Codd's busy spell paying off

Jamie Codd's 'criss-crossing' of the Irish Sea from Aintree paid dividends when he landed the concluding Irish Stallion Farms European Breeders Fund Mares INH Flat Race at Wexford on Jonathan Sweeney's Minutestomidnight (8/1).

Codd rides Cause Of Causes in the big one at Liverpool tomorrow and with this success he moved back to within one of Patrick Mullins in the race to be champion amateur rider. Wings Like Arion was just headed when stumbling and unseating Kate Harrington into the straight (both seemed okay afterwards).

A point-to-point winner on her only previous outing in public 390 days back, Minutestomidnight was soon looking like a winner and she went on to oblige by twelve lengths from Half The Odds

"She is a lovely mare. Jamie won a point-to-point in Lingstown on her, that's over a year ago now. She was ready to run earlier but she got a small cut and that just set her back," commented Sweeney.

"Fair play to her owner Larry he knows the horse well and he never put me under pressure. I suppose I was under a bit of pressure this evening with Jamie flying home and flying back tomorrow, but thanks be to God it worked out.

"We are delighted, the plan was today and we will see where we go from here. She won her point-to-point by half a length, but she was careful jumping and Jamie said that day if she had jumped the last she would have won by eleven lengths, and that if she had jumped all of them she would have won by a football pitch!

"Larry (Murphy, the owner) is from Castlelyons and he used to ride himself. We had great success together, he rode in four point-to-points for me and won the four of them. He doesn't ride anymore, he broke his leg and had trouble with his weight."

Miss K. Harrington, rider of Wings Like Arion, trained by Mrs John Harrington, reported to the Stewards' Secretaries that her mount stumbled and fell independently.

(DM & EM)