With excellent entries, the promise of favourable ground and a raft of championship showdowns, this Bank Holiday weekend promises to be a cracker for point-to-point racegoers.
Weather forecasts predict plenty of sunshine, too, albeit mixed with some showers, and with five race meetings taking place in Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire, Worcestershire and Devon there are plenty of opportunities to pack a picnic and head to the races. Dogs on leads are welcome, children aged 16 and under are given free admission.
The women’s title-race is far from over with Izzie Marshall (above) defending a lead of three over ten-time champion Gina Andrews. The pair are set to square up at Dingley, Kingston Blount and Chaddesley Corbett in the best finish to a women’s championship for many a year. Witnessing their encounters will be worth the admission fee alone.
Gina Andrews, the sport's most successful woman rider chasing an 11th championship
James King is certain to win the men’s championship, although a couple more winners to take him to 50 for the season would no doubt be welcome, while Ed Vaughan, 16, has the Highflyer Bloodstock novice men’s title pocketed, although if he could pull together another five winners – he rode three at Cherrybrook in midweek – he would take his score to 30, a record-equalling total by a novice set by James Bowen seven years ago.
The same sponsor’s novice women’s award is much tighter – Natasha Cookson and Anna Johnston have each ridden four winners, but Cookson has no booked rides, while Johnston could be in action at Bratton Down and Upcott Cross, and she has nine placings to Cookson’s eight. Four other women – Amy Coltherd, Aimee Jones, Katie Featherstone and Charlottle Summersby – are on three winners. Summersby could be the busiest this weekend for she has a number of options at Upcott Cross, where her father, Dean, is set to seal the Foran Equine title for yards with six to 14 horses. He is three ahead of Nickie Sheppard, although she has entered four horses this weekend including a pair of ace at Chaddesley Corbett in the shape of Ihandaya and Grace A Vous Enki. The last-named heads the Connolly’s Red Mills leading horse championship by one from Luke Price’s Mini Fortune who holds entries at two meetings this weekend.
Anna Johnston, narrowly ahead in Highflyer Bloodstock novice women's title
Josh Newman’s 26 winners have put him in pole position for the final weekend in the race to be champion in the trainers’ title for yards with 15 or more horses. He has made entries at Dingley, Bratton Down and Upcott Cross, while nearest pursuer Alan Hill, with 22 winners, is set to go racing each day at Dingley, Kingston Blount and Chaddesley Corbett.
Surrey’s Rob Varnham is set to take the Oriental Club-sponsored championship for yards with five or fewer horses. His score of six is level with Nick Wright, but Varnham is well ahead on placings. Jonathan Barlow is on five winners and has entered three horses this weekend, if he were to train a winner at Dingley on Saturday and Kingston Blount on Sunday Varnham has the option of running his sole weekend entry, Count Simon, at Upcott Cross on Monday.
Three further point-to-point meetings will be held after the Bank Holiday weekend season's end. They race at Trebudannon in Cornwall a week today (Friday), back at Bratton Down two days later and then at Umberleigh in North Devon on Saturday, June 8.
Where to go point-to-pointing this weekend . . .
TOMORROW
Dingley, Northants, LE16 8PJ – 2.00. 6 races, 86 entries
SUNDAY
Bratton Down, Devon, EX31 4SG - 2.00. 6 races, 79 entries
Kingston Blount, Oxon, OX39 4SG – 2.30. 6 races, 88 entries
MONDAY
Chaddesley Corbett, Worcs, DY10 4QT – 1.00. 7 races, 137 entries
Upcott Cross, Devon, EX21 5AE – 2.00. 6 races, 99 entries
More information at gopointing.com