Eugene O’Sullivan’s The Blarney Rose lit up yesterday’s extremely wet Boulta point-to-point fixture by destroying the opposition in the open lightweight.

Kilavullen-based owner/trainer TJ Nagle appears to have an outstanding prospect on his hands in the form of Just A Par as the son of the Grand Lodge-sired stallion Island House destroyed the opposition under Richard O’Dea in the five-year-old geldings’ maiden at yesterday’s well-attended Galway Hunt point-to-point fixture at Dartfield outside Loughrea.

The annual Inch point-to-point took place at its traditional Ballyanthony venue yesterday and, on a wind-swept afternoon that witnessed nine races, the Colin Bowe-trained Clondaw Knight (4/6) impressed by winning the first division of the four-year-old geldings’ maiden.

ORGANISERS of the Kenmare Historic Rally are monitoring the weather conditions ahead of their event on Sunday.

A Government initiative to tackle the overcrowding crisis in hospital accident and emergency departments will see one of the country's busiest hospitals, Beaumont, get an extra 70 beds, Aidan Kennedy of the Progressive Democrats has announced.