LIKE the rest of the National Hunt world, it was with great sadness that I learned of the death of Robert Alner.

Robert was of a similar age to myself and I would probably have first seen him in his first season riding in 1961, the year in which he rode his first winner, at the Isle of Wight point-to-point.

Although he rode a hunter chase winner over two years later, I believe I am right in thinking that it was another three years before he won a second race between the flags.

This was very much in line with the rest of his life: stick at it, don’t give up.

The winners then began to accumulate and, in 1970, he rode Domason to win the National Hunt Chase at Cheltenham for the Dufosee family, who lived not far from his Dorset home. Domason was an enormous full-brother to Stalbridge Colonist, conqueror of Arkle in the 1966 Hennessy, albeit in receipt of 35lbs.

He was however extremely wilful and subsequently took to refusing, which caused his eventual retirement, though he did win to two open point-to-points in the interim.

Robert was always a dairy farmer and point-to-pointing was his hobby. Like a good wine, he improved with age. Eventually in 1992, at the age of 48, he became champion point-to-point rider with 31 wins and a career total of 212 winners between the flags plus 51 under rules.

Having achieved that ambition, he turned professional by taking a licence to train at which he proved extremely successful.

Cool Dawn, a former point-to-pointer sourced from the Costellos in Clare, won the Cheltenham Gold Cup: The Listener won four Grade 1 chases at Leopardstown and Punchestown, while Kingscliff, a Grade 1 winner at Haydock, had previously won the Cheltenham Foxhunters, nominally trained by his wife, Sally, which shows how important hunt racing was to his family.

Sadly, Robert’s racing career was shattered when he suffered terrible injuries in a car crash in November 2007. Though paralysed from the neck down, his indomitable spirit carried him through another 12 years.

I only got to talk to him once – I may have met him previously – and that was in 1990.

First and only ride

That was when he rode at Banntown, Gorey, at the Island point-to-point. It was his first and only ride in this country. He had come to try a horse he was considering buying, Arctic Swan.

Teaming up in the winners of two race, the pair had a comfortable eight-length win over the odds-on Padge Berry-trained Portavogie, ridden by John.

Robert and I chatted for a while and I found him very good company. Though I never saw him again, I know he kept going to point-to-points untill the very end. A very brave and well-liked man.