Worcester has always been a popular track to introduce a novice to chasing, with no quirks - straightforward, orthodox design with wide bends and nicely presented fences. Small wonder that despite its other manifold shortcomings, trainers bring youngsters to earn their confidence around the course.  In Hang In There, Emma Lavelle has one such. ALready a horse with a growing reputation over h...

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The Grand National is undoubtedly one of horseracing’s global highlights, a heady mix of high stakes racing, big gambles and gor blimey Liverpool fashion. Without exception, the result always produces a back story to force its way on to the front pages of the Sunday papers. But look around, and you will find copycat events everywhere, from regional staying chases like the Midlands Grand Nat...

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Sarah Bradstock can look back on the Point-to-Point season just concluded with a fair degree of satisfaction. The young rider, who acts as assistant to father Mark at their yard outside Wantage, has enjoyed the sort of season riders dream of, notching up eight winners on the old evergreen, Southfield Theatre.  Starting just 5 fixtures into the new season, Lily and Southfield Theatre scored e...

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Mark Todd is best known as a supreme equestrian, winner of 5 Badminton Horse Trials, another 4 Burghleys, and a clutch of Olympic medals over a 33 year career in Eventing. However, the Wanborough horseman grew up wanting to be a jockey, and after his first retirement in 2002, he realized that ambition through becoming a professional trainer.  His second season, back in New Zealand, was punct...

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David Christie was the toast of Stratford on Friday night, capturing two of the sport's most prestigious prizes for the Point-to-Point community on the country's most valuable night of hunter chases. The County Fermanagh trainer showed a clean pair of heels to his British counterparts in the last of the three British Foxhunter chases and the Novice Championship. As if to re-inforce the fixtu...

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Regular visitors to Barbury need little introduction to Charlotte Fuller, a stalwart of the Vine & Craven Hunt and its Barbury fixture, and a professional trainer in her own right.  Charlotte has trained 13 Point-to-Point winners, the most recent of which was Winter Holiday at Knightwick at the start of the season. But during last year, she also took out a professional licence with a vie...

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SARAH Rippon was thrilled to land the JM Finn Tedworth Gold Cup Mixed Open for a second time as Sonneofpresenting produced an exhibition round of jumping at the Tedworth Hunt meeting at Barbury Racecourse on Sunday. Sent off the 9-4 outsider of three for the 50th anniversary of the 3m 6f contest, the 12-year-old gelding led his rivals a merry dance after jumping to the front at the third fence un...

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Tom & Gina Ellis secured their largest triumph when prevailing in a tight finish to the Randox Foxhunter Chase over Aintree's imposing fences earlier this afternoon.  The 18 fences of the Foxhunter, whose magnificent trophy of a near full size fox should prevent any politically correct removal of the title of the race, are the ultimate challenge for the amateur riders who are the core of...

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Somerset trainer Sam Loxton is hoping the ground will be suitable to let Virak take his chance in the JM Finn Tedworth Gold Cup Mixed Open at the Tedworth Hunt meeting at Barbury, near Marlborough, this Sunday. Clerk of the course John White reported on Tuesday that the going was Good to Firm, Good in places. "The main thing is the ground hasn't been raced on for three years, so there is a good g...

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On a day where British spirits were lifted by stellar performances in the first 3 races, Edwardstone marked his arrival in the top flight with an assured win in the Sportinglife Arkle Trophy to be crowned champion novice chaser over the minimum trip. After victories in the Henry VIII and Kingmaker Chases, the 8 year old was sent off a warm favourite in the 11 runner field, and was given a confide...

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It's been a while since Alan King fielded a favourite for the Festival, but in Edwardstone, he carries the hopes of not just those at Barbury in redeeming the tarnished reputation of British-trained elite chasers.  Following in the traditions of the man who taught him, one David Nicholson, King has always supported Warwick with runners. In fact, it was horses of Edwardstone's calibre 30 year...

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There will be fewer sweeter winners for Emma Lavelle than Paisley Park's third Cleeve Hurdle victory at Cheltenham on Saturday, the conclusion of a terrific January which has seen 7 winners. But for odds-in-running punters, you would have written the former Stayers Hurdle winner off 6 minutes earlier. The naysayers have been sounding the retirement bell for Paisley Park since his run at Wetherby ...

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Emma Lavelle has enjoyed an excllentr start to 2022, continuing the resurgence of a yard with history of big winners over many generations. The Ogbourne Maizey yard has fired in 4 winners in the last 11 days, with plenty of near misses along the way too. Emma and partner Barry make a formidable and unassuming team to bring the glory days back to a yard well used to hosting top flight winners. A cr...

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Ascot's pre-Christmas two day fixture has grown over the years in stature, but today's card was on a par with what we can expect at Kempton over Christmas - truly a superb range of races and highly competitive with it. In a way that only Ascot can achieve, it stages a very valuable card with seemingly no effort. You find yourself asking how they would approach the King George meeting  if they...

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MARCLE Ridge gave trainer Lucy Smith a timely tonic with a gutsy display to record back-to-back wins in the Alan King Racing Mixed Open at the Barbury International Racing Club meeting on Sunday. The nine-year-old landed the feature race at Barbury Racecourse, near Marlborough, 12 months ago in impressive fashion when trained by Sam Jukes, who is now pursuing new ventures in Denmark. This time th...

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MARCLE Ridge is reported to be in fine fettle as he bids to repeat last year's impressive win at the Barbury International Racing Club meeting at Barbury on Sunday, writes Russell Smith. The nine-year-old, trained then by Sam Jukes, produced a terrific front-running performance in the Alan King Racing Mixed Open under Hannah Lewis to storm home by 11 lengths from Tuff Nano with 2019 winner, The D...

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Barbury-based trained Alan King will be looking forward to the Arkle Trophy at the Cheltenham Festival next March with his exciting novice chaser Edwardstone. The bay gelding won his opening Grade One contest over fences in the Close Brothers Henry VIII Novices’ Chase. King’s runner was held up patiently by his rider, Tom Cannon, in the early stages of the two-mile contest. Once the r...

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Both Kings of the Marlborough downland have been in the Winner's Enclosure this weekend after some successful foraging at Sandown, Aintree and Huntingdon.  Yesterday, Alan King produced his first Grade I Jumps winner since Sceau Royal won the same race four years ago, when Edwardstone ran the legs out of Third Time Lucki in the Henry VIII Chase at Sandown. On winter ground, his economical st...

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The first South Midlands Area meeting of the new point-to-point season is taking place on Sunday 12th December, with the first race at 11.30am. Clerk of the Course John White reported on Wednesday that the going is currently Good. The weather forecast between now and race day is for mostly dry, cold weather with some sunshine and light rain showers.The going report will be updated prior to the cl...

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Irish Thoroughbred Marketing is to continue its support of the innovative International Point-to-Point at Barbury on Sunday December 12, as the fixture, and venue, recover from the pandemic. The eponymous promoter of Irish-bred horses will lend its name to two races designed to emphasize the growing emergence of quality young horses in the UK Point-to-Point business model. The Irish Thoroughbred ...

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