Image © Healy Racing
Winged Leader emulated the great Still William’s 33 recorded victories when he was victorious in the open at Necarne on Saturday.
Winged Leader emulated the great Still William’s 33 recorded victories when he was victorious in the open at Necarne on Saturday.
The all-time record had remained untouched since the late Still William registered the last of his 33 recorded wins in the Bunratty Plate at the Co. Clare point-to-point in April 1966, until just over 59 years later, Winged Leader was able to record the 33rd victory of his career.
Taking to the track at his handler David Christie’s local venue, the 11-year-old faced four rivals for the Killyhevlin Hotel and ITBA open, including Everglow, who was successful at the course 24 hours earlier.
Setting a strong gallop from the drop of the flag under his regular pilot Barry O’Neill, the Winged Love gelding really put it up to his rivals with the pace not relenting.
That pace took so many of his rivals out of their comfort zone, with Ballyphilip, who had lowered the colours of the favourite at Loughbrickland, being pulled up four-out, which left it up to the progressive seven-year-old Magic Sadler who was able to live up with the favourite.
Pat Doyle’s hat-trick seeker sat menacingly in the slipstream of Winged Leader with David Doyle waiting to pounce, and although he closed to within a length and a half, that was as close as he got, as in customary fashion, Winged Leader tenaciously pulled out more to get his all-important 33rd success by three lengths.
“That was amazing,” a delighted Christie said.
%uD83E%uDD47 A record-equaling point-to-point win number 3%u20E33%u20E3 for the great %uD835%uDDEA%uD835%uDDF6%uD835%uDDFB%uD835%uDDF4%uD835%uDDF2%uD835%uDDF1 %uD835%uDDDF%uD835%uDDF2%uD835%uDDEE%uD835%uDDF1%uD835%uDDF2%uD835%uDDFF as he lands the open on home turf at Necarne.
— p2p.ie (@irishp2p) May 10, 2025
Here's how he did it. pic.twitter.com/7z8yJFTpF8
“To be at the end of the season like this here, and for that to be is his fourteenth run of the season, or something like that, they have all faced up to him, and he has had to tackle them all over Ireland.
“Today he has had to battle hard against a very good horse of Pat Doyle’s [Magic Sadler], he just takes your breath away really.
“I’d imagine that will be it for the season, the way the ground is going and everything else, the main thing was to try and equal the record.
“I have huge respect for Still William and what he did, and Ms McDonagh, it’s just nice to be part of history in your own back yard.”
The victory, a tenth of the season for the 11-year-old, was recorded on his 46th start in the pointing fields, and just over seven years after he made his debut by finishing third in a four-year-old maiden at Dromahane when under the care of Donnchadh Doyle.
He ran five times for that Monbeg handler, winning consecutive races at Loughbrickland and Ballinaboola, before being purchased privately to join Christie’s Fermanagh stable and run in the colours of owners John Hegarty and Jennifer O’Kane.
Those 33 victories have seen him enjoy success at 17 different venue across Ireland
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Those 33 victories have seen him enjoy success at 17 different venue across Ireland
In addition to those 33 successes in the pointing fields, Winged Leader has also won four hunter chases, and was beaten by just a neck in the 2022 Foxhunters at the Cheltenham Festival.
