BEFORE the autumn season even opened, there was news of cancellations to the original schedule so it was good to learn that two hunts have been given permission to stage extra meetings this month.

Next Saturday, the Mid-Antrims are returning to Toomebridge where they opened the campaign seven days ago. “When the Staghounds cancelled their meeting at Loughbrickland we got the opportunity to stage a second fixture and, thanks to the co-operation of the landowners, the Higgins family, we decided to go for it,” said the hunt’s point-to-point secretary Judith Hamilton.

“The weather has been very kind to us in this area in recent weeks and while it’s due to break, the ground is in excellent order and the set-up of the track last weekend left us with plenty of room to move fences, dolls, etc for next week,” concluded Hamilton whose hectic day last Saturday is covered in View From Above A14.

The card is similar to the first, though in a slightly different order, while for this second meeting, the concluding older geldings’ maiden will be confined to novice riders.

Down south, the Kanturk point-to-point committee of the Duhallow Foxhounds has been granted permission to stage another meeting at their popular Dromahane venue where, too, the recent spell of good weather has meant the track is in excellent condition.

The card on Sunday, October 25th will consist of two four-year-old maidens, one for mares the other for geldings, a five-year-old geldings’ maiden, a ladies’ open lightweight, a five-year-old and upwards adjacent hunts’ maiden and an older geldings’ maiden. Racing also takes place at Dromahane on Sunday, November 8th.