Ilona Barnett, Fixture Secretary to the prestigious International fixture at Barbury, has been elected to the post of Chair of the Point-to-Point Secretaries Association, which also offers a seat on the sport's governing body, the Point-to-Point Authority, to represent the interests of the various 170 or so fixtures across the UK.
The International fixture, a brainchild of David Minton and leading owner and former owner of the Barbury Estate, Nigel Bunter, pioneered the opportunity for Irish horses and riders to compete against their British counterparts in the UK. A lesser known aspect of the event has been the ability of British trainers to run horses at the same fixture, which will come into sharp focus this year, given that the time needed to elapse since their previous run under Rules will reduce from 56 to 28 days.
Ilona is steeped in Pointing, acting as a steward at Cottenham, Mollington, Cocklebarrow and Andoversford, where she also supports Fixture Secretary Peter McNeile in commercial matters. She has been fixture secretary for the Warwickshire, and is now Area Secretary for the South Midlands Area, which strectches from Cirencester to Northampton. Her day job is as General Manager for the highly successful Stratford Racecourse, original pioneer of summer Jump racing.
Barnett says: "I am delighted to have been appointed the new PPSA chair. I look forward to working with a great committee who are all very passionate and committed to making point to pointing a success. The next few years are going to be challenging for the whole country not just racing and point to pointing, and I very much look forward to helping our sport thrive and flourish."
Next season's calendar faces many challenges as racing is squeezed by economic circumstances and the challenges of social distancing protocols. The benefits of having a seasoned professional manager representing our interests at the highest level will never be more timely or useful.
Ilona Barnett, Fixture Secretary to the prestigious International fixture at Barbury, has been elected to the post of Chair of the Point-to-Point Secretaries Association, which also offers a seat on the sport's governing body, the Point-to-Point Authority, to represent the interests of the various 170 or so fixtures across the UK.
The International fixture, a brainchild of David Minton and leading owner and former owner of the Barbury Estate, Nigel Bunter, pioneered the opportunity for Irish horses and riders to compete against their British counterparts in the UK. A lesser known aspect of the event has been the ability of British trainers to run horses at the same fixture, which will come into sharp focus this year, given that the time needed to elapse since their previous run under Rules will reduce from 56 to 28 days.
Ilona is steeped in Pointing, acting as a steward at Cottenham, Mollington, Cocklebarrow and Andoversford, where she also supports Fixture Secretary Peter McNeile in commercial matters. She has been fixture secretary for the Warwickshire, and is now Area Secretary for the South Midlands Area, which strectches from Cirencester to Northampton. Her day job is as General Manager for the highly successful Stratford Racecourse, original pioneer of summer Jump racing.
Barnett says: "I am delighted to have been appointed the new PPSA chair. I look forward to working with a great committee who are all very passionate and committed to making point to pointing a success. The next few years are going to be challenging for the whole country not just racing and point to pointing, and I very much look forward to helping our sport thrive and flourish."
Next season's calendar faces many challenges as racing is squeezed by economic circumstances and the challenges of social distancing protocols. The benefits of having a seasoned professional manager representing our interests at the highest level will never be more timely or useful.
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