THE ISLAND Hunt staged their Spring-time point-to-point at Ballydarragh, Gorey, recently. With a bumper weekend on the national scale, five point-to-point meetings were down for decision, with racing in the north, south, east and west of the country giving everyone ample opportunity to race.

The local organisers must have been particularly gratified to see their entry levels of 139 stand this test, with 118 horses declared, giving us two divides and an eight-race card. With large, competitive fields, the good ground on offer lent itself to tight finishes and exciting racing in front of a fair-sized crowd.

On the track, Jamie Codd yet again was the headliner, with a double recorded at the meeting before hitching a lift to Leopardstown later in the day to compete in the Memorial Hunters Chase on the subsequently third-placed 'Agus A Vic'.

Codd's first winner came in the five-year-old geldings maiden on the Trevor Horgan-trained 'Minella Stars'. Codd got the Co. Tipperaryowned horse home in a close finish from the locally-owned and trained 'Cynery' to win by two lengths in this 14-runner contest.

Placed second on his debut, he seemed to relish the quicker ground and could see the inside of the rails before long. Horgan is a regular supporter of the point-to-point scene here in Wexford and has a good strike from his base in Co. Kilkenny.

Codd, the Mayglass-based qualified jockey, teamed up with another Co. Kilkenny-based trainer in the shape of David O'Brien to take the twelve-runner, six-year-old geldings maiden on board 'Havens Castle' in the trainer's own colours.

This horse was four lengths clear of the dead heating pair of 'Lexington Avenue' and 'Parkmore Ranger', with both of them looking like certain future winners for their respective trainers, John Berry and J.P. Walsh.

Racing opened with another winner for the Blackwater yard of Denis Murphy with the experienced 'Theroadtocroker' under stable jockey, Shane Byrne. This horse, owned by Messrs. Donohoe, Kelly and O'Leary, was not winning out of turn to take this confined maiden, with another run between the flags on the cards if not sold.

Byrne and Murphy went on later in the day to secure second place with the twelve-year-old 'Dusty Doolan' in the big Hunters Chase at the Hennessy meeting at 25/1, to justify a trip to Cheltenham or Aintree if they are so inclined.

The five-and six-year-old mares race was divided, with 15 runners facing the starter in both contests. The first divide fell to the Rathurtin, Clonroche-based yard of Larry Byrne who gave the leg up to Andrew Doyle to win on 'Sarahsue'.

This was the finish of the afternoon, with only a pair of heads separating the first three home. Owned by Adamstown man, Donal O'Gorman, this mare stepped up from her first effort to shade the Colm Murphy-trained 'Glencree Rose'. The winning mare will be seen next in a winners' contest according to connections.

The second division of this mares maiden saw Jonathon Dempsey team up with the Co. Wicklowtrained 'Coolharbour Breeze' by two lengths. Oulart-based Dempsey, did well to get this mare home in front of the John Walsh-trained 'Garryvarren' and Shay Slevin's 'Slaney Conflict'.

Slevin rarely leaves this track without a winner, and so it was again as the father and son pair of Shay and Mark won the Open Lightweight with the Ron Shaw-owned ' Bolachoir'. This was the Kiltrea man's second time to saddle this horse to win at the track, and they will try for a second double in the next few weeks when the son of 'Hubbly Bubbly' will try to win the Grand Military Chase for a second time at Sandown Park in Britain.

The older geldings saw 35 of the original entry of 36 declared, giving us a divide in the last race for sevenyear-olds and older. Elizabeth Doyle seems to have all the patience in the world, and she proved it here when saddling 'Mr Sam' to win the first division of this race under James Rath.

This horse had only three previous runs and, according to Doyle, had taken a whole year to get ready for this but, as they say, patience is a virtue, and Doyle proved it here for the Co. Cork-based owner/breeder, Marcella O'Gorman.

It's rare enough these days for Colin Bowe to draw a blank in this sphere, but he had to wait until the eighth and final contest to get his name on the scoreboard here when winning with 'Danjoeann'. This horse, owned by Dan Doyle, had three good placed efforts to his credit in the past and here he finally got his head in front under Barry O'Neill to shade 'Father Murty' under Benny Walsh.

Racing concluded at this stage on a cold but dry day,with many people pencilling in the next meeting in the south-east at Bennettsbridge, Co. Kilkenny, on Sunday next, or the Bray Harriers meeting at Fairwood Park, Tinahely, on the following Sunday, February 28.

Within Co. Wexford, point-to-point action returns at Lingstown on March 11 and then travels on to Monksgrange on the 28th, so don't despair, just go there!