Downpatrick Sun, 30th Mar, 2025  Lilian Bland Some trek! It took us five hours. Richard Pugh said we left first and then we declared her!. I said knowing my luck, this will be the track she will like and I'll be up and down for the summer!. She is holding her form brilliantly through the year on heavy ground and quick ground. Richie gets on brilliantly with her. She is tough, tough, tough. At home she is the same way, you couldn't give her enough work. She would be out in the field kicking and bucking away to go again. It is a small operation. Normally what we do is buy two foals every year and bring them through. If we don't sell them as three-year-olds, we try and point-to-point them and sell them. I work full-time as an electrician and I farm as well at home. Come home from work then do the horses and then go farming.

Navan Sat, 1st Mar, 2025  Lilian Bland she's not winning out of turn and has been to every rodeo this year. Over hurdles, she always seems to bump into a wicked well-handicapped one. We saw this race coming up a few months ago and when the handicapper dropped her 1lb, she was in on rock-bottom and I said 'lovely’!. She is not the easiest to ride and can be wicked keen but he (Deegan) is the most underrated rider in the country. She is fierce well-bred, is a half-sister to an American Grand National winner (Noah And The Ark) and a sister bred Tripoli Flyer who won a Grade 2 the other day. there's a handicap chase in Thurles that she won last year in two weeks time and I would imagine that is where we will go. I'd only have two in, one for the track and one for point-to-pointing.

Limerick Tue, 19th Nov, 2024  Dancing After Dark That is unbelievable as I never thought I'd experience it,. I have the license a long time and have had a few placed horses down through the years but breaking and pre-training is our main gig. . We have a handful of point-to-pointers, she is the only horse we have for the track and I bred her myself. The Costellos, who have Lough Bar in Limerick city, bought her from me before she won her maiden point to point and were very good to leave her with me. They have been very good and very patient and I'm glad to repay them with a winner. She won two point to points well but for whatever reason, we couldn't get it together on the track. We have now though and this is local to us and to the owners so is great. She was up distance and down in grade today and probably handled the ground better than others. She is a strong mare and is very versatile with ground and trip. She might come back here during Christmas.