THE white flag will be raised on the new British point-to-point season this afternoon, as Knightwick in Worcester kickstarts a 130-fixture campaign that will take in racing at 77 different courses across England, Scotland and Wales.

The sport on both sides of the Irish Sea remains closely intertwined, as the British point scene serves as an important market for Irish-based connections seeking to sell those horses that are at a level where they likely fall short of the standard required to run on the racecourse.

Last season, a total of 259 British point-to-point races were won by horses that had started their careers pointing on this side of the Irish Sea.

It is the first time in the last eight years, excluding the two Covid-interrupted seasons, that the total number of races within British pointing that were won by horses sourced from the Irish equivalent dipped below the 300 mark.

Jump racing in Britain as a whole has been experiencing a challenging period, and the current health of the sport there, including point-to-pointing, impacts the level of demand for pointers on these shores.

A thriving British point-to-point scene is good for business here, and so by the time the British season reaches its conclusion at Umberleigh on June 7th, Irish handlers will be hoping the demand for those horses at lower levels can bounce back.

That trade across the Irish Sea can already be seen. A pair of horses that have already been in action on these shores in the early weeks of the Irish season are entered at the season-opening fixtures in Britain at Knightwick and Dunsmore.

I Think He Is could have the quickest turnaround. The Norse Dancer gelding finished last in a four-year-old maiden at Peppard’s Castle for Cormac Doyle just under three weeks ago, and he could run in a similar contest at Dunsmore tomorrow for Jazmin Hosgood.

That could follow Hardy Buck, who could achieve the novel feat of running at the opening fixtures of the Irish and British pointing campaigns in the same season.

Having finished third in an older geldings’ maiden at Toomebridge for Rachel O’Neill, the six-year-old could run in a maiden at Knightwick later today for his new handler Myles Osborne.

Looking further ahead, Irish handlers were attracted to the inaugural Welsh International last season, with John Paul Brennan getting on the scoreboard when his Seymourjohn won a two-and-a-half mile maiden at Trecoed Farm, and that fixture will have a new home in 2025.

Scheduled to take place a week later in 2025 on May 24th, the fixture will be run at the new venue of Ffynnon Druidion, and again hopes to attract Irish raiders, where it is expected to clash with the final weekend of the Irish season.

THE unfavourably prolonged dry spell, which has coincided with the start of the point-to-point season, has certainly proven to be unfortunate timing.

With rainfall totals across much of the country not amounting to any significant amounts, we have entered the month of November with many racecourses having to water the ground to maintain safe conditions for the attempted arrival of the winter-ground performers.

Ground update

Owners and handlers have had to negotiate the opening weeks of the point-to-point season, attempting to guess where they may be able to secure their preferred conditions when making entries.

Following the addition of a €10 insurance levy on entry fees last season, they have now risen to the not insignificant sum of €70.

The video updates that the INHSC has published from their course inspectors over the past number of years, including a ground update at their 48-hour inspection stage, have been very well-received.

With the fee that the INHSC charges owners and handlers for processing hunter certificates having risen by 30% since 2020, excluding the additional €35 temporary insurance levy, one suggestion from a number of handlers recently, is that the income could be put towards issuing a second official going update from their course inspectors on the day before entries close, to provide connections with a more informed picture of the likely going, as they receive when entering under rules.

Quality winners from the beginning of each season

THERE can often be a perception that having a horse ready to run in the opening weeks of the autumn term could allow connections to take advantage of a weak opportunity.

However, the results from recent weeks, have again shown how strong the races on the opening weekend have proven to be.

The opening meeting has for many years, wherever it has been held, stood up to real scrutiny.

This year, Toomebridge regained that role to open the season and, although just 31 horses took to the track at the Antrim venue, form from that fixture has had a significant influence on fixtures over the weeks that have followed.

Auntie Lacey won the opening four-year-old mares’ maiden and, ahead of her pending sale at next Friday’s Tattersalls Cheltenham November sale, where she features as part of an already eight-strong draft from her handler Colin Bowe’s Milestone Stables, her winning performance has received a number of timely form boosts.

Just three horses finished behind her, however, two of them are already winners in their own right – Clody Diamond at Umma House and Blue Eyed Girl at Loughanmore – while the only other finisher in the race, Belle De Bassy, was travelling well in a share of the lead when falling three-out in Loughanmore.

Already winners

The five-year-old geldings’ maiden has been responsible for two subsequent winners from its six starters, whilst the five-year-old and upwards mares’ maiden and older geldings’ maiden have each also produced a subsequent maiden winner.

In all, six subsequent winners and five placed performers have emerged from the 31 runners at Toomebridge, whilst the following afternoon’s fixture at Castletown-Geoghegen, which had double the number of runners, was responsible for five subsequent winners and 11 placed horses.

The quality is evident right from the beginning of each season and, while, admittedly, runners can be fewer, the winners are proving to be as strong from the start to the end of the campaign.

Stick on the right side of this Conman

THE relatively sharp test that Damma House presents appeared to be the ideal venue for Conman John (95+) to advertise his best qualities.

Racing from the front, he was able to use his speed to get his rivals in behind under pressure, which ultimately saw him win by 20 lengths over two horses, who both brought previous strong form into the contest, to suggest it was an above-average display.

In contrast, all six runners held claims turning into the straight at Rathcannon on the same afternoon, but the imposing Road Exile (92+) belied his inexperience to come out on the right side of a protracted battle with a more experienced rival.

Lisronagh’s fixture hosted the weekend’s sole four-year-old mares’ maiden and here Adamas (81++) had little more than what looked like a piece of work, as she made a winning debut without having to be asked any semblance of a question.

Consequently, she is capable of a lot more than this figure suggests, with Hank West (92+) similarly claiming the geldings equivalent on the card with plenty up his sleeve.