POINT TO POINT

Scrapper sees too many matches and walk-overs in the final weeks of the season

Scrapper is worried about the future of Pointing

PAXFORD APRIL 22

Pointing just about avoided the catastrophe that many, myself included, had predicted for the Easter programme. There was always the likelihood that there would not be sufficient horses to provide the 19 bank holiday fixtures with competitive, sporting cards. The rapidly quickening ground throughout the land only heightened fears.

Most meetings attracted enough runners to put on a decent show for the bumper crowds, but unfortunately not all. Charing, with four walkovers, and Dingley, with three matches, a walkover and a race that attracted no declarations, were flops.

Higham, Larkhill, Kingston St Mary and Lockinge had very few runners. The biggest sized field in the 123 races held over the weekend was nine.

At Paxford, a cast of 36 runners and riders kept a huge audience on their feet, shouting and screaming their encouragements. Zac Baker topped the bill, earning an ovation for riding a treble.

Zac’s afternoon didn’t start at all well. Big Man Doe, his mount in the curtain raiser, refused at the last with the Hunt Members at his mercy.

The talented rider shrugged of his disappointment to win the next two. He gave Jean’s Lady a powerful ride in the 5yo and up Maiden, the mare rallying under pressure after being headed going into the last. This though is not a race to follow.

The admirable Green Winter won the Mixed Open, making just about every yard to land his 11th Point win, his ninth under Baker. The combination were helped by the runner-up Ardkilly Witness’ sloppy jumping, but in all probability would have won without any assistance from their rival.

Later on the bill Zac wowed the critics with a tour de force performance in the Restricted; he dragged favourite Buffalo Sabre off of the floor at the fourth last before prompting his mount after the gelding forgot his lines rounding the home bend. Bravo.

At the Cleveland meeting at Witton Castle yesterday someone locked their keys in the car, there was an announcement “… would a mechanic or a car thief please go to the secretary’s tent”.

WOODFORD APRIL 27

Only 31 horses did battle here. Not too many years back you would have expected more than that to turn up for either or both of the maidens. It was the thought of multiple races being divided that used to stop me from coming. The course is nearly 140 miles from my home, I’d have had to have left before 9.30 in the morning and risked not getting back until after Match Of The Day had got down to the nil-nils.

Debutant Red Nika was left clear in the Open Maiden. You don’t hear of the ones who fail to reach the track but victorious trainer Sophie Lacey and her husband Tom appear to have had great success with their business model of buying stores, in the region of 40,000/ 50,000 gns, winning a point and then rushing them off to one of the many boutique sales.

If this gelding goes to market it will be interesting to see what he fetches. Red Nika was likely, if not certain, of holding off the chasing Cashmoll when that mare capsized at the last. She had been last of three finishers in her only other english point and her form figures in Ireland read 4PP. The trio who were left to follow the winner home had previously had twenty-one inefficacious attempts at breaking their ducks. When you also consider the victor was claiming 18lbs in allowances the form is far from strong.

Red Nika’s jockey Tommie O’Brien was doubling up after earlier winning the Young Horse Maiden on Dino Boy. He won clearly in the end but had tested his rider’s horsemanship with some sloppy jumping on the way round.

The Mixed Open was a thriller. Robin des People, full of confidence after being triumphant in his preceding five, kicked for glory approaching the far turn. For a while it looked as if it could be a decisive move, but by the time he arrived at the last a pair of rivals flanked him. Brackloon High chose to challenge on the outside and was repelled, Chasforgold and Sam Jukes decided to squeeze up the inner and managed to pinch the prize right on the line.

Jukes was another rider to bag a pair; he had earlier won the Hunt Members on R Bren who looked just a smidgen gamer than Model Cloud in a slow motion finish.

The other three events produced bloodless victories for Stay Out Of Court in the Restricted, William Money in the Novice Riders and Spanish Fleet

long odds-on in the two-runner Conditions race.

NORTHAW MAY 5

The Bank Holiday crowd was treated to proper Bank Holiday weather; unfortunately the temperatures belonged to Boxing Day. Mr. Whippy had a lazy time, he brought a box of 99 Flakes with him and still had ninety-eight left when he drove home.

It was doubles all round. Rider Phil York and owner/trainer Tim Underwood teamed up to win the first, the Conditions, with Cheltenham Mati. The mare looked well held over the second last and kept on very one paced, but that proved to be quick enough as leader Le Fou Royal stopped to a walk on the climb to the line.

York won the following race, the Intermediate, on his own horse Legal Ok; calling the gelding “a free running sort” is a ridiculous understatement. His jockey deserved the prize for ride of the day just for getting the fruitcake to the start. This was achieved by aiming him at every hedge, bush or fence between paddock and post. The 7yo is only slightly more amenable when they are off, it amazes me he stays three miles.

Phil wasn’t qualified to ride in the Ladies Open so Underwood turned to another veteran, Rilly Goschen, to steer Streets Of London to victory. Good judges were in raptures about what they thought was a tremendously welljudged ride, the partnership hitting the front in the last knockings. I was of the opinion that Rilly was lucky her mount’s tenacity got her out of trouble.

Underwood’s brace almost certainly guarantees him being crowned champion small trainer (yards with seven or fewer horses) and also leading owner. He’s probably going to need a bigger sideboard; his stable star Timmie Roe tops the leading horse table.

James Owen was another keeper to greet two of his runners in the winner’s enclosure. Net D’Ecosse led after two fences in the Novice Riders and inched further and further clear. He possibly only just stays the regulation trip, but his rivals here never able to get near enough to test his suspect stamina.

The handler’s heart must have been in his mouth as he watched Broadwater plough through the first, but the chestnut and pilot Rupert Stearn soon regained their equilibrium and won very cozily.

Young rider Alex Chadwick has impressed many this season, he too bagged a pair. His win on Net D’Ecosse was comfortable; his victory on Sandygate in the Maiden was anything but. He proved his horsemanship, guile and strength to all when forcing the outsider of four to best Willcollins in a tremendously close and prolonged scrap.

PEPER HAROW MAY11

This is the most eccentric of racecourses. Shaped just like the number eight on a digital clock, always turning right, sometimes down the middle sometimes not. They jump fences one and two four times, fence three twice, fence four thrice. Fence eight is set at a ridiculous angle on the apex of a bend; the obstacle would be hidden from the runners until they were almost between the wings. Finally, there is a fiendishly sharp right-handed corner on the race to face the last. The best advice if you were having your inaugural ride here would be “Don’t lead.”

The place must give jockeys nightmares but for spectators it is glorious fun.

We finally, after a pre-race shower, got a day that felt like May. Walking the course I was made to chuckle by

two aged fence attendants looking admiringly at the big house that overlooks the course. I think it used to be a school. “You couldn’t afford it George!” “I couldn’t afford the window cleaner!”

The card started with a Novice Riders race, which went to Daniel Cherriman riding his own horse Stage One. Punters who sent them off at odds-on didn’t have any worries, bar a third last rick, as the combination spent the second half of the contest pulling right away from the opposition.

The following Restricted race saw one of those starts you get once a season in pointing, where the starter’s instructions to the riders were “No, no, NO!” as he dropped his flag. The four runners set off in instalments.

The worst sufferer was the Bradstock’s Damby’s Star who lost 40 lengths. Over the last circuit we had a real humdinger with the gambled on September Fields (6s into 2s) slugging it out with Bluebell Sally. The former got the upper hand over the last.

Next up was the Men’s Open. As the announcer finished with the runners and riders I turned to a friend and said, “this is the best race the area has seen all season”. It included my current favourite pointer Timmie Roe, going for his ninth consecutive win. I have regularly gone to a meeting to back a particular horse, rarely just to watch one. All season I’ve made a point of asking where he’d be racing next. I’d seen six of his victories, most have been easy, almost arrogant and I have been looking forward to him being truly tested; today was going to be that day. I was excited.

Sun on your back, a wonderful atmosphere in a big crowd, standing with friends all smiles as we anticipated a race that promised to be thrilling, an ideal day’s pointing.

The viewing is a long way from being perfect here. We watched from near the third last, you can see the most fences from there, but the section where they go past the funfair is completely out of sight. As they disappeared from us The Gunner Brady led by five, his rivals in a line behind him; we listened as the commentator told us Timmie Roe had fallen at the ditch. We waited for the loose horse to come round. He didn’t.

After the race, as I hurried back towards the paddock area, an acquaintance told me it didn’t look good. One of the Huntsmen overheard and said, “The horse broke a leg”. I felt as if I’d been kicked in the guts.

KINGSTON BLOUNT MAY 12

The sport has faced two huge problems this season, the lack of runners and a lack of rain. Almost from the off it has been obvious pointing badly needs an influx of new horses, riders and owners, Lord only knows where they are going to come from.

There are far too many meetings for the shrinking number of horses; the fixture list badly needs pruning. A trainer of eight told me of the frustrations the dry weather has caused him. He said he had trouble getting his horses fit for the season. “Last autumn my own gallops were far too quick. The gallops I used to box them to when I couldn’t work them at home had been ploughed up and nobody had bothered to tell me. Which meant they all badly needed their first runs. When I was happy I’d got them right we had the bloody flu scare, seven of them had to have boosters, that cost us a couple of weeks. No sooner had they started winning the ground began to go again. I am not risking them on good to firm.”

I got here just over an hour before the off to find just three horseboxes in the lorry park. I paused over the road, not willing to commit myself. After 15 minutes one or two boxes started to join the queue of cars climbing the hill. I waited until the announcement that there were three declared for the first before going in. Eventually only a disappointing 20 horses would be unloaded, the final two contests on a seven-race card were walkovers.

In the Conditions race Hawkhurst was chalked up the 1/3 favourite. Can you award a horse a squiggle after he has won nine from 14? I’ve probably been grossly unfair but have always had my reservations about the gelding and wasn’t surprised to see him come off second best to Cheltenam de Vaige.

In the Ladies Open, the improving Back Bar strode on gamely to repulse Free Of Charge. The Men’s event was over 2m5f; Gabrial The Great proved far too fast for a decent field and never looked in any danger of being caught.

I caught Max Young coming out of the jockey’s tent, saddle under his arm, after hearing his horse Gogetthat would walk over in the 4,5 and 6yo Maiden. The young gentleman told me he felt guilty about taking the money.

He asked what the prize money was; I looked in the programme, “£170”. “Oh well, it will pay for the diesel!” If I don’t attend the meeting back here in a couple of weeks, that’s it for me for the season. As weekends go not the best way to end. On my way out I wished a man who I’ve seen at points for three decades, never known his name, a safe drive home, “have a nice summer, see you in December!”

“It’s been a disappointing season,” he said. “I am concerned where the game will be in five or ten years!”

“I am concerned where RACING will be in five or ten years,” I answered. “I am petrified what state Pointing will be in NEXT year!”