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Upcoming Point To Points and Hunterchase's

A great day at Horseheath today. Weather perfect, 38 runners in six races and oh yes my racing buddy and I went through the card 😎😎. However the day was marred by the demise of Givega 😢.
Don’t forget there is a livestream PtP meeting from Cocklebarrow tomorrow on You Tube a link on page 2 of this thread 😉
 
jinnyj said:
Cracking day's racing at Larkhill yesterday with big fields (58 runners in total)
I really do love Larkhill. It is an exceptional place for a course with so much space. Big crowd too for a January and loads of trade stands. Plus it was the Royal Artillery meeting so a good number of soldiers there plus they had a stand and were wandering around chatting to the public. Real feel-good day.
The racing was great too with Grace A Vous Enki winning his ninth race there out of 9 visits - clearly loves the place.
Lucas Murphy took advantage of a last fence fall by his market rival and took the Novice Riders (this race has been referred to the BHA though due to wrong weights being published so he could lose that) on the former Pual Nicholls Histrionic. Nicholls was surprised the horse had won as he was considered a bit of a dodgepot in the yard but he won well. Either way Lucas looks to be the star talent within the new jockey ranks and although the fav fell, he was giving his mount some rousting so may have got up to win in any case. He is TImmy Murphy's son and has ridden plenty of Pony Racing winners. He's also quite small for a jockey so I can see weight not being an issue and him turning conditional as soon as his Dad thinks he's ready. He's going in my notebook!
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Timmy Murphy was one of my favourite jockeys. He had an amazing record when riding in bumper races for Fergal O’Brien. Does he still have links with the stable? I think he was Fergals landlord at the time?
 
Well IMO that was a very good livestream they have come on leaps and bounds since their inception a few years ago.
3 winners for Gina Ellis and another winner for Lucas Morgan put up as a jockey to follow by Jinnyj a few weeks ago I believe 😎
 
Both Garthorpe and Askham Bryan are off next weekend Chipley are not yet organised to go again (it's still really wet down here).
 
An amazing entry of 147 at Larkhill this weekend for 7 races. Personally I will be attending Higham for the inaugural PtP of the Hamilton Bloodhounds where 67 entries have been received.
 
Yes should be a really good meeting. Sadly the Troop race isn't going ahead as they have had an outbreak of Ringworm in the Army stables. Huge shame as it's one of the highlights of the card and one that keeps the Army connection very strong there. Actually at the last meeting which was the Royal Artillery, it was packed with members of the Armed forces enjoying a day out at their local track. Sunday's meeting is another that has strong ties being run as the Combined Services meeting.

The Mixed Open is one of the big races of the season, being the Coronation Cup. It was attended by the late Queen in her Coronation year I believe and there is some wonderful video footage of that event on Pathe News. Here is the preview for that race from my colleague, Bob Bracher who covers the Larkhill meetings:

The feature race, The Coronation Gold Cup has attracted a high-quality field of 21 horses
headed by the prolific Larkhill winner Grace A Vous Enki who will be seeking his 10th
consecutive victory at the Wiltshire course. Trained by Chris Barber who is seeking his first
Coronation Gold Cup winner he is very keen to emulate the success of his late grandfather
Richard who trained multiple winners in the 1990s including Fantus, What a Hand and
Brackenfield. It will take a tremendous effort to lower the colours of Grace A Vous Enki who
has looked on top form in his two outings this season. His main potential rival is Gracchus de
Balme who won the Aintree Foxhunters and the Stratford Horse and Hound Cup last season
but is on a retrieval mission after pulling up in a Hunter Chase at Ludlow last month. On his
best form he would give the likely favourite the most to do. Of the others A Jet of Our Own
has already won a competitive Open race at Larkhill but has not run up to that form in his
last two outings. Beacon Edge brings a background of high-quality racing under Rules when
with Gordon Elliott and did win on his debut for new trainer Josh Newman but may find
younger legs too speedy for him. Histrionic and Highstakesplayer were duelling at the last
fence until Ivor Herbert unseated off the last named leaving the Lucas Murphy ridden rival to
coast home. They may fight out for minor honours with Grace A Vous Enki the selection.
 
This weeks upcoming events are:
07/02/26 Higham Hamilton Bloodhounds Pony Racing 11:00 am Point races 12:00 67 entries
08/02/26 Larkhill Combined Services Points races 12:00 147 entries
08/02/26 Friars Haugh Berwickshire Points races 12:30 91 entries

10/02/26 Ffos Las Hunterchase 8 entries
12/02/26 Taunton Hunterchase 15 entries
12/02/26 Leicester Hunterchase (Pointing Pointers Dick And Pam Saunders Novices) 9 entries
13/02/26 Fakenham Hunterchase ........
 
Gordon has just radioed in that Willow Johnson, daughter of Richard has just ridden her first winner, pointing at Higham. Lovely to see them start between the flags. Hope it's the first of many.
 
Only Willow’s second ride and she had to survive a scare at the last when she ranged upside the leader only for her horse to sky it and lost her irons but still managed to ride her horse out to the line and claim victory. I spoke with Dickie in the unsaddling enclosure and said “ you must be very happy” to which he replied and surprised 😎

40 runners today and a good ish crowd given the weather
 
Grace a Vous Enki duly hosed in to take his second Coronation Cup (he's now 10 from 10 on the course). He was damn impressive and really is good enough to contest a hunter chase (previously trained by Paul Nicholls, he was highest rated at 128 and won twice for him adding to 2 wins in France with his previous trainer). So he really wasn't a super star under Rules but has flourished pointing first with Nicky Shepherd and then when moved to Chris Barber (elderly owner lives close to Chris hence the move).

Anyway loads of runner, lots pulled up as it was quite testing going for Larkhill, some very close finishes and what looked like a potential slap for Lucas Murphy who went past me in the last furlong slapping his mount every stride much to the horror of the steward who I was standing next to at the time. She promptly went off to administer a fine!
 
Yes good number of runners, Gordon!

And yes the tanks were a tad irritating. Not sure why they had to play soldiers quite so close to the lorry park considering the fact they have the entirety of Salisbury Plain at their disposal.

Lucas Murphy was hit with a £200 fine - that might sting a bit but possibly not as much as the horse's backside that he was whacking.
 
Gullible said:
Wow Jinny just read that there were 105 runners at Larkhill
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I think there were 94 runners in the end but possibly the 105 came from the number declared. There were some late withdrawals due to ground and also the delays due to a horse being injured.
 
This weeks Hunterchase's
12/02/26 Taunton Hunterchase 7 Runners
12/02/26 Leicester Hunterchase (Pointing Pointers Dick And Pam Saunders Novices) 6 Runners
13/02/26 Fakenham Hunterchase 5 Runners
14/02/26 Haydock The Walrus 15 entries
This weeks Point to Points Sunday 15/02/26
South Dorset Milbourne St Andrews first race 11:00 118 entries
Helmsley Races Duncombe Park first race 12:00 107 entries
Entries that many NH courses would like to be seeing at the moment with possibilities of splits on the day at both meetings !!
A total of 225 entries over both meetings involving 204 different horses. Following on from Larkhill last weekend where out of 147 entries 94 ran (~64%)
 

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