No Drama This End and Wolf Walker have been rated Britain’s leading four- and five-year-old point-to-pointers from the 2023/24 season.
Assessed by Martin Harris and listed in tables to be published in the Yearbook, the leading four- and five-year-olds have an association with Britain’s most successful point-to-point rider, Somerset-based Cornishman Will Biddick, who rode and trained No Drama This End and also partnered the Chris Barber-trained Wolf Walker.
An impressive-looking son of Walk In The Park out of the Turgeon mare La Segnora, No Drama This End (grey, pictured above under Biddick) is a full-brother to three winners under rules. Bought at Goffs’ Arkle Sale in Ireland by his trainer for €26,000 when an unbroken three-year-old store, he ran just once last season when hacking up against 11 rivals in a three-mile maiden race at Badbury Rings on soft ground. The form did not work out impressively, but the ease of the victory marked No Drama This End out as a special prospect. He was subsequently resold by Biddick to Tom Malone and Paul Nicholls for £160,000 at Tattersalls Cheltenham’s Festival Sale in March.
No Drama This End was given a Harris rating of 99, two points more than the Fran Poste-trained Kykorock (Ballingarry) and six ahead of third-placed Soldier’s Leap (Soldier Of Fortune) from Gina Ellis’s yard. Kykorock scored in good style on debut at Larkhill – beating the Tom Ellis-trained Mister Carson who won next time out at Garthorpe – and has since been sold into Dan Skelton’s yard. Soldier’s Leap, who made his debut on easy ground at Mollington in May when second to five-year-old Pluto’s Gate – the third-placed Billy Two Rivers won his next two starts for trainer Dawn Ball – made his first start over hurdles at Worcester yesterday when down the field in a maiden hurdle.
Kykorock (Zak Baker) is clear of Mister Carson (Jack Andrews) when winning at Larkhill (Ce)
Wolf Walker (Diamond Boy) finished well clear at the top of the table for five-year-old British pointers when given a mark of 121 by Harris, 16 points clear of runners-up A Quick Risk and Premier Fantasy. The trio all began racing at the age of four in Irish point-to-points.
Following an early education in Co Wexford at the stable of Matty Flynn O’Connor, Wolf Walker ran twice in Irish point-to-points, finishing a promising third of nine at Punchestown and then sixth of 13 at Necarne. He moved to Dorset during the close season and joined Chris Barber’s stable, making his British debut when scoring an easy win at Larkhill from race-fit Deep Purple who scored next time out and has since left Poste’s stable to join Dan Skelton.
Wolf Walker (Will Biddick) who won three races at Larkhill during the season (Ce)
Wolf Walker then won twice more at Larkhill, beating useful horses, although his winning run ended at Cheltenham’s evening meeting when – as the youngest horse in the field – he was unplaced behind Iskandar Pecos in the intermediate hunters’ chase.
A Quick Risk (No Risk At All) ran twice and won both starts at Charing in Kent, having travelled from Martin and Jane Wanless’s yard in the North West. He is a half-brother to Lucinda Russell’s Grand National winner One For Arthur.
Premier Fantasy (Lucky Speed), finished second in a Goffs’ young-horse maiden race at Garthorpe for trainer/rider Bradley Gibbs and later scored at Kimble and Tabley.
Ratings of all horses who ran last season appear in the next edition of the Yearbook, which will be available before the new season opens via the ‘Shop’ section of this website.
*On Friday a look at Harris’s ratings for six- and seven-year-olds who ran during the 2023/24 season