Point-to-Point
- Thread starter Roheryn
- Start date
I went to a point-to-point meeting once & it seemed just like steeplechasing. There were bookmakers, the horses looked like full TB racehorses, the jockeys wore silks - I think they were all amateur riders though. The main thing I recall was how terrifying it looked, they seemed to go at full racing pace but the fences didn't look as wide as normal national hunt fences, so the horses really bunched up.
There usually full TB, racer type.
we had an ex point-to-point for a while..
you could really tell out on hacks
The horse has to be full TB, Weatherby's registered, and to qualify to race in a point-to-point (organised by hunts) it has to have hunted 4 times in the season. The owner has to be a member of the hunt, and to ride in a race the jockey needs a Rider's Qualification Certificate issued by the British Horseracing Authority.
Confusing isn't it! I always thought it was just a lower level/precurser to National Hunt racing.
There's more info on these sites:
www.ppora.co.uk
www.point-to-point.co.uk
There's more info on these sites:
www.ppora.co.uk
www.point-to-point.co.uk
It is now very professional with the best horses coming out of training yards. At the lowest level you can compete in the Members race at your hunt meet, or restricted adjacent hunt races but the real racing goes on in the 'Open' category for which people travel around the country.
Back in the 1960's it was a lot more amaturish, I used to exercise pointers for the lady who taught me while excorting out RS rides! All were out of training from TB sales. Mind you 'hunting' them was a case of sit tight until the Master had seen you and then put them quickly back on the lorry.
Back in the 1960's it was a lot more amaturish, I used to exercise pointers for the lady who taught me while excorting out RS rides! All were out of training from TB sales. Mind you 'hunting' them was a case of sit tight until the Master had seen you and then put them quickly back on the lorry.
Thanks, everyone!
I will check out those sites you posted links to, molly34. I looked at a couple of others last night and got the idea it's sort of like eml said it is now, whereas I was thinking it was more like it was as eml said in the 1960s or even before, where you hunted a horse in hunting season and raced in PTPs in the off-season or on off-days when there wasn't any hunting.
This has given me a clearer picture of what Adam Lindsay Gordon was saying in "How We Beat the Favourite," where he writes,
"He calls 'hunted fairly' a horse that has barely
Been stripp'd for a trot within sight of the hounds ..."
(one of my favorite poems, here--)
http://www.middlemiss.org/lit/authors/gordonal/poetry/webeatfav.html
Where I grew up we obviously didn't have point-to-points (had we, I might've known what they are), but we did have hunter horse shows where some of the people showed the horses they hunted. Nowadays we have something called "hunter-jumper" where apparently almost none of the horses or riders actually hunt, and don't even ride outside courses at the shows, but just do low fences in a ring. I guess there are two extremes here--horses that "hunt" but really only race, and "hunters" that only show and never hunt.
I will check out those sites you posted links to, molly34. I looked at a couple of others last night and got the idea it's sort of like eml said it is now, whereas I was thinking it was more like it was as eml said in the 1960s or even before, where you hunted a horse in hunting season and raced in PTPs in the off-season or on off-days when there wasn't any hunting.
This has given me a clearer picture of what Adam Lindsay Gordon was saying in "How We Beat the Favourite," where he writes,
"He calls 'hunted fairly' a horse that has barely
Been stripp'd for a trot within sight of the hounds ..."
(one of my favorite poems, here--)
http://www.middlemiss.org/lit/authors/gordonal/poetry/webeatfav.html
Where I grew up we obviously didn't have point-to-points (had we, I might've known what they are), but we did have hunter horse shows where some of the people showed the horses they hunted. Nowadays we have something called "hunter-jumper" where apparently almost none of the horses or riders actually hunt, and don't even ride outside courses at the shows, but just do low fences in a ring. I guess there are two extremes here--horses that "hunt" but really only race, and "hunters" that only show and never hunt.
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Hope this help: My best friend is a point to point jockey and My Mother has shares in a few horses:
Point-to-Point racing is steeplechasing for amateurs. It is run under the sanction and regulations of the British Horseracing Authority while each Meeting is run at a local level by a Hunt or recognised Point-to-Point Club.
The season runs from December to June and there are over 200 fixtures each season, with the majority being held at weekends. The majority of races are run over 3 miles with a minimum of 18 fences to be jumped. However, there are a few longer races (up to 4 miles) and a number of 2 ½ mile races for maidens.
A large number of riders, owners, trainers and officials all received their first taste of racing from Point-to-Points. The sport encourages and educates young jockeys in race-riding as recent examples Joe Tizzard, Tom Scudamore, Mark Bradburne, Ben Hitchcott and Richard Johnson illustrate, all having made the transition from Point-to-Points to National Hunt racing with considerable success.
Likewise many horses that started their racing careers in Point-to-Points graduate to the highest level of National Hunt racing. Recent graduates include:
Ad Hoc (winner - 2001 Whitbread Gold Cup)
See More Business (winnner - 1999 Cheltenham Gold Cup, 1997 & 1999 King George VI Chase, 1999 & 2000 Charlie Hall Chase, 2000 Aon Chase, 2000 Martell Cup, 2001 Pillar Property Chase)
Teeton Mill (winner - 1998 King George VI Chase, 1998 Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup, 1999 Mitsubishi Shogun Ascot Chase)
Cool Dawn (winner - 1998 Cheltenham Gold Cup)
Harwell Lad (winner - 1997 Whitbread Gold Cup)
Coome Hill (winner - 1996 Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup).
In addition, Best Mate, the winner of the 2002, 2003 and 2004 Cheltenham Gold Cups, started his career point-to-pointing in Ireland.
Point-to-Point racing is steeplechasing for amateurs. It is run under the sanction and regulations of the British Horseracing Authority while each Meeting is run at a local level by a Hunt or recognised Point-to-Point Club.
The season runs from December to June and there are over 200 fixtures each season, with the majority being held at weekends. The majority of races are run over 3 miles with a minimum of 18 fences to be jumped. However, there are a few longer races (up to 4 miles) and a number of 2 ½ mile races for maidens.
A large number of riders, owners, trainers and officials all received their first taste of racing from Point-to-Points. The sport encourages and educates young jockeys in race-riding as recent examples Joe Tizzard, Tom Scudamore, Mark Bradburne, Ben Hitchcott and Richard Johnson illustrate, all having made the transition from Point-to-Points to National Hunt racing with considerable success.
Likewise many horses that started their racing careers in Point-to-Points graduate to the highest level of National Hunt racing. Recent graduates include:
Ad Hoc (winner - 2001 Whitbread Gold Cup)
See More Business (winnner - 1999 Cheltenham Gold Cup, 1997 & 1999 King George VI Chase, 1999 & 2000 Charlie Hall Chase, 2000 Aon Chase, 2000 Martell Cup, 2001 Pillar Property Chase)
Teeton Mill (winner - 1998 King George VI Chase, 1998 Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup, 1999 Mitsubishi Shogun Ascot Chase)
Cool Dawn (winner - 1998 Cheltenham Gold Cup)
Harwell Lad (winner - 1997 Whitbread Gold Cup)
Coome Hill (winner - 1996 Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup).
In addition, Best Mate, the winner of the 2002, 2003 and 2004 Cheltenham Gold Cups, started his career point-to-pointing in Ireland.
have a look at this link http://www.britishhorseracing.com/inside_horseracing/about/whatwedo/point_to_point/Point_to_Point_Brief_History.pdf
This is about the history
This is about the history
newrider.com