'I'll keep my head down trying' - championships heating up as season enters final straight

Horses running around fields in quiet corners of the countryside never feels more important than at this time of year. With just 24 meetings left in the point-to-point season, the championships are heating up.

Ten-time women’s champion Gina Andrews lost her crown last year to Izzie Marshall. This time Andrews leads by five, but she hasn’t had a winner since the third weekend in March, opening the door to a Marshall fightback.

The champion certainly hasn’t given up. “I’m having a fantastic season and I'm thrilled to be near the top of the table again,” she says. “It'll be an uphill battle to get back to Gina, who has a large yard behind her, but hopefully ours keep running well and we have a fun and successful end to the season. 

"It would be a dream come true to retain the title and I'll keep my head down trying. Either way, I'm so proud of our team and grateful to have such nice horses to ride.”

In the men's title battle, Josh Newman is still thinking positively despite four-time champion James King moving one in front last weekend. Long-time leader Newman, chasing a maiden title, says: “It's a privilege to be in this position. The horses in the yard at home have been flying and we'll continue to run them if the ground is safe. James will no doubt have a lot of support and we'll see what happens.”

It’s always worth paying close attention to the novice championships. At Sandown on Saturday, we saw the 2013-14 novice men’s champion Sean Bowen become champion jockey under rules, of which British point-to-pointing can be immensely proud. 

Sean Bowen: champion jockeyCredit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

Bowen remembered the sport afterwards, saying: “Point-to-pointing has played a massive part in this; riding in points allowed me to learn the trade. I rode my winners for my brother Mickey and Dai Brace. Winning the novice championship played a crucial part in leading me to be champion conditional the following season.”

This year’s likely champion is Rian Corcoran, who is seven winners clear of his nearest rival Tom Hutsby and is likely to turn conditional for David Pipe in the summer.

“I work three days a week for David and three for Dean Summersby,” says Corcoran. “Both have been an amazing support to me and Dad's [Liam Corcoran] horses have been running well too. I look forward to turning conditional and can only dream of emulating Sean Bowen one day.”

Clara Brewitt has had a superb season and extended her lead to two over Pippa Brown in the women's novice division when winning at the weekend at Woodford.

“I was delighted to get another win,” she says. “I'm very grateful to be in this position and it would be wonderful to secure the title.”

Over the last few seasons, the trainers’ championship has been split into three : the large yards, those with six to 14 horses and ones with five or fewer. The welcome initiative allows us to celebrate the smaller yards,such as that of championship leader Alice Dawson.

“We have two yards at home and John and I very much train certain horses,” she says. “He has the young ones who need educating and training in the professional way and I have the older horses who need keeping happy, the ones I would ride out every day anyway because they're good rides. I ride them out with my daughter Peggy on her pony Blaze out hacking on their easy days and they have a varied routine. I have had a brilliant season with my little team. The Village Way is now roughed off but Surprise Attack will run again.”

In the middle category Jennifer Owen, Harry Ryall and Nick Wright are on ten winners each – although Owen isn’t ruling out a challenge from another trainer.

“Cherry Coward has nine winners and it would be no surprise to see a late-season run from her,” she warns, before adding: “It has been a great season. I'm so lucky to have such brilliant owners. To win this would be a great feather in our team’s cap. Aramax has won five and jointly leads the horse table, and for his syndicate, made up of true pointing people, that would be fantastic.”

Ryall is already planning how to edge home in front, with his runners at Cheltenham’s hunter chase evening on Friday likely to be out again. He says: “I'll take three to Cothelstone in two weeks and, as long as the ground is safe, I may run the Cheltenham runners over the last weekend in May.”

Wright, who has a long history in the sport, says: “It's brilliant to be in this position. I only have six to train, they have all won, and all the credit must go to the jockeys and the team at home.”

Newman and Andrews head the large trainers’ table and will both be going all out over the closing weeks given their respective targets in the jockeys’ championships. Newman took the training prize last year, while Andrews has taken over from her husband Tom Ellis, who now trains under rules, and says it would be “brilliant” to win it in her own name.

Weekend fixtures

Saturday
Flete Park Devon, PL21 9NU. First race 2pm, 7 races.
Godstone Surrey, RH9 8BD. 2pm, 6 races.

Sunday
South Hill Devon, TA22 9PT. 2pm, 6 races.
Dingley Leicestershire, 2pm, 6 races.

Monday
Eyton-on-Severn Shropshire, SY5 6PW. 1pm, 6 races.
Vauterhill Devon, EX37 9BT. 2pm, 6 races.
Mollington Warwickshire, OX17 1QE. 2pm, 7 races.
Witton Castle Yorkshire, DL14 0DE, 2pm, 6 races.

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