THE 2016/17 point-to-point campaign in Britain kicks off with two meetings tomorrow at Black Forest Lodge in Devon and Cottenham in Cambridgeshire. Apart from a two-week break for Christmas, it will run until Saturday, June 17th when the Torrington Farmers close the season at Umberleigh, back in Devon.

An increasing number of young British point-to-point winners have been going on to success on the track in recent years and, in the past week alone, there were several, some of whom were Irish-bred. Among those to catch the eye was Black Valentine who, partnered by the multiple British champion rider Will Biddick, won his maiden over two and a half miles as even-money favourite at Littlewindsor in April.

Saddled for his only start between the flags by champion point-to-point trainer Jack Barber, the five-year-old Stowaway gelding, who was bred by Martin Kealy out of the Supreme Leader mare Kavolan, is now in the care of Paul Nicholls.

The bay also made a winning start to his track career when landing the two-mile, six-furlong novices’ hurdle last Thursday at Wincanton where, as 11/10 favourite, he won by a length from the Taylorstown runner-up, Clondaw Shane.

Now owned by Dermot Desmond and trained by Tom Lacey, the four-year-old Flemensfirth gelding Kimberlite Candy followed up his two and a half-mile Woodford maiden debut win last April by claiming the National Hunt maiden hurdle over a similar trip at Ascot on Friday.

Another making his racecourse debut, the bay was bred by Martin and Leonard O’Hanlon out of the winning Be My Native mare Mandys Native, dam of, among others, the Kayf Tara geldings Alfie Sheerin and Hawkes Point.