RACING RETURNED to South West Wexford on January 29 with the Wexford Foxhounds point-to-point fixture at Moorfield, Ballinaboola.

This track, first used in November of last year, looks like an ideal location for the future, with a good stiff track for horse and jockey, excellent viewing for racegoers, good on track facilities, ample parking and plenty of manpower. What more could you want?

Hopefully the local hunt will be in a position to continue racing here into the future. The weather did try its very best to ruin it all as steady overnight rain which continued throughout the day made the underfoot conditions difficult for man and vehicles of every description.

Thankfully the race track more than held up to the deluge and the horses seemed to relish the heavy going, with a noticeable number of fine front-running performances delivered. With a really strong entry of 162, the declarations of 102 saw two races divided and an eight-race card decided. Some notable local success saw doubles recorded by Ashleigh Murphy in the training ranks and Barry O'neill and Gary Murphy in the jockeys brigade.

Ashleigh Murphy and her husband Micheál have a great background in a variety of equine disciplines and the benefit of this is seen with the performance of their horses from their base in South County Wexford. Murphy, who trains most of the horses for themselves, saddled her first winner for owner, John Dollard from Co. Meath. Racing in the second division of the Nitrofert six-year-old geldings' maiden, 'Popaflora', a grey son of 'Alflora', jumped from fence to fence in the hands of Gary Murphy to win.

Ashleigh Murphy commented: ' He stays and did it well. He just blew up here the last day in November'. Plans for the horse are fluid, with the owner looking at cashing in on this success and selling the horse. It was noticeable just how well Gary Murphy had the horse travelling and he seemed to have kept a bit in reserve when challenged by ' Glint Of Steel' after the third last, to go on and win well.

The Murphy team had to wait until the last contest, the second division of the seven-year-old and older maiden sponsored by Slaney Agricultural Supplies, to record their first double with 'Ballyadam Boy' striking the front four fences from home and winning well.

This seven-year-old son of 'Marignan' had been placed in three of his previous races and looked the form horse of the division and so it proved here. Indications are that a winners' race will be looked at for his next race, but I wouldn't be surprised if this horse found his way to race inside the rails some day.

Racing opened with the Tattersalls Ireland five-year-old maiden, and here Barry O'neill opened his account with a win on board the Colin Bowetrained 'Cottiers Den'. This son of 'Snurge' was always at the head of affairs but had to be rousted along by O'neill to get the better of 'Kellys Brow' after the last to record a halflength victory.

Bowe, who trains the horse for Deirdre Bowe, wife of Jay Bowe Jnr. from Kiltealy, stated afterwards: ' He has come on from his first run at Kilfeacle. He jumped slicker here, he could go to the sales at Cheltenham'.

This race very nearly ended in disaster for Pa King as he fell three fences from home off 'Doubledisdoubledat', but had his foot stuck in the irons and was dragged along by the horse for some distance until the saddle gave way. Thankfully King was okay afterwards but it looked horrendous and could have been really nasty.

O'neill recorded his double in the Paddy Power Bookmakers winners of three contest with the seven-year-old 'Presenting' gelding, 'Batiatus'. Trained in Davidstown by Paul Nolan, this horse owned by Barry Connell won at Monksgrange in April, 2011, and seemed likely to progress in the right direction.

In the interim, however, he has run three times without success in this sector, but he popped up here with a creditable performance. O'neill conjured up a strong run coming to the last and he took it up from 'Tuskar View' on the run-in to win. With Paul Nolan not present it was left to his brother, James, to comment: 'He is unusual. Barry Connell would move these on if they hadn't progressed. But this is a fun horse and he is being aimed at the banks races at Punchestown in the spring and we will see from then'.

Shay Slevin has a good yard in Kiltrea and the team there notched up another winner when 'Subtitle', a sixyear-old son of 'Witness Box', built on his promising debut at Dromahane on New Year's Eve to win here under J.J. Slevin, the 19-year-old son of the winning trainer.

Up with the pace most of the way, in the second division of the 'Nitrofert' six-year-old Geldings' Maiden, he took control three fences out and wouldn't give in to the final assault of the promising ' Santiago Sun'. Owned by Michelle Ryan, an Athlone, Co. Westmeath-based businesswoman, this horse according to Slevin 'jumps well, he loves good ground and will go for a winners of one'.

The smallest field of the day came in the Ballywalters Farm Open Lightweight, with only six horses from a possible 15 facing the starter. With such good horses as 'Vic Venturi' and 'Pennys Bill' in opposition, many other owners must have decided against taking on these two. Having battled out a tight finish at Kilfeacle on January 15, with only a length between these two, another tight finish was forecast.

In a muddling race at times, 'Pennys Bill' seemed to find traffic problems on a couple of occasions, extraordinary given the size of the field. But he did finally throw down a challenge under James Rath only to find 'Vic Venturi' two lengths too good for him on this occasion.

The winner, a 12-year-old son of 'Old Vic', was given a lead by 'Jack The Miller' in the first instance and then by 'Mighty John Mcgee', until Robbie Mcnamara got him to the front before the last and galloped on to hold all challengers. Owned by Seamus Dunne and trained by Dessie Hughes , the six-time track winner will try his hand in the Hunter Chase at Leopardstown, with a crack at the Foxhunters at Cheltenham and an entry for the Aintree Grand National on the cards.

The Nolan Transport five- and sixyear-old Mares' Maiden went to the Paul Barden-owned and bred 'Feisty Lass'. This six-year-old 'Flemensfirth' mare was well handled by Benny Walsh, who galvanised her after being headed three fences out to battle on and win on the line. This was Brian Jordan, the winning trainer's, first winner of the season and he was justifiably pleased.

The only other winner on the day was noteworthy in that it gave 41-yearold Co. Wicklow-based Derek Kelly his first winner as a jockey on his own horse, 'Illicit Encounter', a 'Pilsudski' seven-year-old gelding . Now that's a memorable name to have your first winner on!