Connor King reached another notable milestone in his career when he rode out his claim on board the Rodger Sweeney-trained Daliyan in the Join Us On September 20th Handicap in Gowran Park last evening.

Pint-sized but progressive mare Kimbay landed a tidy gamble when successfully transferring her polytrack form to turf in the five-furlong Follow Tipperary On Facebook Handicap in Tipperary last night.

Grand National-winning rider Jason Maguire appears set to miss this year’s renewal of the Aintree spectacular on April 11.

Salsify, the 2013 Foxhunter Chase winner, could be in line for a popular return to Cheltenham in March.

In-form handler Michael Winters must have felt like Bill Murray’s character in the widely-acclaimed film Groundhog Day at yesterday’s well-attended Killeagh Harriers point-to-point meeting as, for the second Sunday running, he struck with a hugely-exciting newcomer that had many of those present searching for previously unused superlatives.

Connections of Salsify hope to have the top hunter chaser back on the racecourse at the end of the year.

All of Willie Mullins’ big guns are waiting in the wings for Cheltenham, but it makes no difference to a trainer who simply has a wealth of talent at his disposal.

Dual Cheltenham Foxhunter winner Salsify may run in a handicap chase once he returns from the injury that has ruled him out of his hat-trick bid at next month’s Festival.

Old rivals Salsify and Tammys Hill will do battle again in the Albert Bartlett Hunters Chase at Down Royal on Thursday.

Hurricane Fly is among the six in contention for the Horse of the Year award after the nominees for the 11th annual Horse Racing Ireland Awards were announced yesterday.

The progressive Double Seven, trained by Martin Brassil for J P McManus, completed a spectacular four-timer with a superb display in the Ladbrokes’ Munster National at Limerick yesterday.

Peter Fahey’s Owega Star produced a fine exhibition of jumping to land the Kevin McManus Beginners Chase at Listowel yesterday.

Jim Bolger admits it is “more than likely” his 2000 Guineas hero Dawn Approach will be allowed to take his chance in the Investec Derby at Epsom next month.

The Ger Lyons-trained Keeping looked a decent prospect when foiling favourite Bint Nayef in the Irish Stallion Farms Fillies Maiden in Dundalk last night.

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.

Only for the Mullins family this week, with some help from Rodger Sweeney, Ireland would have been sunk without trace.

Ireland is crying out for a genuine Cheltenham Gold Cup candidate and in the Philip Fenton-trained Last Instalment we may just have found one.

Quel Esprit is set for a step up in class after a facile success in the Beamish Stout Phil Sweeney Memorial Chase at Thurles.

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 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.

PAT SMULLEN gave Grace O’Malley a quite magnificent drive to land the Group 3 Kerry Group Noblesse Stakes at Cork yesterday.

“THERE was great pleasure in that”, remarked Tom Cooper, after he watched his son, Bryan, guide the trainer’s Rossdara to success in the Cahir Mares Maiden hurdle at Clonmel yesterday.

SWORE I wouldn’t return to balloting for a while, but I simply have to respond to comments attributed to HRI’s director of racing, Jason Morris, in yesterday’s Racing Post.

THE David Wachman trained Heatseeker, a son of Giant's Causeway, made it two from two with a decent effort in the Irish Stallion aFarms' EBF Race at Tipperary last night.