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Having trained pointers since 2006 (after wife Lawney took out a professional licence) at his Woodway Farm base at Aston Rowant, between Oxford and High Wycombe, Alan Hill stands just one shy of a landmark 500th win between the flags and in Hunter Chases, putting him among the all-time elite of point-to-point trainers. And with two Aintree and one Cheltenham Foxhunters among nearly 150 winners, he was no slouch in the saddle either! Fortunes Calling strikes a pose (Caroline E

Pickings were thinner than last year for West Mercian participants at the opening meeting of the season, held at Lower Machen, near Newport in Wales, on Sunday 1st November, as the Welsh contestants dominated proceedings. Celebrations after St Cuthbert's Cave wins - Joe O'Shea is far right (Alun Sedgmore) However, Cheshire-based Joe O’Shea, who won the Mens Open at the corresponding fixture last season with St Cuthbert’s Cave, took the Ladies equivalent this time, with the sa

The Station Yard operation run by Francesca and Charlie Poste is one of the leading point-to-point stables in the country, consistently featuring in the top ten trainers table. They were among the early adopters of the model of producing young horses to sell on to the professional game, are equally adept with horses progressing through the grades, and have a well-deserved reputation for developing novice jockeys and supporting owner-riders. They are looking forward to the new

Leading point-to-point bookmaker Mark Hill has again issued prices for the champion male rider during the forthcoming season. James King – five-time champion Five-time winner James King is in his customary place as odds-on favourite, while second best in the market is Ed Doggrell, who had a breakthrough season last year with 36 successes. Ed Doggrell – broke through in 2025/2026 Josh Newman, runner-up to King in both the past two seasons, is also prominent in the betting, a

With 580 wins across all codes – 471 between the flags – Gina Andrews is by far the leading British female jump jockey of all time, despite remaining amateur throughout her career. She combines riding with training between 25 and 30 pointers at the yard at Marton, near Rugby in Warwickshire that she shares with her husband Tom Ellis, who holds a professional licence. Gina with the prolific Fumet D'Oudairies (Caroline Exelby) Fumet D’Oudairies A legend, who’s won 14 of his 1

Over the past dozen years since he moved to the South Midlands Area, James Henderson has regularly been among the leading owner-trainers in the region. In 2025/2026, for example, although he only ran two horses, he again scooped the area award for the leading trainer with five horses or fewer and son George was overall leading area male jockey – despite having just six rides (three wins and three placings) all season! James Henderson (second right) and son George celebrate a

By Russell Smith Plans are well in hand for another exciting season of point-to-point racing at Kingston Blount in 2027. The popular Oxfordshire course again has four fixtures starting with the Kimblewick Hunt meeting on Saturday, February 27. Alan Hill, who trains at nearby Aston Rowant, has been the driving force behind the course's rise in recent times to become one of England's premier point-to-point venues. Alan Hill (Lord's cap) celebrates yet another Kingston Blount su

Five meetings took place over the Spring Bank Holiday, at venues as geographically distant as Ffynnon Druidion, near Fishguard in West Wales, and the two Devon courses – Bratton Down and Upcott Cross. However, the travelling didn’t put off participants from the West Mercian and South Midlands Areas, as they got on the scoresheet at all five fixtures. Laura Richardson and Huw Edwards got the ball rolling at Ffynnon Druidion on Friday, winning with Peaches and Cream. On the M

West Mercian and South Midlands Area owners, trainers and jockeys travelled far and wide over the past week in search of success, which they enjoyed as venues as far afield as Hexham in Northumberland on Saturday and Bratton Down in North Devon on Sunday. Jockeys from the two areas are in demand nationally this season, with over half of the victories in the saddle being for trainers from other regions. Ed Doggrell got the ball rolling at Somerset track Cothelstone last Wedn

With just three fixtures this weekend, participants from the South Midlands and West Mercian Areas did not find the pickings as rich as is often the case, although the usual suspects continued to enjoy success. James King and Senior Citizen National-champions elect James King (overall) and Lucas Murphy (novice riders) had across the card doubles. King scored on Galudon at Holnicote in Somerset on Saturday and on Alan Hill’s Senior Citizen in the Area Conditions Race at Oxford

Another busy weekend saw participants from the West Mercian and South Midlands Areas on the scoresheet at five meetings, with the focus unsurprisingly being on the South Shropshire fixture (West Mercian) and the Warwickshire (South Midlands), both on the Bank Holiday Monday Chris Barber and Gina Andrews are in contention for the national trainers title, and both ended up with two weekend winners. Andrews had a double at Dingley in Northamptonshire on Sunday, with Main Stage

Action from racing at Mollington (Neale Blackburn) The next point-to-point in the South Midlands Area is the Warwickshire fixture (also known as Mollington Races) at Mollington on Monday 4th May, with the first of six races at 2.00pm. Clerk of the Course Fred Hutsby confirmed on Monday morning, in advance of entries closing, that the track is being watered in the mornings and evenings, and that the going remains Good to Firm but is starting to soften and is expected to be Goo

With two of the six weekend meetings being in the West Mercian Area – the Berkeley at Woodford in Gloucestershire on Saturday and the Cheshire Forest at Tabley on Sunday – area participants generally focused on those two fixtures and were involved in all twelve victories across the two cards. It was Ed Doggrell who took the riding honours on Saturday, notching up his first ever four-timer, three of which – Citizen Jane in the Members, Couer D’Alene in the second Conditions

With six more fixtures at the weekend, including Chaddesley Corbett in the West Mercian Area and Kingston Blount in the South Midlands, opportunities were again plentiful and participants took full advantage, with wins at all six meetings. It seems that James King is the headline story most weeks and he took the honours again this time with three wins on Saturday at Worcestershire course Chaddesley Corbett and another treble on Sunday at Kingston Blount in Oxfordshire. Two

Another busy weekend saw four point-to-points take place on Saturday and four more on Sunday, and West Mercian and South Midlands participants were on the scoresheet at seven of the eight fixtures. James King and Ed Doggrell currently sit first and third in the national jockeys standings, and both added three wins to their tally at the weekend. They each had a double at Chilfrome in Dorset on Saturday – King on Shareyourbiscuits and No Hard Feelings, and Doggrell on Duc De

The Easter Bank Holiday is the busiest weekend of the pointing calendar, with twelve meetings taking place across the country, from Cornwall to North Yorkshire. With four fixtures in the West Mercian Area, along with two in the South Midlands, opportunities abounded for participants from those two areas. James King continues his remorseless pursuit of a fifth jockeys title and his four winners over the past few days – Rhythm Of Life at Higham in Suffolk, The Dancing Tree for

The Old Berkshire point-to-point at Lockinge on Easter Monday (6 th April) is one of the best-known and most popular meetings of the season, attracting crowds of up to 10,000. Lockinge usually attracts a huge crowd (Carl Evans) Racegoers are known for turning up hours before the first race and walking the course, a dog on a lead in one hand and a drink in the other! The fixture is the only one in the country to have taken advantage of a new rule, introduced this season, wher

By Russell Smith Connections with the trophy after Lift Me Up won at Kimble in 2024 (Neale Blackburn) Lift Me Up and IK Brunel, winners at the Kimblewick Hunt meeting over the last two years, are set to do battle in front of a bumper crowd at Kimble on Easter Saturday (1.30pm). Trainer Maxine Filby sent out Lift Me Up from the Marston St Lawrence stables of former Spice Girl Geri Horner and her motor racing husband, Christian, to land a mixed open over 2m 4f on this card in 2

With seven meetings taking place across the country – including the latest West Mercian Area fixture of the season at Maisemore Park in Gloucestershire – opportunities again abounded for horses, trainers and jockeys from the South Midlands and West Mercia. Chris Barber has his string in fine fettle and took his seasonal tally to 24 with four winners at three meetings. On Saturday, Mount Sinai won at Howick in Wales for Clara Brewitt while Skeeter Rock scored at Larkhill with

A – to date – season-high eight meetings took place last weekend, and South Midlands and West Mercian participants took full advantage, getting on the scoresheet at least once at all the fixtures, from Overton in Lanarkshire to Kilworthy, on the edge of Dartmoor in Devon. Henry Crow, no doubt still buzzing after his Cheltenham Foxhunters triumph, made the long journey to Overton from his Shropshire base and came back with a double thanks to Phantoms Cave and Eagles Rock, two