Nenagh Point to Point given added prestige

 

It's that time of year again when all lovers of horse racing in come together for the running of the North Tipperary Foxhounds Point-to-Point meeting in Lisboney, Nenagh next Sunday.

Traditionally stages in January, this is the second year in a row that this meeting takes place in mid February so that the hunt can include a race for four-year-olds who aren't allowed race until after February 1st.

Sponsored by Tattersalls Ireland, this race will open the meeting on Sunday at 1.00pm, and it will be an auction race, the first of six such races this spring confined to horses sold as stores in 2019 for €25,000 or less.

The card also features the next leg of the Irish Thoroughbred Marketing Series for lady riders, and the closing maiden for six-year-olds and upwards, carries a €1,000 bonus for the winning connections, courtesy of the INHSC.

There will also be a special horse race and pony race for children in aid of a great cause, the Brianna Lynch Memorial Cup is named after a young hunt member who passed away in November from a condition associated with epilepsy.

The race is for children and there will be sections for horses and ponies. There is no set entry fee, but children are asked to secure sponsorship for this worthy cause.

With the cold and wet spell coming this week, the course is expected to be on the soft side.

A point to point is a form of horse-racing over fences for hunting horses and amateur riders and this form of racing has a great tradition in this area, one of just two point to point meetings held in North Tipperary each year with the Ormond Hunt hosting their annual two-day meeting on the May Bank Holiday weekend.

The Nenagh point-to-point has always had a good base support with racing set to get underway at 1.00pm on Sunday in Lisboney, just across from the graveyard. Parking will be free to all spectators. Entry is €10 for adults with free entry for children.