WITH a €10 levy being applied to entries this season to bolster the insurance fund required to keep the sport going, it is timely as the autumn term comes to a close to assess if any notable change in behaviour has resulted in that additional levy being applied to entries.

As expected, Colin Bowe is responsible for the largest share of entries, with the Milestone Stables operator having made 249 entries this term, from which he sent out a total of 74 runners, 17 of whom returned victorious.

This is an entry-to-declaration rate of just 29%, so he must be commended for his generous entry strategy, which is to the benefit of each hunt committee across the country.

In a week where the BHA is discussing the dominance of a handful of large trainers on the racecourse, it is interesting to note that Bowe’s entries represent just under 10% of all entries for the autumn season, which is a very taking statistic.

Up to the end of last week, there were a total of 1,377 hunter certificates processed, which is a drop of 50 or 3.5% on the previous year.

That does, however, compare favourably to the same time in 2019, which is the best pre-Covid year to compare against. In 2019 there were 1,348 certificates by this same point, which is 29 less than we currently have, suggesting that a consistent total appears to have been found concerning the number of horses being issued with hunter certificates.

Benefits from boost

It will be interesting to see if the spring term benefits from any boost in hunter certs, given the new rule allowing horses that ran on the track in November to be now qualified for a 2024 certificate.

This autumn season generated 2,532 entries, which is a drop of 186 or 6.8% from last year’s 2,718 figure.

It must be considered that 28 fixtures took place last autumn compared to the 26 that will have been run this year following the loss of this afternoon’s rescheduled fixture in Kirkistown, which sees an average entry per fixture of 97 this year compared to 93, from 12 months ago.

In both seasons, 49% of those who entered turned up to run, so the end result shows only a slight possible drop in entry metrics that could be considered connected to the increased entry fee.

Anecdotally, some handlers do seem to have become slightly more selective in their strategy of double entering horses.

Still, it will be a relief to those building the insurance fund, along with the hunts who rely so heavily on the revenue that they receive from entries, that no notable change has occurred in entry behaviour as the autumn comes to a close.

The true test for this, however, will come in the spring season, where there are many multiple fixtures, and handlers of four-year-olds will likely have decisions to make.

VENDORS received a welcome boost in the days preceding yesterday evening’s final public sale of point-to-pointers in 2023, with the first two track winners emerging from within the autumn crop of four-year-old maiden winners.

Juarncon was first out of the traps at Chepstow last Saturday when the Free Port Lux gelding ran out an eight-length winner of the concluding bumper at the Welsh venue on his first start for David Pipe.

Just 35 days earlier, the bay had gained his first career success with success in a four-year-old maiden for Colin Bowe at Portrush in mid-October.

Incidentally, this is the same maiden that produced the ill-fated Finian’s Oscar, who, within just over two months of winning it, had also added the Grade 1 Tolworth Hurdle to his CV.

Then on Wednesday, Kish Bank usurped Jurancon’s 35-day turnaround between point-to-point and bumper victories, when he justified his odds-on favourite status to win a Punchestown bumper just 23 days after he had made a winning debut at Tinahely.

Four winners

The Mount Nelson gelding was one of four winners for Gordon Elliott this season to carry the Crocodile Pockets Syndicate colours to victory in a four-year-old maiden with his 30-length success last month.

Whilst remaining within Elliott’s Cullentra stables, it was in fact the maroon and white silks of Gigginstown House Stud that Harry Swan had sported as Kish Bank switched to the track for his Punchestown success.

The pre-Christmas campaign has proven itself to be a rich source of equine talent since its introduction, and the fact that two four-year-old maiden winners from this 2023 autumn term have so swiftly been able to translate their point form to track success is a further endorsement of the quality that was contained within this season’s crop.

Point-to-point Ratings

SIGNIFICANT overnight rain at Tattersalls ensured that it was heavy ground that faced the 66 runners that took to the track, but aided by the final fence being omitted for the final four races, there were still 46 finishers, the second-highest total of the season.

Derryhassen Paddy (94+) may have had to be ridden to join the strong-travelling favourite approaching the home bend, but he resolutely galloped to the line to win by a length in a time 10 seconds quicker than the average on the card.

That time on the clock was backed by the form of those in behind, with the third, who was some 12 lengths adrift of them and a well-beaten final-fence faller, both had placed form from this year.

Cautious tempo

The preceding four-year-old mares’ maiden was run to a more cautious tempo, as evidenced by the fact that the first six horses were covered by just over 10 lengths at the winning post. Jokers ‘N’ Clowns (80+) had been left clear by a final-fence faller, only to be almost joined by Wrappedupintherubies on the line as she came home to best effect having got left behind as the race began to develop from three out.

In contrast, the equivalent race in Boulta concerned just three horses at the shake-up from the penultimate fence.

From here, Lady Rose Hackett (82+) was not short of a turn of speed as she picked up again on the run-in and won a shade snugly.

Rosscahill (92+) was chased into the straight by a trio of horses that all had run previously, albeit without holding previous placed form, but he was able to defy his inexperience with a debut victory that saw him win going away at the line.