New players for pointers

THE fast-moving point-to-point trade – buy to run, to sell in an 18-month period ishows no signs of slowing down. New players are even entering the fray. Tom Malone bought the second highest-priced horse at Cheltenham, Envoi Allen, for £400,000, and the purchaser of a young National Hunt horse might have been a surprise to many. And that he will be trained in this country, bought for the Thompsons of Cheveley Park Stud to go to Gordon Elliott.

Fallen heroes

TIME moves fast in racing. The news that Coneygree, brilliant winner of the 2015 Gold Cup would miss the season with a stress fracture surely ends the likelihood of him ever adding to that success. Similarly, the horse who chased him home, Road To Riches, has fallen way down the order, is now only 72 on the Grand National list and looks unlikely to get a run. Only Djakadam has maintained his form, three years later.

ON TWITTER

Liz Kelly@LizDKelly

Today and everyday it is vital to remember that we must look out for those around us. Depression is an illness so easily hidden - it is a responsibility we all have to dig deeper #MentalHealthAwareness #RIPRichardWoollacott

Declan Rix@HawkWing2002

Altior has just beaten a 160 horse on the snaff returning after 287 days off on ground softer than ideal in a race not run to suit. Lol, freakishly good.

Pat Flynn@PatFlynnRacing

We are 4 hours away and that’s with a clear run so if we are in the 9pm it will be close to 10 pm by the time the horse or horses have cooled off. The lads won’t get home until 2pm and then they have to go to their own home. There’s something not right about the whole thing

[The 9 o’clock last race at Dundalk]

Harry Drew@thechop333

Remember when everyone had kittens when they spent £450k on Un Temps Pour Tout.... he’s won a grade 1, 2 festival races and nearly £500k in prize money .... someone has just paid £410k for a horse that has won a point on heavy ground by an unfamiliar sire......