A chance to catch last week's Racing Post point-to-point focus column, which was published on Friday, November 6.
Two kicks in a week would be upsetting for any horseman or woman, but a national lockdown in England followed by the short-term closure of point-to-pointing have been a pair of painful blows.
Wednesday’s announcement by the Point-to-Point Authority (PPA) that, in common with sports like golf and tennis, point-to-pointing in Britain is shutting down for the duration of the ‘four-week’ national lockdown, means the sport and its competitors have been double-barrelled twice with both hind feet.
Forced to end last season in March, three months earlier than planned by the first nationwide order to stay at home, point-to-pointing in Britain rallied and with a wealth of collective enterprise opened the 2020/21 season three weeks ahead of schedule. Three trouble-free meetings behind closed doors have been staged and superb numbers of entries have been a feature, a vote of confidence that was sorely needed by a sport with limited funds.
Sunday’s fixture at Chaddesley Corbett in Worcestershire was following suit, with 151 entries, including 18 for the country’s first race for four-year-olds only. The majority had pretensions to be sold if winning or placed, and yet financial constraints meant that this one race on the card had no prize money, another example of shared responsibility as competitors showed willingness to back officials’ attempts to keep the sport operating.
National lockdown no.2 in England has scuppered the fixture and another five that were due to take place before December 2, when the Commons will vote on ending or extending the ‘at-home’ order.
Views on lockdown vary, as witnessed by the 39 MPs who voted against the government’s latest English shutdown, but it is unlikely to be popular among people who live in rural areas and farm, fish, hunt, shoot and race, all forms of income and/or recreation which take place outdoors and require a level of hardiness. No one wants hospitals to be over-run and most people know or have heard of someone who has endured a rum do with Covid, but the nuances of lockdown are many.
Flat and Jump racing are continuing because that is where professionals go to work, which is presumably why Irish point-to-points are taking place despite a six-week lockdown. Wales emerges from its lockdown next week, yet a point-to-point set to take place near Chepstow later this month is off, as is one at Hexham, a licensed course which can stage Jump racing, but not pointing.
Peter Wright, chief executive of the Point-to-Point Authority (PPA), keen that the sport should avoid tall poppy syndrome, hopes that by playing ball now at a relatively quiet time of year the sport can keep going during the busier spring period. He said the Howick and Hexham meetings could not take place because while trainers who are paid to train pointers could claim that by running horses they are ‘going to work’, that would be harder to justify for amateur riders or those who train their own horses for pleasure. An all-Welsh meeting would be difficult to stage due to the need for input from across the Severn Bridge.
In Wednesday’s statement which put the sport on ice for a month, Wright said: “I know this will be a severe disappointment to many of you,” but added the meetings that have been staged proved “our model is safe”. He said that had “been recognised at higher levels”, presumably a reference to the British Horseracing Authority which needs to be onside for future meetings with or without paying spectators.
In the meantime four weeks will be viewed by optimists as detention rather than a caning. Multiple women’s champion Gina Andrews said of the temporary closure: “It’s not ideal, but after Monday’s announcement we knew it was going to happen. There’s not a lot of racing at this time, and we have to be hopeful of resuming soon, otherwise it gets depressing. I’m glad we’ve had the three meetings.”
Trainer Alan Hill said: “It’s disappointing – I was hoping we could keep going like Flat and Jump racing, but when it was said grass roots sports could not take place I knew we were in trouble. If the sport reopens in four weeks it won’t be so bad, but will lockdown be extended?”
Any extension could lead to fully-fit pointers moving to licensed yards, and Hill said he expected a couple of his horses to join his wife, Lawney, who holds a licence.