A fantastic GAIN Mares Series culminates on Sunday, March 26th with the eagerly awaited GAIN Mares Series final at Ballynoe Point to Point in Co Cork.
The series is now one of the highlights of the point-to-point season and runs from November through to March. It supports over 20 locally run point-to-points in seven different counties across Ireland and has seen a fantastic following throughout the qualifiers.
This year’s renewal will be as competitive an affair as ever given the quality of mares that have run in the qualifying legs.
GAIN Equine Nutrition and the Ballynoe Point-to-Point committee will present a bonus of €3,000 to the owner of the winning mare at the final.
Last year’s final was an exciting renewal with Mikey O’Connor and eight year old mare, ‘Koyote’ claiming victory on the day for trainer, Terence Leonard, and owner, Deirdre Connolly.
Four-time winning jockey of the GAIN Mares Series final, Mikey O’Connor said: “I always aim at the start of the year to try and find a mare that might be capable of winning the final. Koyote was tough, consistent and very honest. The GAIN race is always a dream to win when I was younger and it does a lot for the point-to-points. It’s very big to the small person and the GAIN race supports every small person that has a mare.”
Philip Gilligan, Irish Equine Country Manager for GAIN Equine Nutrition said:“We are proud of our longstanding association with the GAIN Mares Series that culminates with the final at Ballynoe, which is one of the most prestigious events in the Point-to-Point season. The aim of this series is to give the owners of mares a boost and encourage handlers to buy and race mares each season.
“This partnership demonstrates our commitment and support to the grassroots sector of the industry. On behalf of the GAIN Equine Nutrition team, I would like to wish all connections the best of luck in the final and thank those who have supported the Series to date.”
