ballinrobe in July, Doyle hopes to add further track success over the winter, with point-to-pointers remaining his main focus.
“We have a couple of nice horses to run on the track through the winter.
“We have a lot of pointers here at the moment, so we’ll stick to what we’re doing. There’ll be no change here for a while.”
