The axe that had been hanging over Larkhill, one of Britain’s finest point-to-point courses, appears to have been lifted after intervention by a Government minister.
Ben Wallace MP, Secretary of State for Defence and who earlier this year put his name into the hat for the position of Conservative Party leader, has directed the Ministry of Defence (MOD) which owns the land to issue a new lease to the racecourse with immediate effect.
A report in The Daily Telegraph quoted a Whitehall source saying: “He [Wallace] recognises that as custodian of the largest land holdings in the UK, the MOD has a duty to not only use the land to ensure our forces are best prepared, but also that the local communities who have farmed or used the lands for centuries are supported.”
The report also quoted Larkhill racecourse committee chairman Andrew Ritchie saying: “This much-loved racecourse has been on the Salisbury Plain training area for 75 years. Throughout that time we have happily shared with the Army and have always given priority to military training when necessary.”
Roly Rickord, Larkhill’s clerk of the course, yesterday sent an email to interested parties, in which he quoted Ritchie saying: “We are immensely grateful to the Secretary of State for Defence, Rt Hon Ben Wallace MP, for his intervention to save Larkhill Racecourse by directing that a new lease be renewed with immediate effect. We would like to thank all those who have helped to achieve this brilliant result for the local, racing and military communities.”
Some top-class pointers and hunter chasers have raced at Larkhill over the years and the course, one of the biggest in the country, stages the Classic Coronation Cup. It has never seen a plough and the chalk soil means it can race when other courses are waterlogged.
Larkhill is set to stage seven meetings this season, the first being run on November 27.