Races not complete without these photo finishes
Caerphilly equine photographer Alun Sedgmore has been taking pictures at point-topoint meetings since 1984, and they have appeared in such illustrious publications as Horse & Hound and Racing Post.
And he’s no stranger to the Turf Talk column, either, as he’s been submitting pictures for this page for some years now.
It all started when Alun’s wife Shirley contacted farrier Tim Rooney to shoe a horse which she kept locally. Tim, a former Welsh champion point-to-point rider, who incidentally won the classic Horse and Hound Cup on Mike Bishop’s 50-1 outsider Devil’s Walk back in 1977, suggested that they should visit his local Tredegar Farmers point-to-point meeting at Bassaleg that weekend.
Alun and Shirley went along and were soon caught up in the excitement of seeing amateur riders and their thoroughbred horses galloping over makeshift racecourses in the beautiful surroundings of the Welsh countryside. Well, sometimes at least, as some point-to-point venues are more picturesque than others.
Although Alun has no interest at all in the betting side of the sport, he not only covers the Welsh scene but when there isn’t a fixture in Wales travels to point-to-points all over the country to take his pictures. And, should there be a Welsh winner or two, then that makes him very happy.
Long before leading Welsh trainers Tim Vaughan and Evan Williams became almost household names, Alun was taking pictures of them riding in point-to-points.
And at some point-to-points pony races are staged for young riders. Alun always stays behind to take their pictures. Some of those riders, such as John Mathias, Lorcan Williams, Bradley Gibbs, Jordan Williams and Richard Patrick, have now gone on to ride winners under rules.
Family man Alun – he has two daughters, Emma and Jennifer and two grand-children Thomas and Ffion – has rarely missed a meeting in all those years and claims that the best advance in photography is the digital camera, which allows him to “take as many pictures as I wish without worrying about the cost.”
Many of his photographs have found their way into books, too, and of the hundreds of photographs that he has had published over the years his favourite is the one of the grey Brunico winning a controversial men’s open race at the Gelligaer Farmers’ meeting, which adorns the cover of my book Racing Rogues – The Scams, Scandals and Gambles of Horse Racing in Wales.
Alun says he can put up with the cold and the wind at point-to-points but his biggest dread is rain, as he has a job to keep his camera dry. Over the years he has taken pictures of some famed point-to-pointers and some that spring to mind are Fixed Price, Yellow Jersey, Norman Case, Timber Tool, Chesnut Annie, Lady Myfanwy, Majetta Crescent and Rosies Peacock.
Alun has high hopes that one day all these great favourites, along with their riders, will appear in his proposed book Thirty Years of Point-ToPoint Racing in Wales.
So if there is a publisher out there interested in publishing what would be a unique book, then please get in touch with him. And if you want to know more about the Welsh point-topoint scene take a look at Alun’s website www.sportingprints.biz, a must for all point-to-point enthusiasts.
Meanwhile, the Brecon & Talybont Point-To-Point Steeplechases will be held at Tyfry, Llanfrynach on March 4. It was at Llanfrynach in 1995 that point-to-pointing history was made when the Brecon Hunt staged the first 13-racecard. The action began at 12 noon, with the members’ race won by Willie Bryan on McMahon’s River, and ended around 5.45pm after Andrew Price won division three of the maiden on Push Along.
For the record, winners that day were Confined Rusty Music (Chris Richards); Men’s Open Division 1 (Damien Duggan); Division 2 Jack Sound (Evan Williams); Ladies Division 1 Taureen Tycoon (Christine McCarthy);, Restricted Division 1 Rhondda Valley (Damien Duggan); Division 2 Ideal (James Rees); Division 3 Baroni (Jamie Jukes); Division 2 Caracol (Tim Jones) and Division 3 Pushalong (Andrew Price).
The funeral of Tredegar Hunt stalwart Howard Jones will take place at St Michael’s Church, Lower Machen, Gwent, at 1.30 pm on February 28.
Email your news or views to brianlee4@virginmedia.com or phone 02920 736438.