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Leading West country rider Richard Woollacott, who has about 20 Pointers in his livery yard near South Molton, reached a career 200 on Saturday when winning the Restricted at Brampton Bryan on David Brace's Farnogue. Richard, who was runner-up to Ollie Greenall in the 2007/8 national championship, rode his first winner in 1998, and 12 of his successes have come under Rules.

He is set to achieve a long-time ambition on Thursday, when he is due to have his first ride in the Aintree Fox Hunter Chase on Whizzaar.

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John Mathias, 19, rode his second four-timer at Lydstep on Monday, and the last of the quartet, Rimini in the Restricted, brought up a career 50, which includes four under Rules. Rimini is owned by Dai Rees, for whom John is head lad and amateur rider. John now sits in second place in the championship table, five behind Richard Burton, but he is realistic about his chances and says that he would be over the moon if he could finish in the top five at the end of season.

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There was a half-century between the flags for the reigning Yorkshire area champion Jo Foster, who shrugged off the effects of a heavy fall the previous day to win the Restricted at Flagg Moor on Tuesday on one from her father Peter's yard, Wherethat. As well as being a licensed trainer, Jo is also involved in journalism and writes a regular column for the Yorkshire Post.

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Jody Sole recorded his first double at Aldington, taking the Maiden on General Willie and the Hunt race on Major Blue. Jody, an equine dentist who is currently enjoying his best season, had his first taste of race-riding when he won the King's Troop RHA race at Larkhill in 1998 and again the following year. The irony of Monday's double was not lost on him. "A Lance Bombardier winning on a General and a Major," he laughed.

Both winners came from the Lawson yard, with Chris Lawson, like Jody a believer in giving a chance to new riders, saddling three of the four runners in the Hunt race, two of which were novice-ridden.

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20-year-old Richard Mason, who rode his first winner at Siddington in 2006, notched up his initial double at Lockinge on Monday, winning the Hunt race on Arctic Fire and the Restricted on Make Or Break. Richard, who is in his first year at the Royal Agricultural College at Cirencester, is a former pony racer, and he also participates in team chasing. Just for good measure, his elder brother Peter got in on the act at the same meeting, taking the Maiden on Silver Moon Lite.

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‘A' level student Jake Greenall, a pupil at Shrewsbury School, is doing his utmost to keep the men's national championship trophy on the family sideboard, his brothers Ollie and Thomas having claimed it in the two previous seasons. Jake's first treble at Hornby Castle on Saturday, plus a further success at Charm Park on Sunday, has put him into third place in the title race behind Richard Burton and John Mathias.

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There was no shortage of first time winners over the Easter weekend, one of the youngest of which was Fred Tett, 17, at Hackwood Park [see Scene & Heard].

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Another 17-year-old, Evan David, has had plenty of placed efforts to his name, and he gained his reward when Liberty Rock, trained by Sam Butler for Mark Gichero, won the Novice Riders' race at Brampton Bryan on Saturday. Evan, who started working part-time for Evan Williams while he was still at school, has now been with Tim Vaughan, for whom his elder brother Tom is stable amateur, for just over a year.

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Tom Brockett, 23, who started race-riding last season, opened his account on his own Mr Naborro at Kimble on Saturday, the partnership winning the Hunt race. Tom, for whom it was just a third ride of the campaign, rides out in the morning for his mother Karen Lawther prior to doing his "day job," that of self-employed hedge layer. Coincidentally it was in the same race that Tom's stepfather Rory had scored his first competitive victory, on Lady Karinya, 23 years earlier.

Mr Naborro was bought privately, through Claire Hart, from John Morrey, to whom he had also given a first success in 2008.

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Ed Barrett, 21, enjoyed his first success on Oscatello in the Hunt race at Trebudannon on Monday, in the process beating his boss Polly Gundry into second! The first question from the winner's owner Ross Oliver was "Did Polly shout "You're fired!" as you crossed the line?"

Ed, whose grandfather had racehorses and his mother a riding school, worked at weekends and in school holidays for Simon Sherwood from the age of 15, but it was one of his Pony Club teachers, Emma Walker, who suggested that he go to Devon to join her brother Ed and his partner Polly. He has been there since the end of September, and has had about 20 rides this season.

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Dan Ockenden, 24, who has been working for Lucinda Russell for just over a year, rode his initial winner on Bear Dancing, owned by the trainer's mother Edith, in the 3m Maiden at Alnwick on Saturday. It was only his fifth ride, but he is hoping that the victory will bring further offers - "It's quite hard to get started when you haven't any contacts in the sport," he said.

Dan had only been racing a couple of times prior to joining Lucinda, having been in a show-jumping yard for five years and enjoying great success in that sphere. He now does plenty of schooling for his employer, and maintains that although the technique is different in race-riding, the basics are the same.

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Charlie Brown, assistant trainer to Seamus Mullins, opened her account at Barbury on Saturday when Pastek won the Conditions race. Pastek was a gift horse to owner Martin Peaty, a vet, for whom it was a first training success.

Charlie, 28, who broke her nose and two ribs when Pastek fell with her at Larkhill earlier this year, started riding out for Geoff Hubbard, for whose yard her father was farrier, when she lived in Newmarket. It was Seamus who persuaded the authorities to grant her a race-riding licence, which she was denied for some time after a bad accident six years ago, and she is now in her second season.

Having won the Alex Scott Memorial Assistant Trainer's scholarship, Charlie is going to the States in June, and will be based at Jonathan Sheppard's yard for a month.

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Max Johnson, whose parents both rode with success between the flags, followed in their footsteps at Charm Park on Monday by taking the Maiden on the Carole Dennis-trained Kirby Wiske. Max, 25, worked in London for three years before deciding a change of lifestyle was in order and moving to Yorkshire. He has been riding out for Mick Easterby for about eight months, and to date has had just a handful of rides.

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Joe Proctor, 21, who has been working for Gary Hanmer this season, scored his initial victory in the Novice Riders' race at Sandon, where he had to cope with the unenviable task of steering round Tinarana Lord after his sole rival had pulled up at the eighth.

Joe had his first ride at 16 and was conditional for a short while, riding under Rules for his grandfather David Pearson, but he reverted to amateur status when he started to struggle with the low weights sometimes required in the professional sphere. Having broken his duck on Saturday, he was back in the winner's enclosure on Tuesday when he teamed up with David to land the Maiden at Flagg on The Client.

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18-year-old Stuart Higgins is another rider who will remember Easter Monday. He won the Maiden at Marks Tey on Mill Five Acre, on whom he had his first ride last season. The combination was not winning out of turn, having been in the frame in all four previous outings this term.

Stuart, whose parents own a riding stable, works and rides out for Tina Hayward, the North Norfolk Point-to-Point secretary, in the morning and does his own event horses in the afternoon. Until he met Tina, through hunting, he had never been racing, and had no interest in the sport until she offered him a ride in a charity race at Fakenham.

He is still finding it hard to take in his luck in teaming up with Mill Five Acre. "I can't believe Tina gave me such a good horse to ride," he says. He now admits to being hooked, and is hoping that more rides might come his way.

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Malmo Boy's Hunt race victory at Sandon on Monday was a first for his owner-rider Anna Adams, 24, who is a cousin of conditional jockey Charlie Huxley. Anna formerly worked for Lloyds TSB Financial Services but is now temporarily concentrating on her equestrian interests.

Malmo Boy was formerly with Heather Dalton, for whom he won over hurdles and fences, and he is now trained by Anna's mother Nikki.

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