West pointing fans gear up for restart as lockdown eases
AFTER being on hold for the past three months due to lockdown restrictions, the starters’ flag will be raised for the return of point-to-point racing in the Westcountry this Easter weekend.
With pointing in Britain getting back underway on Monday, the first day when the Government roadmap allowed outdoor sports to resume, the Devon and Cornwall Point-to-Point Association look set to re-start their 2020-21 campaign at Cherrybrook tomorrow.
Although this meeting will be held behind closed doors, with no public access, the hosting Spooners & West Dartmoor Hunt have worked hard to ensure the day will run smoothly, and their efforts have been rewarded with a total of 110 entries received for the eight-race card.
There will be live streaming from the course, situated near Tavistock on the edge of Dartmoor, with a programme of race commentary and interviews led by former BBC correspondent, Cornelius Lysaght, together with former top National Hunt jockey Lizzie Kelly.
With the action due to start from 1.30pm, both the Men’s and Ladies Open races have been sponsored by Totnes & Bridgetown Racing Company and hold top entries including Chosen Lucky, Purple ‘n Gold, Unioniste and Different Gravey. Chosen Lucky will be representing Devon-based trainer Dean Summersby with daughter Charlotte on board, while Unioniste and Different Gravey are two options for previous champion jockey Will Biddick to ride.
There will be two divisions of the Open Maiden race, with a few to note being Master Sam Bellamy, Wandering Soul, Jasmin Des Bordes and This’ll Do for trainer Les Jefford, who could make amends for his fall at Wadebridge and give jockey Conor Houlihan a good each-way chance.
The Dapper Fox, owned, trained and ridden by Jack Veysey, should put up another brave effort in the Conditions race, with Tippinawaynow for trainer Liam Cocoran also catching the eye based on previous form.
The Restricted race looks another hot contest with Earthstorm for trainer Tracey Williams, Thewinnertakeitall for Dean Summersby and also Famous Clermont for the for formidable Chris Barber and Will Biddick combination likely to be among the favourites.
The Members concludes the card and holds entries from The Roestone for Robert Chanin, The Dapper Fox if he doesn’t run in the earlier Conditions; and the interesting former National Hunt winner Talk Of The South, now in training with Gordon Chambers. He could well produce his previous form, having run second in a Mixed Open in March 2020.
With the sport in need of income to secure its future, there will be a £10 fee to watch the entire livestream, which organisers say is the same cost as if attending as a spectator. To register for the livestream you will need to log on to Eventbrite, which can be accessed through the website pointingdc.co.uk.
For those spectators wanting to place a bet, the numbers needed to register are 07711 298746 for Richard Pittard and 07810 775119 for Dave Phillips. The deadline to register for bets is one hour before racing commences.