Secretary:   Mrs Susie Old

Contact Details Mob: 07967 589543  / 01258 817101

Email:   susieoldpoint2point@gmail.com

Entries to:   The Point to Point Racing Co Ltd

Entries close:   Monday 11th November 2024 12.30pm

Races: 4 and 5 year old Maiden (2m4f), Mixed Open, Conditions (L3), Restricted, Conditions (L2) Grassroots, Maiden (NWFAA)

First Race:   12.30 pm

ENTRY FEES  £50 per entry per race -   2nd entry same horse £25

Owners entering horses will be issued with 4 individual complimentary e-tickets. (one pass will admit one person)

Free Race Card on declaration.

50% of entry fee non-refundable in the event of abandonment

The Wessex point-to-point season, which consists of 21 planned meetings from November to May opens with the Portman holding their meeting at the popular Badbury Rings course near Wimborne this coming Sunday with the first race scheduled at 12.30pm. The current going report is good but in the absence of any forecast rain consideration will be given to watering the course before Sunday.

The meeting whose headline sponsor is Savills will feature a big screen, trade and food stands, bookmakers and an amazing Silent Auction of over 60 lots. Entry costs are £15 per person with under 16s free.

The feature race of the day is the Mixed Open race for which a quality entry has been received. Course specialist Another Furlough from Harry Ryall’s stable may make his seasonal debut in this race and having won at the course for the last two seasons he should certainly be on the short list. I K Brunel is the model of consistency winning two of his five starts last season and will be the mount of last season’s lady champion rider Izzy Hill and is another to consider. One for Rosie is a class act and won his last two races but he might find one or two of his younger rivals too good for him. An intriguing entry is Saint Calvados rated as high as over 160 in his heyday when trained by Paul Nicholls and last seen running in France. Now trained by his former trainer Harry Whittington he will be a first ride in point to points for his owner David Maxwell since 2018. Another Furlough is chosen in an open looking race.

The meeting begins with a two and half Maiden race for four- and five-year-olds where there is little form to go on. Tom Malone’s representative Blazing Force unplaced in a Maiden in Ireland should be considered along with the once raced Blue Topaz trained by Fran Poste. The ex-Irish Shikantsen Enki owned by Robert Fear and Andrew Ham and trained from his new Hereford base by Chris Barber has the advantage of a race in Ireland last month and this may prove decisive. Mention should be made of Lady Kloppenheim who will be making her debut over fences having run in a Bumper last season. She should be watched with interest.

The Conditions race for Grassroots Riders who have ridden less than 20 winners also contains an entry for Another Furlough and if this race is chosen, he will be the selection. Of his potential rivals Precious Bounty looks the main danger. He already had an outing at Knightwick last weekend and ought to come on for that race if he runs again. Harry Ryall has also entered My Lucky Star; the winner of a Maiden at Larkhill last season and she is one to follow during the season.

The Conditions race which follows does contain entries for both One For Rosie and Saint Calvados and this race may be an easier option than the Mixed Open. The ex-Dan Skelton trained My Drogo now with Ed Walker is an interesting prospect for point to points. The winner of four Hurdle races and a Chase he will hopefully be rejuvenated by a drop in class and with the likely assistance of Will Biddick he looks the answer to this race.

The Restricted race may go to Bushtucker Park who easily won a Restricted race at Holnicote last season and has a good partnership with champion jockey James King and trainer Julie Wadland. She will be hard to beat but Calidad has been running in better races and may find this drop in class to his liking. Bruce Gobbler from the already in form stable of Josh Newman won a Maiden at Upcott Cross and Assassins Lullaby who caused an upset also at Upcott Cross might fight out the minor places.e which concludes the card may give Dorset Dazzler the chance to break his duck. Placed on his final two outings he may emulate his brother who won the course last season. Crouching Tiger trained by Sally Alner who was runner up at Peper Harrow in May is another to consider. The ex-Irish Blazing Force and Snap Fish may be the unknown factors in this race and it would be no surprise if either of these proved to be too good for the form horses from last season.

First Race 12,30pm . Badbury Rings is 4miles NW of Wimborne on B3082 Postcode DT11 9JL

Race 1:            4 & 5 year old Maiden 2m4f 

1^st         Lady Kloppenheim

2^nd        Shikantsen Enki

3^rd        Bigforyourboots 

Runners:          3                      Distances:        9l, 3l                            Time: 5m 18s

Race 2:            Conditions (Level 2) Grass Roots 

1^st         Precious Bounty

2^nd        Doctor Doyen

3^rd        Blast of Koeman 

Runners:          3                      Distances:        40l, 3l                          Time: 6m 22s

Race 3:            Conditions (Level 3) 

1^st         Southfield Lily

2^nd        Dorset Diamond

3^rd        

Runners:          2                      Distances:        25l, l                            Time: 6m 06s

Race 4:            Mixed Open 

1^st         Another Furlough

2^nd       

3^rd        

Runners:          2                      Distances:        l, l                                Time: 6m 27s

Race 5:            Restricted 

1^st         Assassins Lullaby

2^nd        My lucky Star

3^rd        Calidad 

Runners:          6                      Distances:        1l, 3/4l                         Time: 6m 16s

Race 6:            Maiden (NWFAA) 

1^st         Snap Fish

2^nd        Dorset Dazzler

3^rd       

 Runners:          4                      Distances:        40l, l                            Time: 6m 16s

N/A

A good crowd attended Badbury Rings on Sunday when the Portman held their annual point to point. The weather remained dry and although the anticipated going put off a number of prospective runners it was reported by several riders that it was safe raceable going and that the watering had made a difference. On the course it was an excellent day for trainer Harry Ryall with three individual winners and a second with his other runner and a treble for his jockey Robbie David. It will also be a day that Marina Bealby will not forget as she rode her first ever winner.

Harry and Robbie started their memorable day when Lady Kloppenheim secured a comfortable victory over market rival Shikantsen Enki ridden by Ed Doggrell in the 2 and a half Maiden race. Making her fencing debut having run in one Bumper race last season she warmed to her task and Robbie reported that ‘the faster she went she jumped better’. He had been very confident that she would win this race and had told Harry that ‘defeat was out of the question’. Owned by the Jolly Boys who had previously owned Douglas Longbottom it is likely that they will be looking for her to go to the sales. Bought by Conor Houlihan at the sales in August 2023 as a 3-year-old Harry advised that he was on a boat in Marbella when the hammer fell!

The Conditions race for Grass Roots Riders turned into a procession when Precious Bounty made all the running to beat his two rivals by a distance. This was a real family success for the Bealby family as the gelding is owned by Annabel Bealby , trained by her husband Ashley and ridden by their daughter Marina. Previously trained by Kelly Morgan and ridden last season by Ellie Callwood he had been acquired by the Bealbys for Marina to ride as a schoolmaster. Marina, 26, was having her seventh ride in point to points and she was thrilled with this success. She works as an Executive Assistant at a Private Equity company in London but rides out for Nicky Henderson a couple of days a week.

Southfield Lily continued her good record at Badbury when easily accounting for her sole rival in the Conditions race. This was her third course victory and she does have a good partnership with Lily Bradstock who is the only one who can go into her box in her stable. She made a bad mistake at the second last which Lily did well to sit but other than this the race was always in her control. Watched by her proud owner Angela Yeoman, this was another winner for the dam Chamoss Royale who also produced the prolific Southfield Theatre. Lily continued her good form by winning the Amateur Riders Hurdle at Plumpton on Monday on Smugglers Haven.

Another easy winner was Another Furlough who finished alone in the Mixed Open race after his sole rival Len Brennan had fallen at the fourth last fence when looking held. However this does not tell the story of the race as Another Furlough’s jumping was becoming more erratic and he went violently to the left at the final three fences. Robbie reported that his mount had not enjoyed making most of the running and ‘trying to keep him straight became more and more difficult’. Having now won the last three Portman meetings he is a real Badbury specialist and is the star of Harry’s stable near Crewkerne, Somerset.

The Restricted race was the most dramatic race of the day with the outsider Ruith Le Tu setting off at a furious pace until headed by Calidad ridden by Izzie Hill who looked like he had stolen the race after favourite Bushtucker Park capsized at the third last. However Calidad weakened approaching the last and on the run in . was passed by both the winner Assassins Lullaby ridden by Jack Stenhouse and My Lucky Star ridden by Will Higgs and trained by Harry Ryall having his first ever ride. Assassins Lullaby trained by Janet Ackner on Exmoor was showing that his success at Upcott Cross last season was not a fluke and she explained that having treated him for ulcers he is a different horse. Janet hopes that he will make up into a proper stayer and will be looking for a Conditions race over 3 and a half miles next.  Jack who works for Linda Blackford was riding his second career victory and described his mount as ‘a very game horse’

Robbie and Harry brought up their respective trebles when Snap Fish easily won the concluding Maiden race. Bought for 15K at Doncaster in May he had shown good form in Irish Maiden races and was confidently expected to open his account for the Harry Ryall Racing Syndicate. He looks like one to follow as he progresses through the grades during the season. Robbie, 29, was riding his first ever treble, having never ridden a double before. Reminding him of his first victory in 2014 at Holnicote for Liz Scott aboard Took My Eye he then spent several years working and riding in Australia before joining Harry Ryall as his stable jockey in 2022. The partnership goes from strength to strength and will be a feature of the Wessex new season.