Secretary:   Mr James H Young

Address:   Ford Farm Burley Road Brockenhurst Hants SO42 7TB

Contact Details Tel: 01590 622515   Mob: 07771 540919

 Email:   james@fordfarmstables.co.uk

Entries Secretary:   As above

Entries to:  The Entries Secretary or The Point to Point Racing Co Ltd (www.pointtopointentries.co.uk )

Entries close:   Monday 21st March 2022 12.30pm

Races:   Wessex & South Midlands Areas Conditions (Level 3), 6 yrs+ Maiden, Mixed Open 3m 6f, Young Maiden 4 &5yrs (2m4f)), Restricted, PPORA Members Conditions (Novice Riders) (Level 2)

First Race:   12.30pm

The curtain falls on Larkhill for the last time this season as the final meeting, the New Forest Hounds, takes place on Sunday. This is the seventh meeting at the busiest point to point course in the country and the course has coped well with all of races run since November. The current going is reported as good and with the weather seemingly set fair for the weekend the opportunity should not be missed to enjoy the wide open spaces of Larkhill as spring starts and the skylarks will be soaring in the sky. There is a charity race at 11.30 and after the 6 point to point races there will be two pony races sponsored by Fortune College.

The feature race, the Southwick Court Fine Wines sponsored Mixed Open, has attracted a total of nine horses and of these Rose of Arcadia stands out. The mare has looked very impressive in her two victories so far at Badbury Rings and Charlton Horethorne and despite a 3 pound penalty this should not stop her. Of her potential rivals another mare Country Legend is in good form having scored at Milborne St Andrew last weekend but she might be rerouted to the Conditions race. Igor won a Mixed Open at the course in December but has not maintained his form. Envoye Special from Chris Barber’s stable has been running in Hunter Chases and seems to find three miles at the extreme of his stamina. Rhythm Is A Dancer was runner up to Maitree Express in the Coronation Gold Cup but did not enjoy the softer going at Charlton Horethorne. Sixteen Letters is another course winner but holds other entries whereas Story of Friends was second at Cothelstone in Conditions race for Tom Malone but has now changed hands since that run.

The meeting begins with the LeMieux sponsored Conditions race where both Country Legend and Sixteen Letters hold entries. Freddie Gingell who would partner Rose of Arcadia in the Mixed Open holds a strong chance in this race with Molineaux who has already won three races this season and was caught on the line at Cothelstone on his last outing. He may be too good for his rivals. Golden Poet has been running well for Alice Procter and Coco Live is another who runs well at Larkhill. Arcal Fifty who is now at the veteran stage is a course regular and it would be good to see him in the mix at the finish. Drumlee Getaway won a Restricted race at Cocklebarrow but this is a steep rise in class for him.

The Landford Estates sponsored Maiden for 6 year old and upward feature several horses who have already been placed at Larkhill this season. These include Mighty Altogether who was runner up to Kauto No Risk in February and a repeat of that performance might be good enough. Spectacular Rival and Mithmaar were second and third behind Special Buddy over 2 and a half miles in February and as there was only a neck between them another close finish may be on the cards. Party Town from the stable of Charlie and Fran Poste may prefer the better going than he found when falling at the third last at Charlton Horethorne. The six year old Do No More boasts some fairly uninspiring form from nine races in Ireland but now in the capable hands of Luke Price who had a winner with another ex-Irish gelding on Sunday he might be one to look out for.

GPG Law sponsor the Maiden race for 4 and 5 year olds over two and a half miles. Springtown Sal trained by Bradley Gibbs brings place form from her last race in Ireland in December and she looks the one to beat. No Risk with Lou was not disgraced on his debut over fences at Great Trethew whereas the four year old Doyen Quest by Doyen is a full brother to a winning pointer and is in the capable hands of Tom Weston. 

The Restricted race may see a quick reappearance for Captain Mc who made all under Martin McIntyre to win at Ston Easton on Sunday. Bought privately out of Noel Meade’s yard he boasted some useful Hurdle form and could run up a sequence. WhotheMan won his Maiden at Higham and was then fourth at Kingston Blount and with Bradley Gibbs stable in good form this could be another winner for him. Cashmoll was third behind Arcal Fifty at the course in February whereas Ballymac Boy has been placed three times in Restricted races and if travelling from his Northern base he should be considered.

The meeting concludes with the Conditions race for Novice Riders for which entries for Coco Live and Golden Poet are held and are mentioned above. Monsieur Gibraltar won a similar race at Ston Easton and if declared again he will take some beating. Lillington represents Colin Tizzard and Freddie Gingell and they will be hoping that the better ground produces a better performance than that at Charlton Horethorne. Slievegar has already won at Larkhill but his form since has been disappointing. Rien Du Tout is another who may appreciate the better going whereas the well-bred Foreign Secretary who has switched across the Irish Sea is another in the hands of Luke Price and his English pointing debut should be noted.

Larkhill Racecourse is to be found 5m NW of Amesbury, Nr A303, A345 and A360 – Postcode SP4 8QR. .  First race 12.30pm  Etickets from   www.pointingwessex.co.uk Entry Costs on race day £12.50 per person by cash or card, race cards £3, children go free 

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A glorious sunny spring day attracted a decent crowd to Larkhill for their closing meeting of the current season. A modest entry meant that there was likely to be small fields and so it proved with a walk over and a void race from the six planned races. Enterprisingly the organisers arranged an impromptu dog show in place of the void race and this was well received. On the racecourse itself it was a day of firsts for all of the winners in different ways and a dramatic finish to the feature race the Mixed Open.

Alice Procter began the day seeking her first ever winner and she had the task of walking over in the Conditions race aboard Golden Poet to achieve this. Alice, 19, has been riding in point to points for a couple of seasons and has been working for trainer and owner of Golden Poet Keiran Burke since September on a full time basis at Whitcombe. She is hoping to get her Category B license which would enable her to ride in Amateur Riders races under rules and Keiran indicated that some of his owners were hoping she would soon achieve the required number of rides as they would like her to ride for them. Alice is the daughter of Doug and Lucy Procter who run the Glanvilles Stud where Honeysuckle was bred.

She rounded off the day by riding the same horse to win the Novice Riders race beating her sole rival Coco Live by a distance. Keiran joked that this was his first training double with a horse he had acquired in 2019 but had not been able to win a race with under Rules. He jumped very well for Alice and had the race in his keeping from a long way from the finish.

The biggest field of the day of six runners took part in the Open Maiden for six year olds and upwards. Spectacular Rival led from the second fence and jumping very boldly he had his rivals in trouble from three fences from home. Owned by Dave Ellis and trained by Heidi Brookshaw at Market Drayton in Shropshire their long journey which started at 7.00am will not have seemed as long on the way home. Bought as a 3 year old store horse he has taken his time to develop but relished the faster going. Sadly his owner was not present to see the victory as he runs the Castle Inn at Bletchley near Market Drayton and being Mother’s Day he could not get away. Heidi advised that this was her first winner for two years and she then followed up at Ludlow on Monday when Bletchley Castle in the same ownership won the Hunter Chase.

His rider Daniel Kyne, 23, was riding his first ever winner at Larkhill having ridden a double at Parham the day before. Based in Lambourn but originally from Galway he has been in England for a couple of years and is currently working for Mark Grant. However Heidi was quick to praise his commitment as he comes up to Shropshire once a week to ride work although he had never sat on this gelding who is normally Tommie O’Brien’s ride.

The Mixed Open was a match between Igor ridden by Alice Stevens and Story of Friends ridden by George Hiscock. Igor made most of the running with his rival sitting behind until Story of Friends made a mistake at the third last. George battled back and by the last fence had taken the lead but Igor was not to be denied and in a driving finish they flashed past the post together with the judge even with the aid of the iPad unable to split them and declared a dead heat.  Robert Waley- Cohen had been concerned about the going but his gelding seemed to handle the conditions. He added he had never been involved in a dead heat before.

Syd Hosie, the owner of Story of Friends, was recording his first ever winner as an owner/trainer. Based at Holwell near Sherborne he had bought the gelding from Garth and Anne Broom before he ran at Cothelstone where he had finished the runner up behind Rio Quinto ridden by George Hiscock. George thought that he was going to win until the mistake at the third last but he stayed on strongly until joined on the line.

The Restricted race was another match and this proved to be another winner, Ballymac Boy, from Shropshire this time trained by Caroline Robinson and ridden by her daughter Immy. She tracked her rival Captain Mc ridden by George Hiscock for much of the race until taking it up at the final ditch and maintained a two lengths lead at the winning post. Owned by long- time supporter of the stable David Heys, Caroline advised this was her first ever Larkhill winner after trying for a number of years and it was Immy’s first winner at the course as well. Fresh from her victory at Overton in Scotland the day before Immy had travelled back home and then made the long trip to Wiltshire to bring up a memorable weekend. She is already looking forward to riding The Dellercheckout at Aintree over the famous fences next week where her mother as Caroline Beasley famously triumphed aboard Eliogarty.