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With the weather continuing to play havoc with the point-to-point calendar, just one meeting took place this weekend – at Charing in Kent. Racing was competitive, and saw victories for the Chamings Family’s Protect The Future in the second division of the split Maiden, Chris Clarke’s Kansas Du Berlais in the Ladies Open, ending a run of seven consecutive placings (including one on the flat!) and Alan Hill’s The Dancing Tree - pictured below working at home - in the Restricte

Jo Priest, who trains a string of 11 pointers at the historic Caradoc Court stables in Herefordshire – where John Edwards enjoyed so much success under rules with the likes of Pearlyman and Yahoo – has long held a reputation as one of the shrewdest handlers in the business. Last season, she enjoyed a strike rate of over 25%, and eight of her ten horses won – four first time out. She enjoys a 100% record this season too, her Karaktere D’Enfer having taken a Young Horse Maiden

It was another fine weekend for participants from the South Midlands and Sandhurst Areas, with three winners at Horseheath on Saturday followed by a clean sweep at the first South Midlands meeting of the season, at Cocklebarrow on Sunday. The mare Ask Elli, homebred by Chub Castle, got off the mark for the season at Horseheath in the Restricted, while another to break their duck for this campaign was jockey Charlie Case, who took one of the Maidens at the Cambridgeshire track

James King was the main beneficiary of the weekend’s racing, a win at Revesby Park on Saturday and a Sunday Larkhill double taking him five clear at the top of the jockeys’ championship. His trip to the Lincolnshire venue was rewarded with a win in the Mixed Open on Linelee King – trained by Camilla Murphy, wife of rules handler Olly – while Chris Barber’s Grace A Vous Enki went nine from nine at the Wiltshire track with an emphatic performance in the Mixed Open. Barber himse

It was another successful Saturday for South Midlands and West Mercian participants, as they teamed up to take five of the six races at the East Anglian venue. While it was a quiet weekend on the West Mercian front, with just one area-qualified runner, four-time champion jockey James King rode a double on pointing debutant Jorah (Maiden) and I K Brunel (Mens Open) - both for Alan Hill - to go two clear in his quest for a fifth title. Hill has now had seven winners this season

Will and Annabel with Colibri Bleu (all photos Caroline Exelby unless stated) Based at Grendon, near Atherstone, Will Thirlby is one of an increasingly rare breed in the sport of point-to-pointing nowadays, a farmer-trainer-rider. After a promising start to his career as a jockey, with a high of 12 wins in 2018/2019, Will went to study at the Royal Agricultural College, before returning to help father Tim run the family farm – with 2,000 dairy goats to milk daily, it is the s

The second West Mercian Area fixture of the season was held at Chaddesley Corbett on Sunday, and plenty of participants from the local and South Midlands Areas were among the winners.   Heading the West Mercian roll of honour was Latitude, winner of the Mens Open for trainer Phil Rowley and owner Diana Williams, Vice Chair of the Harkaway Club fixture. Latitude wins the Mens Open Jo Priest, who trains at historic Caradoc Court in Herefordshire, has a splendid first time out r

In the final article about the Harkaway Club centenary at Chaddesley Corbett, we focus on the most recent decade, which saw two Cheltenham Foxhunters winners use the fixture as their stepping stone to Festival glory, as well as an epic battle between a past and future winner of the Hunter Chase Blue Riband.   The 2014/2015 meeting saw plenty of doubles. Trainer Phil Rowley and jockey Alex Edwards were on the mark with Temple Grandin in the Mens Open and Khyber Kim – a former

The ten-year period in question saw all meetings held, record numbers of runners and an end to Dick Baimbridge’s dominance of the Ladies Opens on the card.   The February meeting in 2005 was waterlogged off and eventually held on 11 th June – its latest ever date. The ground was firm, but agrivated, and field sizes were decent. An Intermediate race was run at the fixture for the first time. Rider, the late Lorna Brooke, and trainer Steve Isaac both had doubles – they combine

Two was the magic number at the weekend as several leading protagonists in the South Midlands and West Mercian Areas celebrated doubles.   Saturday saw racing at Alnwick and Charing and Gina Andrews took three horses on the 500-mile return journey from her Marton, Rugby base. She returned home with wins from pointing debutants Azlad and The Dog Thief, both of whom she rode herself. This took her to five for the season – as both trainer and jockey – and continued the splendid

The Harkaway Club fixture went back to its customary late March / early April date in 1995, which saw a six-race card – the fewest number of races for over 20 years. There were no equine superstars on display, with the exception of the useful former Tim Forster horse Major Match, who gave Candy Thomas a second consecutive win in the Ladies Open. The Mens Open went to Guildway and Mark Rimell. Major Match pictured winning at Andoversford (John Mullen) 1996 saw a fourth and fin

With the first West Mercian Area fixture taking place at Chaddesley Corbett on Sunday, it was no surprise that locally qualified, trained and ridden horses were out in force and among the winners.   Star of the show was the Tom Britten-trained Ocean Drifter, who put up a fine front-running performance under last season’s female novice champion Clara Brewitt to take the Mixed Open. A determined Clara Brewitt and Ocean Drifter take the Mixed Open Not far behind in terms of qual

At the age of just 24, Luca Morgan is already a high achiever, both in the saddle and as an up-and-coming trainer of point-to-pointers. Turning professional in 2019, after two seasons riding between the flags, Luca went to work for Ben Pauling and was crowned champion conditional jockey in April 2023 before his sudden retirement that November. Turning immediately to the training game – with his first runners in February 2024 – he has already proved himself a shrewd operator w

The years in question saw the emergence of the formidable Dick Baimbridge-Alison Dare trainer-rider partnership, with Russki being the star horse. The Harkaway Club was fortunate with the weather and all ten fixtures during this period took place.   1985 had a nine-race card, with a plethora of leading horses and jockeys among the winners. National champion Peter Greenall had a four-timer, two of which were dead-heats – on Naughty Niece in the Mens Open and Pride Of Tullow in

Trainers, jockeys and horses from the West Mercian and South Midlands Areas continued their splendid start to the season with involvement in two wins at Hexham and sharing victory in all five races at Larkhill.   Joe O’Shea made the long journey from his Cheshire base to Hexham on Saturday and was successful with Paul Marvel and St Cuthbert’s Cave in the Mixed and Ladies Opens, the latter following up his Lower Machen success on the first day of the season. Respective jockeys

By the mid-1970s, the Harkaway Club fixture was run in late March or early April. The first year for which the (then) Sale & Mackenzie Annual provides full results was 1974, when the Mens Open was won by Fortification – it was one of three wins for the horse that season, but his first for seven years. Vilacity – ridden by the one-eyed Pat Kerby – took the Ladies Open, the first of four consecutive wins in the same race.   The annual does not list results for 1975, but – in 19

South Midlands and West Mercian Area participants were again to the fore at Dunsmore and Garthorpe last weekend, taking the spoils (or at least a share of them) in eight of the twelve races that took place.   Chris Barber and Ed Doggrell had tasted success at the opening two meetings of the season and combined for a Dunsmore double with the impressive and progressive Jewel In The Park in the Intermediate and ex-rules Mount Sinai in the Mixed Open. The third West Mercian winne

The Harkaway Club was formed in 1902 to promote polo and show jumping, before being changed to a Point-to-Point Club, with the first meeting in 1905. The early races were held at Tuck Hill, Enville, before the fixture moved to Chaddesley Corbett in 1925.   It has been held at the same venue ever since, with the exception of three meetings at Wilbrighton in the 1950s. After a six-year interruption due to World War two, a second course was opened at Chaddesley Corbett, which wa

The second weekend of the 2025-2026 point-to-point season, which saw five races at Badbury Rings (the sixth was declared void due to regulatory issues), was groundhog day as far as two of the successful operations were concerned, with two of the participants reappearing in the winners enclosure a week after they did so at Lower Machen. Racing action at Badbury Rings (Tim Holt) Luca Morgan had taken the Young Horse Maiden with Baron Du Brizais at the season’s opening fixture a

The 2025-2026 point-to-point season kicked-off at Lower Machen in South Wales on Sunday 9 th November, and participants from the South Midlands and West Mercian Areas were to the fore, taking five of the six races between them.   Leading trainer Alan Hill and his daughter-in-law, former female champion jockey Izzie – seeking to regain her title this year – were in double form. They took the opening Restricted with the impressive Jongleur D’Ainay, returning from a near two-ye