25th January 2016

Don't say you weren't told, abliet, he was short in the market.

I have maintained that the point to point community is in danger of talking itself into a much worse states than it is actually in. If anyone has continued doubts, please allow me to reassure you as to the health of the point to points.

At Cocklebarrow yesterday, there were a massive number of runners and a huge crowd. I’m told that over £12,000 was taken on the gate. Since The Heythrop moved their venue to Cocklebarrow it has grown back to the days of old when it was held on a Tuesday. I grew up with it being a firm date on the calendar and nothing, if ever got in the way of it. The team behind the fixture deserve credit, as do the landowners who have put endless hours and money into improving it year on year. I happen to know the landowners and yesterday a spotty youth told one of them that they shouldn’t be on the course. He now knows who owns the land and was left in no uncertain terms as to who should be where. One thing they might consider is turning the volume down on the tanoid. What I did learn is that, if a point to point is run and marketed properly it works. Masters were on the gate and everyone involved with the hunt played their part. Point to pointing is in a very healthy place based on yesterday. For the time of year, the public entrance fee was correct, £20 a car or £10 sole occupancy. If more point to points made such efforts I’m sure they too would get plenty of people through the gates.  

Village Mystic won the bumper nicely for Willie Mullins at Leopardstown yesterday. He is a horse we found in a field in Sussex. I went and rode him early one Sunday morning and bought him a couple of weeks later. He then won his maiden for us before we sold him to Gigginstown. He showed yesterday, that he has the ability we believed him to have and winning a bumper is a bonus - I wouldn’t have had him down as a bumper horse. It appears that Willie Mullins and Eddie O’Leary agree.

It was typical Monday morning canters for most today. Lamanver Alchemy, Kelsey and Chase End Charlie jumped 8 hurdles. Rebekah Rabbit heads to Leicester tomorrow, she has a good chance and is predicted favourite. We will ride her differently tomorrow and she has a first time tongue tie. Lamanver Alchemy heads to Wetherby and again I think she has a fair chance, she’s back in trip to 2 miles on what will be testing ground. On that ground, I think, at this stage of her life, she’s just not physically strong enough to get home over further.

Sugar Loaf Sholto with Sholto. The horse has been sold to go into training with Kim Bailey and will leave tomorrow.