POINT-to-pointing across the water has been put on hold following confirmation on Wednesday that the national lockdown in England, which went into effect that night, includes racing between the flags as it is not considered an elite sport.

A statement issued by the Point-to-Point Authority asserted that the BHA had been working hard to ensure that point-to-pointing was perceived to be one of those sports safe to start up early and they were “relatively confident” that meetings would get going again in early December. As a result, they are now “working with those fixtures, which should have run over the next four weeks, to see how they can be slotted into the December programme to everyone’s advantage.”

There was reference also to the excellent start to the season which saw three meetings held which were safely and compliantly run and had attracted large entries.

Wednesday’s announcement came as disappointing news for the organisers of tomorrow’s scheduled Wheatland Hunt meeting at Chaddlesley Corbett where the first four-year-old maiden to be run in Britain had attracted an entry of 18, all bar one of whom were geldings.

Two of those geldings were entered by Melanie Rowley whose excellent start to the season continued last Sunday at Kimble where, from three runners, she saddled a winner and two second-placed finishers, all of whom were partnered by stable amateur Alex Edwards.

Their win came in the Tattersalls Cheltenham four and five-year-old maiden over two and a half miles where Don Constable’s home-bred Ahoy Senor justified favouritism by 30 lengths.

One of seven winners on the eight-race card to carry an IRE suffix, this five-year-old Dylan Thomas gelding had unseated Edwards at Didmarton in early March on his only previous start. Out of the Darazari mare Dara Supreme, the bay is due to come up as Lot 9 at Goffs UK’s Yorton Farm Sale next Thursday.

O’Shea double

Sunday’s livestreamed meeting was presented by Luke Harvey who had an easy assignment interviewing trainer Joe O’Shea who recorded a quickfire double. The interview had over views on YouTube.

First up, the Huw Edwards-ridden Ballymac Boy, who was making his debut for the yard, saw off the Rowley-trained Banana Joe by three and three-quarter lengths in division two of the older horses’ maiden which ran under the banner of the Duhallow Hunt Club.

The six-year-old Scorpion gelding, who was previously trained here to run in point-to-points and over hurdles and fences by Mags Mullins, was bred by Tom O’Doherty out of the unraced Zagreb mare Desirable Asset.

O’Shea brought up his double when the Gina Andrews-ridden Ravished, who was despatched as the 4/5 favourite, saw off his main market-rival, Southfield Theatre, by 12 lengths in the following Skinners ladies open. This was a fourth success from eight starts between the flags for the 12-year-old Oscar gelding.

The multiple ladies’ champion, Andrews was bringing up a double of her own having earlier landed division one of the older horses’ maiden on Killinkere who is trained by her husband, Tom Ellis.

Another making his British debut having finished third over hurdles twice for Gordon Elliott, this six-year-old Arcadio gelding was bred by Michelle Aherne out of the King’s Theatre mare Hayes Princess. He changed hands for just £2,000 at Goffs UK’s September horses-in-training sale.

Will Biddick, also returned to the number one spot twice, first claiming the opening conditions’ race on the Alan Hill-owned and trained Hawkhurst, a 10-year-old gelding by Flemensfirth. The former seven-time men’s champion completed his double in the men’s open on the French-bred Porlock Bay, a nine-year-old Kayf Tara gelding he also trains for breeder John Studd.

Hill ran 10 horses at this Kimblewick Hunt fixture including the 12-year-old Darsi gelding Sir Mangan who, when justifying favouritism in the PPORA club members’ conditions race for novice riders, provided a second success (on his 21st birthday) for Ben Sutton, son of the winning owner, Nick.

The afternoon’s action concluded with an intermediate where the Dale Peters-ridden and trained The Unmentionable, a seven-year-old gelding by Mustameet, made all to record his fourth success from 11 starts in British point-to-points. In the closest finish of the day, the bay scored by three lengths, preventing The Galloping Bear from bringing up a four-timer.