All roads led to Boulta for the annual Clonmult/Dungourney point-to-point fixture yesterday and the Denis Leahy-trained newcomer Hawkhurst produced a stunning debut victory in the first division of the four-year-old geldings’ maiden.

Five family doctor practices each received HSE payments totalling over €600,000 in 2012, including two practices that received payments in excess of €700,000.

One family doctor’s practice received over €825,000 in payments from the State for the treatment of medical-card patients last year.

Some 28 family doctors’ practices are being paid over €500,000 a year by the State to treat patients who cannot afford care, HSE figures show.

Indevan justified long odds-on favouritism in the Martin Reilly BMW Dealer Novice Hurdle to spark a double for champion trainer Willie Mullins in Sligo last night.

Donal Coffey’s mare Top Madam (9/4 favourite) bounced back to winning form when landing the Marin Reilly BMW Dealer Novice Hurdle at Sligo last night, staying on stoutly from the second last to beat market rival Dara Tango by a length.

Having drawn a blank on the fourth day of Royal Ascot in the afternoon, Aidan O’Brien gave punters plenty to enjoy when recording a treble with Kingston Jamaica, Battle Of Saratoga and Demurely in Limerick last night.

Ground conditions were extremely demanding at yesterday’s Pigeon Hill & Carrigtwohill point-to-point fixture, but Croom-based civil engineer Fergus O’Connor was still the happiest individual at the Clyduff venue as he recorded his fourth career success by guiding his wife Irene Walsh’s Pocket Reader (10/1) to a popular success in the Winners’ Of One.

A NORTH DUBLIN GP clinic is being paid over three quarters of a million euro a year by the state to treat patients who cannot afford their own costs.

NATIONAL champion, Sergiu Ciobanu shaved 20 seconds off the course record which he set last year to retain the Bord Gáis Energy Cork City Marathon title yesterday in 2:25:34 and now sets his sights on Olympic qualification.

CHAMPION trainer Paul Nicholls and the Cheltenham Festival’s winning-most jockey, Ruby Walsh, pulled suffering punters out of a hole as Big Buck’s obliged as the 5-6 favourite in yesterday’s Ladbrokes World Hurdle.

TONY MARTIN breathed a huge sigh of relief after his Aggie’s Lad won the Seamus Weldon Novice Chase at Killarney last night.

IN his letter (March 6), Prof David Gwynn Morgan states that the Government’s contention regarding the constitutionality of a public service levy on judicial salaries is “just plain wrong”. He cites the judgment of Kingsmill Moore in O’Byrne v Minister for Finance (1959) for this proposition.

THERE is a big doubt about Kieren Fallon partnering hot-favourite George Washington in tomorrow's English 2000 Guineas at Newmarket, following a nasty incident at Tipperary last night.

FORMER champion Barry Geraghty took the riding honours at Kilbeggan’s final meeting of 2004 yesterday, recording a chase double on Rocking Ship and Johnjoe’s Express.