KINGSTON BLOUNT LOOKING AHEAD TO AN EXCITING 2027
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.
And to recognise the work of the course's many helpers, Hill and his wife, Lawney, hosted a Drinks Party on behalf of the Kingston Blount Committee at their Woodway Farm.
Speaking on the occasion of his 67th birthday, Hill recalled the history of the racecourse and how it has developed into the track it is today.
He said: "I am very proud of Kingston Blount Point-to-Point Racecourse and what we have achieved.
"The main thing I would like to say is thank you for the help and support, and most importantly the fun we have out of it. If it was not for you we wouldn't have that racecourse."
Relating how Kingston Blount's first meeting took place in May 1971 on a Wednesday evening, Hill added: "There have been slight modifications to the course and in the early 2000s two-and-a-half mile and four-mile starts were introduced.
"The late Colonel Clerke Brown started watering which helped Kingston Blount go forward."
He also picked out some of the highs and lows the course has witnessed,.
"The Hill family have all had winners there," he said. "Gaby (daughter), son Joe, Izzie (daughter-in-law), Lawney and I. We have all had a lot of fun there.
"We had the Anglo-Irish Challenge there, which I felt was a great day's racing with Jamie Codd and Derek O'Connor riding winners."
The Covid pandemic in 2020, though, took Kingston Blount to the other extreme.
"The course was all set up and we had to take it back down with no racing having taken place," Hill remembered sadly.
He name-checked numerous notable figures who had ridden at Kingston Blount during its 55-year history, including the Balding family, Jim Crowley and Olympic cycling gold medallist Victoria Pendleton, while legendary commentator Sir Peter O’Sullevan is among those to have called the races at the track.
Looking ahead to 2027, the Sandhurst Area's feature race takes centre stage at the February meeting with the Philip Scouller Memorial Home Counties Grand National Mixed Open run over four miles.
Master Templar was a gallant winner this year for trainer-rider Gina Andrews after fracturing two vertebrae in his neck following a crashing fall at Becher's in the Randox Foxhunters' Chase at Aintree the previous April.
Next up is the Vine And Craven Hunt meeting on Sunday, April 18, which last season saw James King reach a notable landmark by riding his 400th career winner aboard the Hill-trained The Dancing Tree.
The Kimblewick (May) fixture takes place on Sunday, May 9.
Empire De Maulde, trained by Robert Varnham and ridden by Katie Featherstone, was another to shine on the comeback trail in 2026 following a serious injury by scoring at the fixture for the second successive year.
Rounding off the season is the Berks And Bucks Draghounds meeting on Bank Holiday Sunday, May 30.
King stole the show last season by sealing a fifth men's riders' championship with a fabulous four-timer courtesy of Hill's trio Normofthenorth, IK Brunel and Gorvitho plus Evie Toozer's No Hard Feelings.
With headline makers such as those, Kingston Blount looks sure to rank high on the point-to-point circuit again next year.
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