AS the autumn session of point-to-points ends, a look back shows that we have been fortunate with how the programme has worked out.
Although five of the original 29 meetings scheduled were called off – all due to prevailing ground conditions – there was not a day left without a meeting taking place.
What was surprising was that although the going at the opening meeting was returned as soft-to-heavy, the ground where racing was able to take place never was worse than that and nowhere was really heavy ground encountered.
In fact, I was surprised on a number of occasions by how good conditions were: wherever I went there were no problems for spectators and in the car parks although this did not always apply also for horseboxes.
The very reasonable going was welcomed by the trainers of younger horses. As a result the maiden races for these horses did tend to fill well enough to provide competitive contests. This was reflected in the strong market at the point-to-point sales – this particularly welcome following the uncertainty caused by the withdrawal of Gigginstown House stud from this market.
While the number of horses running in these younger maidens, particularly the four-year-olds showed an increase, the overall number of runners was not much higher than last year when much firmer ground prevailed.
Older horses
In fact, many of the races for older horses at both ends of the scale – maidens and opens – ended up with disappointing fields of either quantity and/or quality. Some of this is due to race programming, there seeming to be no, or very little, coordination between meetings taking place on the same weekend.
This often seemed to be most obvious with winners’ races which frequently vied for the same horses.
That said, these were some very competitive races in this category.
There were relatively few true open races but despite that, none of them produced a memorable event from which one would expect to see multiple winners by the end of May. In fact, I would be so bold as to say that two of the best opens were for novice riders, both run in December at Ballindenisk and Borris House.
I admit I was somewhat sceptical when the number of opens for novice riders increased dramatically last year but as long as handlers are happy to enter good-class horses in these contests, it can only help those looking to establish themselves in the world of racing. Overall, this autumn has offered plenty of opportunity to claiming riders.
As a result, there was no point-to-point in Ireland on the penultimate Sunday before Christmas. But there was somewhere to go and see Irish point-to-pointers and that was Barbury Castle in England.
I ascertained that Cormac Doyle had a horse entered and although I did not know him previously, I gave him a ring and he very kindly offered me a seat in the horse box.
Even though the box was travelling via Dublin Port, it made sense to me to drive down to his yard near Enniscorthy and leave the car there.
I was put on the horsebox and after picking up another horse from Ellen Doyle which was also due to run, we headed towards England.
Following a smooth crossing, we drove through the night arriving at the yard where the horses were to recover by 5.30am in the morning.
The three of us in the horsebox then made our way to Cheltenham where we stayed on Saturday night before getting back together and returning to collect the horses on Sunday morning.
With a first race time of 11am and our two entered in the second, there was little margin for error.
It is nearly 60 years since my previous visits to the course. Indeed, there was no racing there after 1962 until the venue was reopened in 1992.
With so much having changed in the way of roads and building sprawl it was not surprising that we, along with quite a lot of other people, got lost as due largely to local planning restrictions, there was no directional signing.
However, we did get the horses declared and arrived just before the first race.
Unfortunately, Ellen Doyle’s horse was not allowed to run due to problems with the vaccination certificates but there were no issues with One True King.
Having watched most of the first race, which was a four and five-year-old two-mile bumper for maidens in which Eugene O’Sullivan’s Fix The Bill finished a close second, it was then time for our involvement.
Encouraging factors
Cormac Doyle’s four-year-old had had five runs in Ireland and had only one placing among them and that on his first outing. Going into the race, there were encouraging factors: he was to be ridden by James King, one of England’s leading amateurs and he was led around the parade ring by Willie Twiston-Davies in whose yard he had lodged overnight and where he was due to return after the race.
The race was a four- and five-year-old maiden over two and a half miles and when I went by the bookmakers, I was astonished to see that the son of Getaway was favourite in a field of nine.
In the race, on what was very decent ground, James King always had him close to the pace and after joining issue four out he kicked on from the next and soon drew away. Though he was given some more vigorous encouragement after the last, he came home a comfortable five lengths clear.
I congratulate Cormac on finding the right race for his horse and for daring to go across the water to show his true colours. In fact, the meeting was a good one for him as one of his former charges The Dellercheckout won the mixed open.
This race has a good standing as a trial for potential Cheltenham horses and the winner is a progressive six-year-old trained now by Caroline Robinson, remembered in Ireland as owner rider of Eliogarty.
None of the other Irish runners, all four of which came with Eugene O’Sullivan, won, though both Leg Lock Luke and Drawn N Drank showed up well contesting the veteran race.
While I had to leave before the last race, as the horse had to be taken back to its new yard and to ensure that we would make Holyhead in time for the boat and get back to Enniscorthy by 8.30pm, I felt my trip had been thoroughly worthwhile.
I was pleased to see that the feedback in the British press was very positive and they were pleased to be attracting the right kind of Irish maiden to the meeting.
With a lot of Irish input into the sponsorship of the meeting I hope the fixture will continue to grow and see even more Irish visitors.
Hospitality
While I admit that I know a good number of British people who were there and did not feel an outsider, I do think a hospitality tent for Irish visitors would be worth considering for future meetings.
The meeting, which attracted a large number of runners and a good crowd, is definitely becoming the high point of Britain’s pre-Christmas meetings and with an interesting programme of races should only consolidate its place in the calendar.
While I have in the past not been an advocate of two-and-a-half-mile point-to-points, I do see that, for some horses, they are a very viable alternative.
If we can accommodate four-mile races, perhaps there is a place for some over two and a half miles. Maybe as Eogháin Ward wrote recently, perhaps there are some things we can learn from England. (I particularly liked the idea of a veterans’ race for the over 10-year-olds).
I went over very much a passenger but by the time I got back, I very much felt a member of the team – it was great to end the autumn season on a winner.