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This year, The Harkaway Club celebrates 100 years at Chaddesley Corbett. Sunday 28 th December marks the centenary and, to recognise this milestone, the Harkaway Club is giving you the chance to win a pair of tickets to the Cheltenham Festival on Wednesday 11 th March 2026, Ladies Day.   To enter, visit pointingwm.co.uk and complete the form with the answer to the question below and your full name and email address.   WHICH 2021 CHELTENHAM FOXHUNTER WINNER WAS BEATEN INTO SECOND AT THE HARKAWAY CLUB MEETING IN DECEMBER 2021, BY THE 2023 CHELTENHAM FOXHUNTER WINNER?   For details of the West Mercian Area Season Ticket, visit pointingwm.co.uk Action from the Harkaway Club fixture (Graham Fisher) Offer closes midnight 28/11/25. Winner drawn at random and notified w/c 01/12/25. 18yo+, one per household.

Call Me Early   Had a productive first season with us (winning three of his four point-to-points) and is a classy type of horse with a good turn of foot. We ran him in the Aintree bumper but that didn't work out but he’s still eligible for Restricteds with a penalty, and a Hunter Chase towards the end of the season should Hopefully be on his radar. We’re aiming for the first Horseheath meeting. Call Me Early solos to victory at High Easter   Cheytac   Finished the season much better than he started it. He was very sick after travelling over from Ireland, and consequently bled badly first time out at Horseheath. It took him a while to get over that and he really lost his confidence but was then second to (prolific winner) El Capitaine before winning his next two. Needs to brush up his jumping but he's a big scopey horse who can only improve with time.  Cheytac (right) wins at Fakenham   Entity Of Substanz   Bought privately out of Dan Skelton's during the summer. He has some decent form under rules without winning, so he's still eligible for Maidens and is hopefully a horse who can progress through the grades. From the same family as Eva's Oscar and Solomon Grey – his relations have tended to improve for fences and he's not jumped any yet. Another targeting the first Horseheath meeting.    Fumet D'Oudairies   Back from injury. He needs no introduction, having been a phenomenal little horse for us (11 wins from 14 starts in points and Hunter Chases) and, if he never wins another race it won't matter, but the form he's in suggests he still retains all his enthusiasm and hopefully plenty of ability. He will be ready to run around Christmas. Fumet D'Oudairies has won five times at Horseheath The Den Master   A 4yo we thought a hell of a lot of last season. He was big, raw and weak still and – in retrospect – we shouldn’t have run him, but we did, and he was fourth at Buckfastleigh. We still think he has huge potential and the plan is to go to the early Garthorpe meeting. All photography c. Graham Bishop

The Station Yard operation run by Francesca and Charlie Poste is one of the leading point-to-point stables in the country with nearly 100 winners in the last five seasons – and has long struck a successful balance between producing young horses to sell on to the professional game, progressing through the grades with ex-rules maidens and winning with more mature types. With Francesca currently occupied with their newborn, Isaac, Charlie talked through five to watch in the early part of the 2025/2026 campaign. Guseakie   A horse we recruited from Irish points. He’s had four starts and, while the form doesn’t amount to much on the face of it, he was fourth on his third run, getting a rating of 73. He was favourite when disappointing last time, but had four quick runs, having not started until April. We like to buy Irish pointers early and give them a good break and, with Leading Light as his sire, he moves well and has size and scope. We’re looking forward to getting started with him and he’s for sale to stay in the yard (contact Charlie on 07879 452690).   Jasmin Des Blins   Another ex-Irish pointer we picked up in the summer with the help of David Phelan. Had eight starts in points, was unlucky not to win one, and his latest run was third in a Maiden Hurdle – the winner has been second in a listed race since, so the form looks good. He’s a big scopey horse who moves well and has benefitted from a break and we’d like to think a Maiden should be a formality. The plan is to start before Christmas and hopefully progress through the grades to Novice Hunter Chases. He’s been bought for the same owners as Kilfilum Woods, plus Liz Inman, and we hope he’ll give them as much fun as ‘Woody’.   Kilfilum Woods   Had a great first season for us, having been bought out of Paul Webber’s yard. He won five, but also had a couple of bumps in the road and was probably unfortunate not to win more. He did a tremendous job, progressing from a Maiden on the first day of the season to winning a Huntingdon Hunter Chase, before unseating at the first in the John Corbet. He’s come back in good form and we may look at a race in the new 0-110 ratings series before Opens then Hunter Chasing in the spring. I don’t think he’s reached his ceiling yet and, fingers crossed, he can be a flagship horse for us. Kilfilum Woods en route to Restricted success at Larkhill (Tim Holt)   Kneel Diamond   Only six, and had a frustrating start. We bought him as a sales horse and he ran well first time out as a four-year-old, but picked up an injury and had to have a year off. We put him in the Picnic Partnership, nursed him back to full fitness and weren’t sure whether to run him when it was dry last season, but decided to take him to Edgcote, who do a great job watering, in May, where he showed a good attitude and some quality to get up after the last. From what we see at home, he’s capable of going well beyond that, and he’ll start in a Restricted before Christmas – we hope he can progress to Hunter Chases by next spring. He’ll again run for the Picnic Partnership, and we always welcome new members (contact Charlie as above). Kneel Diamond wins at Edgcote (Neale Blackburn)   Major Dundee   A lovely horse to have in the yard. A former Midlands National winner rated 137 at his peak, also placed in the Scottish National and last ran in the Eider Chase. Hemmings Racing manager Michael Meagher suggested to his owners that a spell pointing and Hunter Chasing may rejuvenate him and we’re grateful for their support, having had some luck for them in recent seasons – it’s great to have winners in these famous colours and hopefully this horse can carry on that trend. He’s cantering and would want cut in the ground, but nothing too soft. He’ll start in an Open before Christmas, then maybe the Walrus Hunter Chase at Haydock Park could be a target if he’s back on track.

Leading point-to-point bookmaker Mark Hill has issued the following prices for the forthcoming season:   Champion Male Rider 4/5       James King 2/1       Will Biddick 4/1       Josh Newman 25/1     Bar James King, bidding to retain his title (Carl Evans) Champion Female Rider 2/5       Gina Andrews 2/1       Izzie Hill 25/1     Bar   Gina Andrews, odds-on for a 12th championship (Carl Evans) Mark can be contacted on 07831 293363.

In the first of a mini-series featuring South Midlands trainers, Alan Hill - who leads the way among current keepers nationwide (441 winners and counting) - gives the lowdown on five of his prospects for the coming season. Jongleur D’Ainay   Co-owned by me and your correspondent. We were full of excitement going into last season after his Wadebridge win in 2023/2024 and we got him to the races at Chipley Park, but the meeting was called off with him standing in the lorry park. He then suffered a problem that curtailed his season but he’s been back in training for a while and will be out early, somewhere with cut in the ground. We worked him this morning and he cantered well and is in good order. If we’ve got the horse we had two years ago and are being greedy, we may aim for the Cheltenham Intermediate or Stratford Restricted Final. Learntalot   The pin-up boy of the yard at the moment. Three out of his four runs last year were very good – he’s no good in a match (!) – and we’re over the moon with him. He’ll probably start off at Friars Haugh again, as he’ll be ready by then, before going Hunter Chasing. I’ve been told by co-owner Rodney Mann that we won’t be going for either Foxhunters and that the big aim is Stratford again. He won the Restricted Final there in 2024 and was second in the Horse & Hound last season. Reel Much Fun   A maiden who we’ve bought for the Cranfield family. We got him from Doncaster in July and he’s had two runs in Irish points, finishing fourth and seventh – the second run came too quickly. He’s a nice type of horse, who may run over Christmas or early in the New Year, possibly in East Anglia, if things keep going well with him. Soldier Unknown   We were really excited about him after his form in 2023/2024, and pleased after his win first time out at Wadebridge, where he had Jet Smart in third. However, he had wind issues after that. An operation helped him win at Kimble, but the problems recurred at Edgcote, so he’s had a second operation over the summer. I hope we’ll see the potential we thought he had after his first season with us and he’ll run over Christmas. We’ll be looking for soft ground. Also co-owned by Rodney Mann. The Dancing Tree   Won a bumper and placed over hurdles for Gavin Cromwell, but his form tailed off and (son) Joe bought him at Doncaster in May for the Woodway partnership. He’s another who’s well forward and will start early and may go for the Restricted at Lower Machen on the first day of the season. He should appreciate good ground, which will suit his speed.

WRITTEN BY: JAKE EXELBY Since his move to Buscot, near Faringdon, James Henderson has consistently been one of the leading owner-trainers in the South Midlands Area. Last season, despite running just 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 – a remarkable feat as he only had six rides (three wins and three placings) all season! Pax   With Bloodstone retired, we only have Pax (who won twice and was second twice from his four starts) to run at the moment. However, George and I are fired up and going to the sales to get another! Pax was a lucky winner of a Maiden (at Siddington) but hopefully he will be a stronger horse this season after his summer break as – last year – he had been on the go for a while in Ireland before coming over. James (second right) and George celebrate after Pax takes his Maiden (Alun Sedgmore)

Watch this space, we have a blog coming very soon! Look at this AI image - who's going to tell the computers we don't race on fibresand at Dingley