THE British point-to-point season commenced as scheduled with two meetings on Sunday, November 17th but last Sunday’s sole fixture, the Curre & Llangibby Hunt meeting at Howick, was abandoned six days earlier due to heavy rain.

Two trainers, Phil Rowley and reigning champion Tom Ellis, got their 2019/20 campaign off to an excellent start when saddling a brace of winners apiece at the Cambridge University United Hunts Club meeting at Cottenham on the opening day of the season.

Rowley, who sent out 28 winners last term, won the first two races on the six-race card. His Alex Edwards-partnered Undisputed was the first of four Irish-breds to score on the day when landing the opening PPORA club members conditions race over two and a half miles.

The eight-year-old King’s Theatre mare, who finished second twice in three bumpers when trained here by Stuart Crawford in 2015/16, was bred by Patrick Bolger out of the Lil’s Boy mare Gleanntan. Roxborough Stud gave €25,000 for Undisputed’s half-brother by Soldier Of Fortune at Tattersalls Ireland’s National Hunt Sale earlier this month.

Ellis’s first winner, Fox Valley, who is also Irish-bred, easily justified odds-on favouritism in the three-runner restricted. Ridden by the trainer’s wife, multiple ladies’ champion Gina Andrews, the six-year-old Wareed mare won a five and six-year-old mares’ maiden under Derek O’Connor at Kinsale in June 2018.

Cork-born Joe O’Shea took the Skinner’s ladies’ open with the Immy Robinson-partnered five-time track winner Ravished, an 11-year-old Oscar gelding, while the other Irish-bred winner on the card was the Laura Thomas-trained Frank And Honest who, on her British debut, claimed the open maiden by three-parts of a length under Will Thirlby.

The Lecroix five-year-old, who ran four times here last season for John and Miriam Murphy, finishing second twice, was bred by Liam Norris out of the Curtain Time mare Country Time.

New course

Four of the six winners at the new course in Dunsmore were also bred in Ireland including the pair who landed the two maidens.

The opening four, five and six-year-old maiden went to the Jimmy Cole-owned and trained Macca’s Stowaway who, under Merv Woodward, saw off the Martin McIntyre-ridden Janeslittlevoice by six lengths.

The winner, another mare having her first point-to-point start in Britain, is a Stowaway six-year-old who ran 20 times on the track between Britain and Ireland. She was bred by Robert Murphy out of the Old Vic mare Julies Vic.

Byron Moorcroft partnered Luke Price’s Iusetaluvheronce to land the six-runner open maiden on his British debut. First trained by Patrick Neville, the seven-year-old Golan gelding pulled up on his only start between the flags here at Athlacca in May 2016 after which he ran over hurdles both in Ireland and England, placing second twice and third three times. The bay was bred by James Williams out of the Presenting mare, Mollys Present.

The other Irish-bred winners on the card were The Roestone, a five-year-old Vinnie Roe gelding ridden by Tom Chanin for his trainer father Robert who claimed the restricted, and the Jake Slater-trained Waterloo Warrior, a seven-year-old Kalanisi gelding who justified odds-on favouritism in the intermediate under the reigning men’s champion, Will Biddick.

THERE were two meetings scheduled for tomorrow, Sunday, December 1st, including the first of seven this season at Larkhill in Wiltshire where the Hursley Hambledon fixture has attracted an entry of 112.

It is the only one remaining following Thursday’s abandonment of the Border Hunt meeting on the inside of the National Hunt track at Hexham racecourse where, after 15mm of heavy rain fell in the preceding 24 hours, the ground was heavy and waterlogged in places. This fixture will not be rescheduled.

With divides being anticipated, the time of the opening four and five-year-old maiden, which is sponsored by Tattersalls Cheltenham, has been brought forward to 11.30am.

Eight of the 11 entries in the opener carry an IRE suffix, including the newcomers Harold’s Arrow (by Beat Hollow) and Mental Micky (by Darsi), who are trained by Sophie Lacey and Tom Ellis respectively.

The Border Hunt race tomorrow on the inside of the National Hunt track at Hexham racecourse in Northumberland where the first is off at 12.30pm and the going will be heavy. There, the sole maiden is the final race on the card and among the 21 entries is the above-mentioned Mental Micky and five other four-year-olds including the former Irish pointers, Classic Lady and Dynamite Kentucky.

There are two meetings listed for tomorrow week, December 8th, at Ffos Las racecourse in Wales and Wadebridge in Cornwall, and two for the following Sunday, December 15th, at Barbury racecourse in Wiltshire and at Alnwick in Northumberland.

Races at the Barbury International Racing Club fixture are open to horses with hunter certs issued in Ireland. The meeting will commence with the first point-to-point bumper of the season, which will be over two miles and is restricted to four and five-year-olds. This will be followed by the Goffs UK maiden for four and five-year-olds over two and a half miles and The Jockey Club maiden for four, five and six-year-old mares over two miles, six furlongs.

The fourth race on the card is a conditions race for nine-year-olds and upwards and is a leg of The Jockey Club and Retraining of Racehorses veteran horse series. This will be followed by the Barbury International mixed open, the Highflyer Bloodstock PPORA club members novice riders’ conditions race and, finally, a six-year-old and upwards maiden.

Entries close on Monday, December 9th and all those from Ireland must be made by email to info@pointtopointracingcompany.co.uk. Riders qualified under INHS rules will be asked to sign a declaration agreeing to be bound by the BHA regulations for point-to-points and may only ride horses with hunter certs issued in Ireland.