26 November 2010 National Sponsors 2010/11
by Carolyn Tanner
For the first time since Gerrard ended its series in 2006, the Ladies' championship has a new backer in AGA, some details of whose support have already appeared on this website.
This is the first time the company has ventured into sponsorship at all, so for Point-to-Pointing to be the beneficiary of their generosity is a real feather in the cap of our sport.
The 28 qualifying races for a final at the Cheltenham Hunter Chase meeting on May 4 commence on December 5 and go through until Easter Monday, with every Point-to-Point area staging at least one contest. Every runner in a qualifier will be eligible to be entered for the final, but should a ballot be necessary horses which have finished either first or second will not, as far as possible, be eliminated.
There is a total prize fund for the final of £7,500, with mementoes for the winning owner, trainer and rider plus a cash award for the groom of the horse adjudged to be the best turned out.
Competitors and spectators alike will be able to obtain a free copy of the publication "Welcome Home," a special Point-to-Point edition produced by AGA to celebrate the forthcoming series. Copies will be available on the AGA stand at every meeting which holds a qualifying race.
**************
At the other end of the spectrum from Pointing's newest sponsor is DODSON & HORRELL, who surely deserve a long-service medal for their loyalty. The Northamptonshire-based feed company, which supports numerous equestrian organisations, is in its 24th year of backing the sport, most recently with the very popular Novice Rider series.
Conditions for this remain as last season. Horses and riders finishing first, second or third in a Dodson & Horrell qualifier, plus those filling the first two places in any other Novice Rider race, will be eligible to be entered for the £1,000 added final to be held at Tabley on May 15, with winners being protected in the case of a ballot.
The prize is much sought after, and has been won in previous years by Rhys Flint and Sam Twiston-Davies, both of course now successful conditionals, while last season it went the way of Ed Turner, grandson of the owner of the best-known and winning-most yard in Pointing, Joe Turner.
**************
The CONNOLLY'S RED MILLS Intermediate Championship has proved a huge success since its inception in 2008, and the good news is that the company has been looking ahead and has agreed to continue its support into the 2011/12 season.
Its 20 qualifying races, of which at least one will be in every Point-to-Point area, culminate in the final at Cheltenham on May 4. Any horse finishing in the first four in a qualifier will be eligible to be entered, plus the winner of any other Intermediate, with preference in a ballot being given to those taking first or second places in a Connolly's race.
The first two winners of the title, Massimo and Drybrook Bedouin, were both partnered by the experienced Michael Miller, who has over 180 victories to his credit, but it was Sam Drinkwater, riding for the local (to Cheltenham) yard of Fergal O'Brien, who landed the spoils in 2010 on Bradley.
***************
Bloodstock Auctioneers BRIGHTWELLS are combining with the POINT-TO-POINT AUTHORITY to sponsor ten Maiden races for four, five, six and seven-year olds, with a first prize in each of £250. It is a condition of entry that all entered horses have been registered for the PPA's Horse Sponsorship Scheme.
Winners will receive an optional guaranteed entry nomination to one of the three Brightwells Premier Cheltenham Sales in 2011, as will those successful in one of the eight two and a half mile Maidens which are being staged by the PPA as a result of the income generated from the Horse Sponsorship Scheme. These are for four and five-year olds only.
The HSS is also responsible for the support of a Mares' Maiden series. There are 13 sponsored races, but the series is open to all mares who started the season a maiden, and who can accumulate points throughout the campaign up to May 22. A £500 prize awaits the winning owner. Owners and riders must both be members of the PPORA, who are providing both the cash prize and a trophy for the winning mare. These will be presented at the PPORA AGM and lunch at Stratford Racecourse on May 27.
