Winged Leader secures historic 34th win at Portrush

Image © Healy Racing

Winged Leader ran his way into the history books at Portrush on Saturday afternoon, as he recorded his 34th victory between the flags.

Re-appearing for the first time since equalling the 59-year record of Still William’s 33 wins, the long-standing record for the modern era of Irish point-to-pointing, the 11-year-old was a warm favourite to create history in the Porter & Co Open.

With his regular rider, Barry O’Neill, in the saddle, the son of Winged Love led the field out on their final circuit with his six rivals in pursuit.

As the race began to develop, it was Kings Jet, a Down Royal Hunter Chase in the spring who thrown to a challenge on the outside of the favourite turning into the home straight, and Winged Leader had to be shaken up approaching the penultimate fence.

However, the reigning champion point-to-pointer soon had the measure of Tommy Halford’s mount, and he just had to be kept up to his work to record a six-and-a-half-length victory, which fittingly sealed a historic victory at the home course of his owners Jennifer O’Kane and John Hegarty.

“He’s amazing, that’s all you can say.” Christie said. 

“He is not getting any younger, and they have tried all the different things to get him beaten, but he is just a tough, tough horse. 

“It is great to be here for a moment of history in point-to-points, and this is a true moment of history. 

“He will stick to open’s but we will see how we are getting on all the time.”

The momentous victory was recorded on his 47th start in the pointing fields, and 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 34 victories have seen him enjoy success at 17 different venues 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.