GOING REPORT

17th May 2024

“ Dingley had 10 mm of rain on Thursday ( yesterday) which makes the course Good to Soft, Soft in places today. The course has been rolled and filled after the last meeting. All bends have been moved onto fresh ground and the course will be rolled and topped again before next Saturday.

Watering is on standby and will be used if necessary to try and keep the ground as near to good as possible.

The landlord has again asked if walking of the course can be done from next Thursday onwards only please.”

Owners of declared runners will get access to the farmers tent for hospitality


Photo by Rose Rodgers

FERNIE RACE REPORT – 5th May 2024

Another big May Bank Holiday crowd descended on Dingley for the Fernie’s point-to-point meeting on 5th May, where they enjoyed a seven-race card.

The Fernie Four-Miler has turned up some great finishes over the years, but this year’s renewal might be one of the most unusual. Four miles on any ground is a long race but in stiffening ground it takes a lot out of the legs but favourite Ragnar Lodbrok looked to have it all in hand coming to the last, then appeared to almost pull himself up. John Dawson and Cool Desire must have been four or five lengths back at this point but went past and looked to have the race run in circumstances reminiscent of Hawkhurst’s last fence recalcitrance, only for Ragnar Lodbrok to rally and challenge for the win over the course of the very short run-in at Dingley. The result was a win by a head for Ragnar Lodbrok for Gerald Bailey and the Whiskey and Water Partnership, something which seemed impossible but came to pass, and one can’t help feeling sorry for the Dawson connections.

Earlier we started the day’s racing with the Members, Farmers and Subscribers Race which, despite including potential runners from the three local packs, ended up being a match race between The Unmentionable and Bothwell Bridge. We are grateful to both sets of connections for making it a race as there were options elsewhere on the card. As it transpired, odds-on favourite Bothwell Bridge (Ellie Caldwell), by Stowaway, out of Galileo mare Raise The Issue, was too strong for the challenge of The Unmentionable (Dale Peters) and won by five lengths, making it three wins and two seconds from their five starts. Connections tell me that they may look for a hunter chase next, possibly at Kelso at the end of May.

The Whiskey and Water Partnership were back in the frame again for the second race, the two and half mile maiden, but their Bless The Moon, which slightly surprisingly went off as joint favourite, was outclassed on the day by one of two Jack Teal-trained runners, Kdeux Saint Fray, which won comfortably to go one better than their second place at the Quorn meeting a few weeks ago. jAck’s other runner Callmesusie was some way back in third of the three finishers.

The third race was a race for novice riders who started this season with fewer than five wins on their records to this point. Ethan Dawes, who works for Midlands trainer Dale Peters, won a very well-judged race here on Port of Mars for his first win after setting the pace and quickening away as the challengers caught him late on.

The Restricted race was won by Jack Andrews on his only ride of the day, Imperial Pride, having taken the lead from Grangleclere Diego (Paddy Barlow) between the last two fences. Dale Peters recorded another second, this time on Cash or Card, the joint-favourite, which didn’t have the late pace to quicken and ended up a dozen lengths behind the winner.

The Veterans race, next, was another attritional race with only two finishers from seven starters. This time it was Golan Fortune (Thomas McCain-Mitchell) who held off a spirited but unsuccessful rally by Dale Peters on Thunderstruck to win by two and a half lengths for Barry Denvir.

The bookies had the final maiden race down as a head-to-head between Dale Peters’ Line Em Up and Wotnowcato for Jack Teal but both lost out to Ellie Callwood riding 6/1-shot Karismatik who was tracked by Line Em Up to the last before the latter pulled up leaving the winner to go and win by a large margin from Wotnowcato and Atlantic Fleet who were a few lengths apart and the only remaining finishers.

Thank you to all those who supported the meeting. We hope you will return to Dingley for the last meeting of the Midlands season on the 25th May, for which the Fitzwilliam will be your hosts.

FERNIE PREVIEW – Sunday 5th May 2024

The Fernie point-to-point racing meeting is scheduled for Sunday 5th May at Dingley racecourse, just East of Market Harborough in Leicestershire.

Tickets are available online and are selling well for this meeting which now starts at 1.25pm as a result of the rescheduled Members race from the Pytchley with Woodland meeting which makes it a seven-race card.

The feature race of the day is the Welland Valley Feeds Fernie Four-Miler, a classic stayers’ race which has 15 entries for this year’s renewal. There are a lot of local connections in this race including Ragnar Lodbrok, owned by the Whiskey and Water Partnership led by Gerald Bailey, and Bothwell Bridge, which is owned by the Fernie Dingley Syndicate. Both are on good form. Ragnar Lodbrok has won four times this season – beating a number of hisi rivals here – while Bothwell Bridge has won twice, most recently at the Quorn meeting at Garthorpe a fortnight ago. Also here is Reikers Island, owned by ex-Pytchley Huntsman Daniel Cherriman, which wasn’t a fan of the going for the Aintree Foxhunters this year but came back with a bang to win the open at Parham. No Hassle Hoff is no stranger to Dingley, where it has finished in the places twice before – looking to go one better this season over a longer distance.

The opening race of the day is sponsored by King West and has four runners, one of which, Bothwell Bridge, won impressively at Garthorpe at the Quorn meeting a fortnight ago, but is also entered in the open later. The Unmentionable is an open horse who was unfortunately brought down on his last outing at High Easter. Cash or Card and Champagne Glory are both intermediate horses with potential.

There are two maidens on the card at this meeting, the first of which is next, run over two and a half miles rather that the usual three, with weight allowances for younger horses and mares. 30 horses are entered for this Watling JCB-sponsored race so there is the potential for the race to be divided into two divisions, although some have entries at other meetings. Some horses have little or no experience on a point-to-point track and none of these have previously won a race.

The Conditions Race which follows is for horses ridden by Novice Riders, who could not have had more that five wins at the start of this season. Cian Murphy’s mount Take To Heart might be a good bet, having won on its last outing but there are lots with similar ratings. Champagne Glory has another entry here should it prefer this to the opener, this time with Tom Hutsby in the plate. Beyond Redemption (R. Wilks), Bonamargy (B. Durrell), Russian Diamond (F. Lindsay) and Same Tegal (F. Keighley) are among many who could feature.

After the Four Miler we look to the less experienced horses again as 18 are entered for the Sharnford Tractors Restricted race. Cash or Card is entered here too and carries the momentum of two consecutive wins on the bounce. Dale Peters also has Largy Pearl and The New Kid in this one so likely to be one from three to start. Another to have won in Restricted company, at the Hurworth meeting in March, is Grangeclare Diego (Paddy Barlow). Gina Andrews has a choice of rides in the form of For One Night Only and Main Stage while her leading lady rider rival Izzy Marshall has an entry on Learntalot. The Turners’ Mister Splash (M.. Dodd) should be in the running too. Dingley favourite Dan Cherriman brings Money Spinner, trained by Rhiannon Lodge in Shropshire.

15 horses of ten years old or over are entered for The Jockey Club and Retraining of Racehorses Veteran Horse Conditions Race, penultimate on the card. A number of these horses have second entries on this card, so horses listed here may have alredy raced by this points. Dragon d’Estuval, Mitchouka and El Presente are the leading contenders and evenly matched according to their ratings. Bonamargy, Overworkunderpaid, Thunderstruck, My Friend Freddie and The Unmentionable all have second entries here, while Golan Fortune (Thomas McCain Mitchell) is possibly the most in-form horse of the entries.

To finish the day we have another maiden race this time with no weight for age allowances and this one is sponsored by James Mossman Ltd. Of the 25 entries here, many have little or no form on the track, with Barrington John and Tinker Two making their racecourse debut. Chic Avenue, Scrumpy and Wildkatze race between the flags for the first time after a career under rules.

Tickets can still be purchased from our online ticketing shop at https://www.midlandspointing.com/tickets or can be bought on the day at the gate. Children under 16 are welcomed free of charge, as are dogs if they are securely attached to leads. There will be the usual array of trade stands and catering outlets, a bar, bookmakers, entertainment for the children and more. 

Fernie 5th May Meeting – Thank You!

The Fernie Hunt Point-to-Point Committee would like to thank the Race Sponsors:

KING WEST

WATLING JCB

TATTERSALLS

WELLAND VALLEY FEEDS

SHARNFORD TRACTORS

THE JOCKEY CLUB AND RoR

JAMES MOSSMAN LTD

We would also like to thank

Rockingham Castle for sponsoring the Winning Owners’ Mementoes

Derek Shaw Racing for sponsoring the Jockeys’ Prizes

Harry Drew Construction for sponsoring the Best Turned Out Prizes

Oakley Garden Buildings for sponsoring the first fence

A & J Sectional Buildings Ltd for sponsoring the last fence

Sundown Products for sponsoring the open ditch

King West for sponsoring the car passes

Deene Park for sponsoring the PA system

Baileys Horse Feeds for sponsoring the Dingley Leading Rider Championship

Central Medical and North Northants Community First Responders for their excellent services

The Langton Greenhouse and Garden Centre for the flowers in the unsaddling enclosure

The Horserace Betting Levy Board for the financial assistance received annually

All Farmers and Landowners for the privilege of hunting over their land together with all Race Card Advertisers, Stewards, Doctors, Vets and Fence Stewards, and the many others who give their valuable assistance to the running of this meeting