Three-way tie at top of trainers' championship but Gina Ellis a danger to all despite being six behind

Reflecting the jump trainers’ championship under rules, point-to-pointing’s equivalent title race is tight at the top.

Gloucestershire’s Max Comley, the pace-setter for most of the season, was reeled in by Somerset’s Josh Newman recently before Alan Hill joined them in a three-way tie on 18 winners with a double at the weekend. Fran Poste is six behind, but also on 12 winners and looking a threat to the leaders is Gina Ellis, who took on responsibility for a yard of pointers in Warwickshire when husband Tom gained a full licence in mid-March.

Gina trains in her married name, but continues to ride under her maiden name of Andrews, a teaser for future historians should she pull off a trainer/rider championship double, yet for the first time in many seasons she faces competition for the women riders’ title from Izzie Marshall, who is Hill’s first-choice rider. 

Marshall has ridden 16 winners and needs one more to reach a century of successes in point-to-points, while Andrews is two behind, needing nine to reach a remarkable 400 victories in the sport.

Izzie Marshall: two ahead of Gina Andrews in title race

Various national championships end on May 27 but, while there is some way to go, the contenders now have to focus on winners, and as Hill puts it: “If you are going to take championships seriously you have to do a bit of travelling – you cannot just sit at home hoping everyone else is going to lose.”

With that in mind, his weekend entries include two at Saturday's Overton meeting near Glasgow, although in midweek he was homeworking the likely opposition and ground conditions before filling his lorry with diesel.

Of the front three only Hill, who is based in Oxfordshire, has a trainers' championship on his CV. He won it ten years ago before Jack Barber knocked up a title hat-trick and then the Ellis yard became the Manchester City of the sport, but it is because he has previously had success that Hill says: “I’ve been lucky and won it before, so the main objective is for Izzie [his soon-to-be daughter-in-law] to win the ladies’ championship, although we know Gina could put together six winners in a weekend.”

In an egalitarian sport, three trainers’ championships provide goals for small, medium and large operations. With 12 winners, Herefordshire trainer Nicky Sheppard heads the title for yards with six to 14 horses, while the trophy chase for yards with five or fewer residents is led by Nick Wright who trains near Newmarket. He has sent out five winners, one more than Jonathan Barlow and Luci Hughes, although Barlow, who is based in Nottinghamshire, has three horses entered at Sheriff Hutton on Sunday and none can be discounted.

Maryland test for Wagner

Wagner, who earlier this season won four point-to-points for Max Comley’s stable, tackles Saturday's Maryland Hunt Cup timber race in America.

Now trained by Blythe Davies for owner Charlie Noell, Wagner showed he had acclimatised with a recent win, although the Hunt Cup, first run in 1894, is the toughest test for timber racers. That said, former British pointer Withoutmoreado won the race last year and is entered again, as is Vintage Vinnie, an ex-Irish pointer who landed the prize in 2021 and 2022.

Weekend preview

Sheriff Hutton’s Grimthorpe Gold Cup meeting, postponed earlier this month, is set to go ahead on Sunday.

Twelve horses have been entered for the feature race, including joint top-rated Ballydonagh Boy and Red Opium from Sam Coward’s Yorkshire yard. Coward is aiming to join her sister Jacqueline as a joint licence holder, and says: “Jacqueline suggested I should do it because she’s busy being a mum and I’m doing all the work.

“If Ballydonagh Boy runs anywhere this weekend it is likely to be at Overton, but Red Opium will run in the Grimthorpe and she should stay four miles because her mum Poppy Day won the race. She was owned by my aunt Susan [Mason] and ridden by my cousin Jo [Mason, now a Flat jockey].”

Coward also runs Sunset On Fire – who she rates highly – in the restricted race, although it is the most competitive contest on the card with the likes of Tobshiba, Cash Or Card and Grangeclare Diego among likely winners.

At Overton, an auction is being held for a stable visit and lunch with Willie Mullins for up to six people, and there is a raffle for a painting of Galopin Des Champs, signed by Mullins and Paul Townend. Ronnie Bartlett’s recent course winner Incisive can win again.

A wealth of potential talent has been entered for the young-horse maiden at Edgcote, where an entry for the Jockey Club-sponsored mares’ maiden race is L’Aventara, a daughter of Welsh National winner L’Aventure. Her year-older half-brother Barrington John is entered in the older-horse maiden. Voodoo Doll is becoming the latest in a long line of unbeatable Welsh mares and she can go in again at Ystradowen, where the Luke Price-trained Lavorante looks good for the restricted race.

Ninth Wave (near): can land the mixed open race at Stafford Cross

The mixed open race at Stafford Cross is one of the picks of the weekend. The Teresa Clark-trained Ninth Wave looked like he would benefit from the run when a close second to the talented Macklin at Cotley recently, and he might be good enough to hold off Shantou Flyer and Sixteen Letters.

Fixtures

Saturday

Overton, South Lanarks, ML8 5QF – first race 2.00. 6 races, 72 entries
Ystradowen, Glamorgan, CF71 7TA – 1.30. 7 races, 119 entries
Woodford, Glos – abandoned

Sunday

Edgcote, Northants, OX17 1AG – 2.00. 7 races, 103 entries
Sheriff Hutton, Yorkshire, YO60 6TN – 1.00. 6 races, 94 entries
Stafford Cross, Devon, EX24 6HY – 1.30. 7 races, 105 entries
Tabley, Cheshire – abandoned

More information at pointtopoint.co.uk & gopointing.com

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