Amid the murk and muck of a saturated Cocklebarrow meeting last month a very well-known rider made an under-the-radar return.
Mark Wall (pictured above), with 183 victories between the flags, 25 under Rules and eight in Arab races was one of the leading exponents of the sport for an eight-year period from 2007 during which he represented Britain in the Anglo-Irish Challenge. His preferred front-running method was familiar to followers of the sport, particularly in his local West Midlands region, and it certainly paid off on one occasion in a Challenge race held in Ireland, which he won after surprising leading local riders more used to cat-and-mouse tactics.
Based in Gloucestershire, Wall is set to weigh out again this weekend on I'm Fine, the horse he rode and pulled up in the final race at Cocklebarrow. He says: "He's my own horse, I know him well, and I'm riding him for a bit of fun. He's a home-bred and has always needed a bit of convincing.
"I pulled him up, but he ran a bit better than the result suggests. I've entered him this weekend in maiden races at Barbury and Chaddesley Corbett."
Wall, 46, enjoyed a personal-best season in British point-to-points in 2011/12 when riding 23 winners, and he followed up with 22 the following year. He 'retired' from the sport at Umberleigh in 2016 when finishing third on old favourite Nobby Kivambo in the men's open race Other good horses he had ridden included Divine Intavention, Sheknowsyouknow and Marblehead, while he won races at Cheltenham evening hunters' chase meeting on Theatre Queen and Bradley.
Wall trained under Rules for several years, but problems with his premises meant he gave up his licence two seasons ago. Despite that he remains fully engaged with horses, and says: "I'm now doing a fair bit of work with Robert Bellamy for Racing To School, I'm still doing some breaking and a bit of riding out. Every day is quite varied."
Racing To School is an education charity that introduces young people to the industry through visits to racecourses, studs, trainers' yards and bloodstock auctions. It currently works with some 25 primary and secondary schools and delivers nearly 400 introductory events each year.
Is I'm Fine the height of his come-back ambitions or is he available for other bookings? He says: "If a nice ride in a hunters' chase came up I wouldn't turn it down, but I won't be taking any rides on dodgy maidens. I enjoyed my first spin back, despite the weather."