Britain’s sole point-to-point meeting in West Wales will be held at a new venue in 2025.
Several courses in the region have closed in recent years, including Lydstep which staged its final fixture on Easter Monday. Nearby Trecoed, which in May staged the first Welsh International meeting, has also closed, but the organisers have landed upon a new location called Ffynnon Druidion.
Meeting secretary Lucy Thomas says: “We’re moving slightly north to a venue overlooking the sea and Fishguard [harbour]. It could be stunning on a sunny day, or a bit windy if not. At the moment it’s just a green field, but we will be widening the gateways this autumn, doing some groundworks before winter and then other bits and pieces as the weather allows.
“We have our own fences, catering van and marquees, but it is still a massive gamble. If we don’t give it a try we will never know and we have to be positive. The odds are against us, but we are determined to give it a try.”
Racing was held at Trecoed for 21 years, initially as home to the Pembrokeshire meeting, but the landowner, who leased much of his land to a local farmer, wanted to put the course into the same arrangement. The idea of allowing pointers trained in Ireland to take part had been given clearance and the meeting went ahead.
In May the track was used for the final time, and departed in unusual weather. Thomas says: “We were hit by a sea fog. It was a stunning day half a mile down the road, but by the second race you could only see the last fence and it turned very cold. How the commentator coped I don’t know.
“Ten Irish horses were entered and eight ran, and the visitors all seemed to enjoy themselves. There was definitely an appetite for bringing Irish horses over, and I only hope the tightening of border controls [due to be introduced later this year for humans and animals going in and out of Britain from Europe] doesn’t cause us problems next year.
“We were very lucky to find the new venue. Our huntsman/chairman was talking to the landowner about the closure of Trecoed, and the gentleman said ‘Do you think there might be somewhere suitable here?’. They had a look around at various locations and found a place on a hill which should work well. We will learn more once we start working at the course.”
At the turn of the century four venues were active in West Wales, with Erw Lon staging three fixtures, Lydstep two and Pantyderi and Pentreclwydau one apiece.