All Posts

No local area meetings were among the four that took place nationally last weekend, but participants from the West Mercian and South Midlands areas still managed to get on the scoresheet at all of them, with involvement in every win on the card at Howick in Wales on Saturday. Top of the tree was Herefordshire-based trainer Chris Barber, an across the card double at Howick and Cothelstone in Somerset taking his score for the season to 19. Mount Sinai took the Open and Walkingt

On a weekend overshadowed by the tragic death of popular South Midlands jockey Sam Lee, there were a season-high six meetings – including two in the West Mercian Area – giving plenty of opportunities for South Midlands and West Mercian participants to get on the scoresheet, and they took full advantage, being involved in 21 victories at five fixtures, including a clean sweep at Bangor-on-Dee on Sunday. Star performer was again 11-time champion jockey Gina Andrews, who rode si

South Midlands and West Mercian participants again had a successful weekend, with involvement in 15 wins at the meetings at Kingston Blount on Saturday and Ampton and Larkhill on Sunday. Six of those victories were achieved by perennial female champion jockey Gina Andrews, who rode trebles at the Oxfordshire track on Saturday and in Suffolk the day after. She also trained all three Kingston Blount winners – Cheytac in the Conditions Race, Entity of Substanz in the 0-110 Serie

After no racing took place last weekend, Saturday and Sunday again proved successful for West Mercian and South Midlands horses, owners, trainers and riders, with involvement in no fewer than ten winners at three of the four meetings held nationwide. Jeremy Hill (centre) with James King and trainer's son Joe Hill (no relation) after Drayton Flyer's win Star of the show was West Mercian-based owner Jeremy Hill, looking for his first winner. He ran his entire string of three… a

Team Britten - (L-R) Fred, Tom C, Clara, Tom B (all photos Caroline Exelby unless stated) At the young age of 27 and with a string of just six, Tom Britten is already making a name for himself on the pointing scene, having taken big Hunter Chases at Cheltenham and Stratford, including the ‘Horse & Hound Cup’ at the latter venue, with What A Glance in 2024, and training the progressive Ocean Drifter to win four on the bounce in the past two campaigns, most recently scoring in

It was another successful weekend for the two Areas, with participants from West Mercia and the South Midlands involved in all six victories at Higham and seven of the nine successes at Larkhill (including a dead-heat!) To cap it off, Fred Timmis and Henry Bailey made the long journey to Friars Haugh and came back with a win at the Borders course courtesy of Sharing Is Caring in the Restricted. Connections celebrate after Sharing Is Caring's Restricted win (Sean Tasker-Brown)

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