Yesterday’s United Hunt Club’s point-to-point fixture at Bartlemy brought new meaning to the phrase marathon for there were no less than 11 races with proceedings concluding at 6.15pm, following a 1pm start.

The Crafty Butcher, who was proving very costly to follow, finally got his act together for Ruby Walsh when taking the Holy Thursday Maiden Hurdle at Clonmel yesterday.

The directors of one of Cork’s oldest chains of bookmakers have told a creditors meeting that the company owes €500,000 to creditors but holds just €10,300 in assets.

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.

The 2012/13 point-to-point season got under way at Rathcannon on Saturday with the County Limerick Hunt’s Bruff meeting and Tyrone Golden Rain lit up the meeting for many by destroying the opposition in the eight-runner open lightweight.

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.

Kinsale-based trainer/breeder Finbarr Tierney seems to have a genuinely nice prospect on his hands in the form of Ardkilly Witness who had little difficulty in gaining a second career success in the winners of one at yesterday’s well-attended Cloyne Harriers point-to-point fixture which took place at Dromahane.

Seabass and Felix Yonger provided Ruby Walsh with a superb Grade 2 double at Naas yesterday.

TRAINING honours on the final day of a successful Fairyhouse Easter Festival (crowds were up 20% over the three days) yesterday went to Willie Mullins, who completed a double in graded hurdles with Twinlight and Lambro.

THE Dermot Weld bandwagon rolled on relentlessly at Limerick last night when Precious Gem, carrying the colours of his mother, Marguerite, landed the Martin Molony Stakes.

YESTERDAY’S West Waterford Foxhounds point-to-point meeting at Lismore is one that will live long in the memory of teenager Jason Kiely for the 18-year-old amateur from Herbertstown partnered an initial career winner aboard the Patrick Farrell-trained Haile Deadly in the winners of one contest.

PAUL CARBERRY proved an unlikely hero at Thurles yesterday, two days after his controversial 30-day ban started.

IN COMPLIANCE, having his first run since December of 2007, made a stunning return in the Thurles Chase at Thurles yesterday.

THE last Corkman to lift the Sam Maguire Cup believes the Rebel county “have a massive chance” of bringing it back to the banks of the Lee after what it likely to be an epic encounter with Kerry tomorrow.

Sixteen-year-old Ronan Whelan enjoyed his second success when producing an accomplished display aboard Puncher Clynch in the featured Irish Stallion Farms’ EBF Premier Nursery at Listowel yesterday.

Apprentice jockey Ronan Whelan savoured a fairytale on the third day of the Listowel Harvest Festival as he recorded only his second ever win in the showpiece Irish Stallion Farms EBF Premier Nursery.

IN-FORM Ger Lyons brought his seasonal tally to twenty-five when Beat Surrender and Kinetic Quest provided him with a double at Naas last night.

JESSIE’S DREAM, a possible star of the future, gets the nap to land the opening AON Isurance Hurdle at Punchestown this evening.

BENEATH The Radar booked his ticket to next week’s Punchestown Festival when comfortably landing the odds in the McGrath Quarry Group Hurdle at Ballinrobe last night.

LAST Saturday bookmakers Paddy Power and Boylesports did something which barely got a mention in the press, but surely merited a lot more in the way of publicity.

THE Eugene O’Sullivan-trained Juveigneur booked his passage for next month’s Cheltenham Foxhunters by recording a facile success in the open lightweight at yesterday’s Kildorrery point-to-point, run under the auspices of the Duhallow Foxhounds on the Vaughan family’s lands at Rockmills Stud where it has been staged since 1979.

COUSIN VINNY should enjoy little more than a good school, as he continues his build-up to Cheltenham in the EBF Irish Racing Writers’ Novice Hurdle at Naas this afternoon.

THE Philip Rothwell-trained Jamies Choice continued his remarkable rate of progress when landing the featured Alchemy Properties Handicap Chase at Cork yesterday.

DANNY MULLINS, the rising young star of flat racing, drove the Paul Cashman-trained 20-1 shot Glitter Baby to a decisive victory in the featured Guinness Handicap at Galway last night.

EAGLE’S PASS, third behind Farmer Brown in the Galway Hurdle twelve months ago, is on the trail of that major prize again, following a smooth victory in the Ulster Bank Mallow Hurdle at Cork last night.

ADRIAN MAGUIRE and Colman Sweeney are a solid combination when joining forces and they were on the mark again at Tramore yesterday when Optimus Prime landed the Directors’ Chase.

TRANQUIL SEA, outclassed when eighth of 22 behind Captain Cee Bee at Cheltenham, found his level in the Dunraven Arms Hotel Novice Hurdle at Limerick yesterday.

THE contestants battling to be this year’s Rose of Tralee arrived to a heroine’s reception in the Kerry town yesterday, knowing the crown is all to play for.

THE progressive Indian Love can land the nap in the New Ballisodare Centre Opportunity Maiden Hurdle at Sligo tonight.

INVINCIBLE Woman can lead her rivals a merry dance in the Irish Stallion Farms’ EBF Race at Tipperary this evening, where the meeting is subject to a precautionary inspection at 8am due to the threat of waterlogging.

THERE was probably a fair bit of excitement in a betting office in Clonmel last night, as the Tom Hogan-trained Spanish Blue won the first division of the Ryans’ Event Cleaners Handicap at Limerick.

DAVY RUSSELL got off to the perfect start for the New Year when producing a magical piece of riding on Cloudy Bays in the featured Wilf Dooly Chase at Tramore yesterday.

DERMOT WELD, fresh from another profitable Galway, where he had seven winners, was on the mark at Cork yesterday when Reform Act turned in a game display to land the €45,000 plus to the winner Listed Irish Stallion Farms’ EBF Give Thanks Stakes.

ANDREW McNAMARA partnered a first ever winner for Tony Mullins when Waltons Mountain ran his rivals ragged in the Kanturk Handicap Chase at Cork yesterday.

RUBY WALSH, fresh from his comeback success on Cornish Sett at Newbury on Saturday, heads the panel for the Cashmans Bookmakers Cheltenham Preview at the Silversprings Hotel in Cork tonight at 8pm.

SCRAPPING the stallion tax exemption from July 31, 2008, will make buying stallions a lot more financially risky.

MICHAEL HOURIGAN went through an agonising twenty minutes or so at Cork on Saturday.

KIEREN FALLON, suffering from a sore neck, missed Cork yesterday and was replaced aboard Beauty Bright in the opening Coolmore Stud Choisir EBF Maiden by Ballydoyle apprentice, Sean Levey.

WARRENS CASTLE gets the vote to give Willie Mullins a first success in the Hewlett-Packard Galway Plate at Ballybrit this afternoon.

TRAINER Sean Treacy enjoyed a welcome turn at Limerick last night when Shersha proved too strong for odds-on favourite Macduff in the Budweiser Race.

BETSEN, called after the brilliant French rugby wing-forward, lived up to his name when making an impressive debut in the Mallow Maiden at Cork on Saturday.

HENRIETTA Knight and Terry Biddlecombe, the team responsible for four in-a-row Gold Cup seeking Best Mate at Cheltenham this day fortnight, head an all-star cast for the Cashmans Bookmakers Cheltenham Preview next Tuesday night.

PAUL CASHMAN partnered the initial four-timer of his career at the well-attended Tallow point-to-point, run under the auspices of the West Waterford Foxhounds, on Jimmy Mangan’s lands at Conna yesterday.