'I owe them so much and for everyone it really will mark the end of an era'

On the track, it was John Kiely. In the point-to-point field, it was Robert Tyner, who last week announced he is intending to retire from the sport.

I've ridden almost 200 winners for Robert since those early days. Robert and Mary and the whole family have contributed so much to the sport and to the industry as a whole, brilliant with their horses, hard-working and unbelievably dedicated in keeping things going through good times and bad.

Robert tended to use more traditional methods than many of the younger generation of handlers who have made a specialty of having young horses ready for a maiden success at four and a quick trip to the sales.

He could do that too, of course, but if he reckoned a horse needed a bit more time to mature and develop he would always be prepared to be patient.

We had some great days in point-to-points and shared a highlight on the track when Vision Des Flos won the Goffs Land Rover Bumper at Punchestown in 2017.

Among the professionals, Philip Enright has had a long and successful time with the stable. One of his first big wins was on Spring The Que in the Pierse Hurdle at Leopardstown in 2007, when he had ridden only a handful of winners.

The pair are still together. They had a winner on last week's Tipperary card with the nine-year-old mare Direct Image. I rode her to the second of her two point-to-point wins a few seasons ago but she struggled at first when she went over hurdles and didn't immediately take to chasing either.

But Robert was prepared to give her time, and look what has happened. She won a handicap hurdle at Navan last September, then he sent her back over fences and she won successive handicap chases at Punchestown and Fairyhouse before being put away for the winter.

Last Thursday, it was back over hurdles and she won again. Four in a row. Just one little example of what a good trainer he is.

All I can say is that Robert, Mary, and the family will be hugely missed from the point-to-point scene. On a personal level, I owe them so much and for everyone involved it really will mark the end of an era.

High hopes for Its On The Line and Motherway gets off the mark at Tipperary

As well as the Tyner winner, there was plenty of point-to-point interest on a Tipperary card that included a hunter chase and two bumpers.

The novice hunter chase was won by Its On The Line, produced exactly at the right time by Charlie Mullins riding for his cousin Emmet, to beat the Mikey O'Connor-trained-and-ridden Nice To Meet.

Emmet Mullins: has long-term Cheltenham plans for Its On The LineCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

A five-year-old son of Presenting, Its On The Line has made good progress since contesting two maiden points in February. This win backed up a maiden hunter chase success at Cork.

Bearing in mind what Emmet has done with the seven-year-old Noble Yeats, it was interesting to hear the long-term plan he has for Its On The Line as a possible Cheltenham hunter chase contender for next year.

Stamina should not be a problem as he's a half-brother to the Welsh National winner and Grand National third Monbeg Dude.

The geldings' bumper was won by outsider Bushmans Pass. Johnny Barry's mount improved on his point-to-point form to give a welcome success to Michael Flannery, who keeps a small string as well as playing a part in the running of Ballinrobe racecourse.

The success of Time To Rocco in the mares' bumper was a big moment for Colin Motherway, his first winner on the track as a trainer, with his first runner since he took out a restricted licence.

The five-year-old Shirocco mare won a maiden at Tinahely a few months back and has a good staying pedigree. Her unraced dam is a close relation to Oscar Time, who was second and fourth in the Grand National for Martin Lynch and Sam Waley-Cohen.

Colin kept up the good work at Bartlemy on Sunday when Pour Les Filles became his third winner of the season in the four-year-old division.

It's been a good season for the rider of Pour Les Filles, Brian Lawless. This was his 21st winner of the campaign, a career-best total that puts him in fifth place on the overall riders' table.

The other four-year-old winners at the weekend were saddled by Stuart Crawford, who took Saturday's Broughshane race with Mahler gelding Kinbara, and Shark Hanlon, whose Westerner filly Ooh Betty won the opening race at Bartlemy, one of three weekend winners for Rob James, who had a double at Broughshane.

Rob James: had three winners at the weekendCredit: Ian MacNicol

With the usual two-day Necarne fixture not taking place this year, that's the end of the season in the northern region, with Barry O'Neill crowned leading rider with 17 wins to 12 for Rob James.

Down south the title race is still in the balance. James Hannon rode his 16th southern winner of the season on Just Hannah in a division of a mares' maiden at Bartlemy, leaving him only one behind Chris O'Donovan.

Chris is a former under 21-title winner but neither rider has won a senior title. It promises to be a hard-fought battle between the two of them right to the end.

We're into the closing weeks of the season now, and the hunt committees have been doing such a good job at providing safe ground at venues all around the country.

There's significant expense involved, and I know all the handlers and riders appreciate what's being done at a time when so many hunt committees are under financial pressure.

The Kildare Foxhounds report that the ground at Punchestown has been watered and spiked ahead of Saturday's meeting and it's the same story from Ballindenisk, where the United meeting takes place on Sunday.