THE drying ground had a major effect on the number of runners at the two point-to-points held in Britain last Sunday, particularly so at Larkhill where no horses were declared for the four- and five-year-old maiden and there was a walkover in the mixed open.

In total, there were just 20 runners from an entry of 63 on the firm ground at this sole Larkhill fixture of the spring season with four of the five winners being Irish-bred.

That quartet included the 13-year-old Dr Massini gelding Spencer Moon who walked-over under Will Biddick for the Luke Price yard.

Price’s father Kieran had earlier given James King a win in the two-mile bumper for four-, five- and six-year-olds where all five runners were making their debuts.

King scored by eight lengths on Best Pal, a 2017 Soldier Of Fortune gelding out of Shapely Shadow (by Heron Island).

Co Meath’s Martin McIntyre finished second there and in the eight-runner Intermediate where the Alan Hill-trained winner, Captiva Island, was ridden by Co Galway native, Tommie O’Brien.

There were just three starters in the older horses’ maiden which was won by the Tim Sleath-trained six-year-old My Little Cecil (by Winged Love – Sacred Isle, by Helissio) who, on his second start, provided 16-year-old Daniel Ellis with his third win from just six rides.

Hill and rider Izzie Marshall were on the mark twice at High Easter where there were five Irish-bred winners on the seven-race card, including the seven-year-old Gold Well gelding Normofthenorth who brought up the Hill/Marshall double in the intermediate.

Double

Tom Ellis consolidated his lead at the top of the Foran Equine trainers’ table with a double.

First up, he sent out the eight-year-old Wareed mare Fox Valley to land the conditions race under his wife, Gina Andrews, whose brother Jack was on board the British-bred maiden winner, Chongalolo, a six-year-old gelding by Fame And Glory. Jack had earlier initiated a personal double in the men’s open on the John Ibbott-trained Tullys Touch.

Six of the eight winners of well-filled fields on Saturday at Trebudannon were bred in this country including those who provided the trainer/rider combination of Dean Summersby and Darren Edwards with a treble.

This was initiated in the conditions race by the six-year-old Sans Frontieres gelding Port O’Clock before the pair landed both divisions of the maiden through the seven-year-old Arakan gelding Party Tunes (ex Helens Decree, by Presenting) and the year-younger Aizavoski gelding Russian Invasion (ex Kerso, by Luso) who was making his British pointing debut.

Summersby’s daughter Charlotte (17) partnered the John Heard-trained 12-year-old Mountain King gelding Eric The Third to victory in the older horses’ conditions race.

The Luke Price-owned and trained eight-year-old Galileo gelding Los Alamos provided Will Biddick with the first leg of a double in the men’s open, while another Irish-bred to score was the Tom Malone-owned and trained The Last But One who claimed the ladies’ open under Chloe Emsley.

There were six Irish-bred winners on the seven-race card at Garthorpe where James King recorded a double through the Michael Bowen-trained More Buck’s in the opening conditions race and the Francesca Nimmo-trained Largy Mountain in the restricted.

Luke Scott also landed a brace with two newcomers, both four-year-old geldings owned by their trainer, Tom Weston.

The first leg came in division one of the maiden through the Yeats bay, Pilot Show (out of Castle Jane, by Westerner), while they rounded off their day with victory in the two-mile bumper for four- and five-year-olds with the Kingston Hill grey, King Arise (out of Aries Ballerina, by Peintre Celebre).

David Kemp was another to saddle two winners. His first came in the mixed open, where the Dale Peters-partnered Law Of Gold justified favouritism, with the second leg coming in division two of the maiden through the Alex Chadwick-ridden seven-year-old Getaway gelding How To Get Away (out of Howaboutthis, by Oscar).

POPULAR amateur Claire Hardwick has announced her retirement from race-riding following a career which saw her partner 101 winners between the flags, 14 in hunters’ chases, two over hurdles and one on the flat.

The 37-year-old will now concentrate on training pointers while she also takes in thoroughbreds and sport horses to break and pre-train and boards broodmares at her Claire Hart Equine establishment in Adlestrop, Gloucestershire.

THE top-priced graduate of the British point-to-point scene at last Friday’s Tattersalls Cheltenham April Sale at Newmarket was the Fame And Glory gelding Scotch On Da Rocks who was knocked down to Highflyer Bloodstock for £80,000.

The four-year-old bay, who is out of the unraced Definite Article mare Final Episode and was consigned by G & T Racing, was sent out by Tom Ellis to win a two-and-a-half-mile maiden on his only start at Mollington earlier last month when he was partnered by the trainer’s brother-in-law, Jack Andrews.