Limerick point to point marks 90th anniversary with guaranteed chance to win!

IT ISN’T too often a 90 to 1 shot comes in but it will at the Bruff Point to Point this  Sunday.

The hard-working committee will celebrate their 90th anniversary at Rathcannon in Athlacca. The first race is off at noon and attendees could back losers all day and still come home with cash on the hip.

Joe O’Donoghue, chairman of Bruff Point to Point, said they are having a draw on the admission ticket after every race for €90 to celebrate the 90th anniversary. 

“Everybody who buys an admission ticket can put their name and phone number and put it in a drum which will be located beside where the race cards are for sale. They will be entered into six draws for €90 which will take place after each race to celebrate,” said Joe, who adds that you don’t have to back a winner on the day to be up. 

“Bookmakers will only give you each way but we’re giving you six places and six chances to win!” smiled Joe.

He says he is a veritable “blow-in” after moving to Bruff 40 years ago compared to some of the committee whose ancestors were founding members of the point to point and instrumental in its continued success.

The names Donworth, Dooley, Sheahan, O’Shea and Ryan are woven into the fabric of Bruff Point to Point like a horse’s hooves on the track. Long-serving former treasurer Maurice Donworth (pictured below), aged in his 90s, has been to nearly every meet.

“The majority of point to points are run by hunts but the Bruff one is a community run one. You have an awful lot of people in Bruff who are passionate about point to point racing and running a point to point - that’s where I think the success of Bruff point to point comes from,” said Joe.

There is a good mix of people on the committee who have no direct involvement with horse racing, as well as experts like former jockey Jerry O’Neill and trainer Pat O’Donnell, who trains top class horse Extensio and made headlines with his excellent interviews after a big win in York in August.

When Joe first came to Bruff it was held in Collinstown, Bruff, just across from where the Top shop is now.

“So it was literally in the town. That time point to point racing used be mid-week. The first race used to be 2pm on a Wednesday and you’d go down the town at 2am the following morning and there would still be a huge crowd! It was like a national holiday around Bruff,” said Joe, who encourages people who are new to Bruff or have never gone to a race meeting to come along to Rathcannon this Sunday, November 3.

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“It is a social occasion and we are trying to make it a celebration.

"I know it’s not the 100 years but 90 years is still a fair achievement,” said Joe, who thanked the 50 volunteers it takes to run a point to point, local businesses in Bruff as without their support there wouldn't be a point to point, land owner Michael O’Regan and Brian McMahon for the use of his yard for parking.

The committee are just hoping the odds of it staying dry aren’t 90/1!