Sixty-eight handlers in the draw for ITM vouchers

With the early end to the 2019/20 season owing to the Covid-19 pandemic, there are no further opportunities for handlers to boost their prospects of winning one of five vouchers for the sales courtesy of Irish Thoroughbred Marketing.

As part of their efforts to promote the purchase of mares, ITM continue to offer five €1,000 vouchers to handlers to be used against the purchase of a mare at one of the summer Irish store sales.

The allocation of the vouchers is carried out through a random draw, with each handler receiving a ticket for the draw for each point-to-point race that they win with a mare.

Ahead of this year’s draw, it is the champion handler Colin Bowe who will have the most number of tickets in the draw, having won seven races with mares during the current season.

Sean Doyle won six races, one more than his brother Donnchadh, who won the same number of races as Sam Curling.

In all there were 108 races won by mares during the 2019/20 season, with 19 different handlers winning more than one race, whilst a total of 68 handlers will be represented in the draw.

The promotion of mares through point-to-points continues at a time when results continue to rise. Star mare Honeysuckle has taken the season by storm, winning the Irish Champion Hurdle and more recently at the Cheltenham Festival, as she remains unbeaten since winning her four-year-old maiden at Dromahane.

Maire Banrigh, Magic Of Light, Minella Melody, Darling Daughter, Clondaw Caitlin, Cill Anna, Emma Joy, Ifyoucatchmenow, Ard Abhainn, Shattered Love, Western Victory, Listen Dear and Cabaret Queen are among the other mare pointing graduates to have attained black type success during the season.