Jamie Codd reached a career milestone when partnering his 900th winner between the flags at the East Antrim point-to-point at Loughanmore on Saturday afternoon.
A double on the card brought the Wexford rider to that landmark point in real style, with the day beginning well for him when he partnered Peter Flood’s impressive newcomer, Beyond Redemption, to win division two of the Dennison Commercials four-year-old maiden.
The well-bred Court Cave gelding, who is from the family of Mount Benbulben, was well-fancied ahead of his debut, and he duly delivered on that promise with a four-length success over Muckamore, to bring Codd to the 899-winner mark.
Codd would have had high hopes of breaking the 900-winner barrier in the day’s feature race, the Glenpatrick Horseboxes open.
However his intended mount, last season’s Cheltenham Foxhunters favourite, Burning Ambition, was withdrawn from what would have been his seasonal reappearance, whilst Codd was also forced to settle for second position aboard School Lane in the day’s Islandbawn winner of two.
That left Codd with just the ride aboard Pegase Amour in the concluding Move Right Therapy older maiden, to reach the 900 winners on the day, and Liam Lennon’s seven-year-old did not let him down, following up three consecutive second-placed finishes to defeat Bronco Bill by six lengths.
The success ensures that Codd becomes only the second rider ever in the history of point-to-point racing in Ireland to reach the 900-winner mark, as he follows on from Derek O’Connor, as the pair continue to set an incredible standard in the sport.
