04 May 2011 Preview: Granta Harriers - Higham
by James Crispe
VALANCE: A strong contender for the Mens Open
photo: Steve Hunt
The East Anglian Point-To-Point season draws to a close on Saturday May 7th with a new ‘end of season celebration' Granta Harriers fixture at Higham, enjoying a late afternoon start followed by a barbecue and disco after racing.
The unprecedented recent dry spell of weather has caused meetings around the country to be abandoned, but the Higham authorities are confident that a well organised programme of watering will allow them to produce a safe racing surface, just as they did on Easter Saturday.
The watering will begin on Friday morning and continue through the night. There will then be a precautionary 6am inspection first thing on Saturday morning to confirm that the irrigation has been a success.
A total of 61 horses have been entered for the six races, which begin at 4.00pm with a five-entry Club Members race and run through until 6.30pm when there are 13 possible starters in the Open Maiden race.
The Ladies Open could see a re-match between Leatherback and Freud Bacon, who dead-heated in the corresponding race here two weeks ago. Finnish Melody and Scotland Yard are other interesting contenders among the 11 horses engaged while the Mens Open has course winner Parrain and the useful Midlands raider Valance within a seven-strong entry.
The steeplechasing will be preceded at 3.00pm by three children's pony races around half a circuit of the course, bypassing the fences. There will also be a surprise ‘Man versus Horse' running challenge during the evening.
The barbecue and disco is open to all, and will carry on after racing until midnight. There will be a separate £15 admission fee which will cover all food and music, and a pay bar.
Higham is three miles west of the A12 between Colchester and Ipswich at postcode CO5 9EZ and is best accessed using the B1068. Admission will be charged at £10 per adult with children under 17 allowed in for free.
