The Midlands area Point-to-point season finale will be the Fitzwilliam meeting at Dingley racecourse on Saturday 24th of May, where we will have a six-race card with something for everybody, including two open races, two maidens, a restricted and a conditions race.
Dingley racecourse is on the Harborough Road, just East of Market Harborough in Leicestershire (LE16 8PJ), and offers fabulous viewing of the whole course. There will be a bar, food outlets, bookmakers and lots of trade stands. The meeting is also hosting an online auction with lots of great racing and hunting-related lots which can be found here: https://www.jumblebee.co.uk/fitzwilliampointtopointauction.
Once again a huge amount of work has gone into preparing the racecourse as we have not seen rain at the venue for some time. Watering has been taking place continuously and will continue right up to the day of racing. All the bends have been moved onto fresh ground.
Saturday’s racing will also finalise any Midlands area Championship points for this season. Dale Peters looks to have the already have the area Leading Rider Championship in the bag, and should add both the Leading Trainer award, as well as the Barthorpe Trophy for the most points by a rider from any area at Midlands fixtures. Dale brings five horses to the meeting.
This meeting hosts two open races, a three-miler for the gentlemen and a two-and-a-half miler for the ladies. Both include an entry by Janika (Rupert Stearn), the six-year-old owned and trained by the Turner family in Suffolk who has been third on his last two outings but won on two occasions before that.
The Sharpe Family Ladies Open sees Killer Clown (Miss D. White) join us from the Beaufort country, carrying over a stone less weight than when he won at Hexham last weekend over the same distance. Molly Legg will ride Young Rich for Gina Andrews, having won a match race last time at Mollington earlier this month. Finally, locally trained Precious Bounty has been very successfully campaigned around the country by Marina Bealby, and will be looking to challenge for the National Novice Riders title which she is currently jointly leading with Clara Brewitt.
Whilst on the subject of Championships, Inchidaly Robin (James King) currently leads the points for Champion PTP Horse. A victory in the Stacks Property Search Mens Open here would certainly create some scoreboard pressure on El Capitaine, also currently on seven wins, before the latter runs on Sunday. Janika also has an entry here for the Turners, and another East Anglian runner, Caryto des Brosses, represents the David Kemp yard and owner John Ridge. “Frenchie” missed out last time in a great finish at Garthorpe to Christian and Geri Horner’s prolific Lift Me Up, but may still start as favourite. Ragnar Lodbrok (Conal Kavanagh), trained by Jennifer Owen, would be a very popular victor, owned as he is by the Whiskey and Water Partnership, some of whose members are local to Dingley. Ecco is the last entry here, trained in Worcestershire by Jessica Nevin for the Smith-Maxwell family and a winner last time out at Tabley in a conditions race.
Both Ecco and Young Rich have entries in the first race of the afternoon, the Boilerjuice PPORA Club Members Conditions race but the favourite here may be Mountain Assault (Dale Peters), a winner here at the last meeting, although not the highest-rated. That honour goes to Bothwell Bridge, trained by Kelly Morgan for the Fernie Dingley Syndicate, who lost out to Largy Pearl, also ridden by Dale Peters, last time out. Another horse sure to be in the frame is Pillar Rock (Jack Andrews) who will be hoping to make it four wins on the bounce for Gina Andrews and The Pop The Cork Syndicate. Master Malcolm (Miss A. Richmond-Watson), trained by Stuart Morris, and Russian Diamond, trained by Francesca Poste, are both entered here too.
The runners and riders for the second race, The Close Family Five Years and Older Restricted Race, have a similar feel, with Jack Andrews, Dale Peters, Stuart Morris, Francesca Post and Kelly Morgan all represented once again. Dale will choose to ride either Maskadam or Inbeforered, both of which he trains for his loyal owners Toby Hunt and Beryl Close. Top rated in this lineup is Can Daddy Dance, owned and trained by Nigel Padfield and ridden by Gina Andrews, but they will carry a 5lb penalty, as will McMurroughs Court (S. Mead), Ping Pong Paddy (Miss F. Lindsay) and Steppingstone, all of whom have won restricted races. Royal Maggs, trained by Jack Teal, recveives the mares allowance and will carry 7lbs less. Jack Andrews will ride Havock for Stuart Morris, a bit disappointing last time when fourth behind Pillar Rock at Garthorpe, and Louise Bevin trains Il Padrino which will be ridden by Ellie Holder. Tony’s Tipple was a popular winner here last time out for Will Thirlby and his fiancée Annabel James and will be hoping to repeat the performance.
After the two open races we have two maiden races, one over three miles with no weight for age allowance, sponsored by Will and George Spencer, and one over two and a half miles kindly sponsored by Meridian Audio.
In the first Just A Joy, Kirsch de Cotte and Validation have all finished second at this level, but keep an eye on Skiffle Man, ridden by James King and trained by Luke Price, sure to win at this level soon.
Validation is also entered in the last, in a field which has little form. Again, Luke Price and James King team up with Jumbo Mills, making his pointing debut. Jack Teal-trained Bryman’s Moon and Drinkupwe’releavin, trained and ridden by Dale Peters, may be others to watch. Jack Andrews rides Stuart Morris-trained Eoin’s Charm.
We would like to thank everybody involved with Point-to-point racing in the Midlands area for their commitment and support this season. We thank the trainers and owners for continuing to send horses to our meetings, thereby supporting the hard work done to prepare the courses on which they run. The volunteers who come out and give up a whole day of their time, for little reward, are the ones who keep pointing running. If Point-to-point racing were no longer a fundraiser of any sort then it is difficult to imagine these volunteers continuing to support a sport for no tangible purpose.
There is much discussion about the fixture list for next season, dependent on Levy Board grants, and the re-classification of some races. We will endeavour to keep you informed throughout the summer months as and when we have any news. At the time of writing a hurried-looking press release has been published which asks more questions than it answers and causes some concern. We have reformatted it and included it here on Midlands Pointing as well.