Defending champion Magician has been ruled out of a repeat bid for glory in the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Santa Anita on Saturday, having been found to be acutely lame on his off-fore.

Aidan O’Brien has hailed Australia as "unique" following the announcement that the three-year-old has been retired to stand at Coolmore stud.

Dual Derby winner Australia has been retired to stud, said a Coolmore representative.

Newmarket trainer James Fanshawe is expecting an improved performance from top-class mare Seal Of Approval in the Betfred TV Geoffrey Freer Stakes at Newbury today.

Fethard-based veterinary surgeon John Halley had an afternoon to remember at Saturday’s Tipperary Foxhounds point-to-point at Lisronagh, sending out two winners.

Jezki boasts a perfect record over flights and the smaller-than-expected field casts aside concerns that he may not operate as well in numerically strong races.

Enda Bolger believes the increasing quality of the cross-country sphere is making Cheltenham’s Glenfarclas Chase more difficult to win year on year.

Paul Cashman appears to have an outstanding prospect on his hands in the form of Hills Of Dubai who made a made a stunning winning debut in the opening four-year-old maiden at yesterday’s well-attended Tallow point-to-point fixture.

Rubi Light will be scoped on the gallops this morning after stopping very quickly on his seasonal reappearance at Punchestown last weekend.

The rescheduled first session of the two-day Ormond Foxhounds point-to-point took place at Ballingarry in north Co Tipperary on Saturday afternoon, but it was abandoned in the interest of safety after the fourth race, the first division of the five-year-old geldings’ maiden.

TRYING to hang your hat on one horse at Tramore this afternoon isn’t easy, but perhaps Mouse Morris’ Groomed will oblige in the Lisaleen Schooling Grounds Maiden Hurdle.

Many of those present at yesterday’s well-attended Lismore point-to-point left adamant they had witnessed a future superstar when Paul Cashman’s Present View destroyed the opposition in the second division of the Four-Year-Old Geldings’ Maiden.

The Harry Kelly-trained Carthalawn lit up yesterday’s well-attended Tallow point-to-point meeting, staged on Jimmy Mangan’s lands at Shanakill Cross, by winning a vintage renewal of the open lightweight.

IT was an afternoon of firsts at yesterday’s well-attended Dungarvan Harriers point-to-point meeting at Kilossera as riders’ Paul Kiely, Daragh Howard and Michael Roche all attained their initial career victories.

I CANNOT ever remember the early part of a National Hunt season which delivered so much and produced so many promising young horses.

The Robbie Hennessy trained 5/2 joint-favourite Rubi Light made his Grade 1 breakthrough when beating 2009 winner Joncol in the Grade 1 John Durkan Memorial Punchestown Chase in Punchestown yesterday.

THE ‘Shark’ Hanlon-trained Viking Splash served notice he’s a possible candidate for top honours in the hunters chase division by destroying the opposition in a vintage renewal of the open lightweight at yesterday’s United Hunt Club point-to-point fixture at Ballindenisk.

THE John Halley-trained Perce Rock, a former 140-rated chaser when under the care of Tommy Stack, showed that he’s ideally suited by the switch to the point-to-point sphere by making a winning hunt racing debut in the open at the South Union Foxhounds meeting at Farrangalway outside Kinsale yesterday.

STUNNING VIEW is fancied to make a successful step into Listed company by landing the Vincent O’Brien Ruby Stakes at Killarney this evening.

ERIC McNAMARA saddled his first winner of the new National Hunt season when Hevelius landed the Frank Purcell Memorial Handicap Hurdle at Clonmel last night.

THE 2010/11 point-to-point season came well and truly alive at yesterday’s well-attended Lisgoold meeting, which was staged on a new left-handed course at Leadington.

NOEL MEADE enjoyed a one-two in the featured Grade 2 Friends Of Tipperary Hurdle at Tipperary yesterday when Donnas Palm beat Aitmatov.

THERE were no less than 12 races and 168 runners at Saturday’s rescheduled Kildare Hunt point-to-point meeting at Punchestown racecourse and Jamie Codd had an afternoon to savour with a whopping five winners.

Duke Of Marmalade has a wide range of options after providing Aidan O’Brien and Johnny Murtagh with their third Royal Ascot Group One winner of the week in the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes.

CLASS and style are two of the key components of Royal Ascot and Duke Of Marmalade provided both by the bucketload when turning the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes into a one-horse show yesterday.

The Ballydoyle team responsible for dual 2000 Guineas winner Henrythenavigator are likely to make a decision regarding his participation in the Vodafone Derby in the next seven days.

KIEREN FALLON has scotched suggestions he was not happy with the decision to allow the ill-fated Horatio Nelson take his chance in the Vodafone Derby at Epsom on Saturday.

GOLD medals counted for nothing in the Irish Horse Board Land Rover World Cup qualifier in Ballindenisk, Co Cork, yesterday as Neilus O’Donoghue gave a lesson in composure to triple Olympic champion Matt Ryan.

Three-time Smurfit Champion Hurdle winner Istabraq suffered a tendon injury when attempting a record fourth success in the Cheltenham contest on Tuesday, it emerged today.