The 2024/25 Northern Area Point-to-Point season kicks off next weekend with the Border fixture at Hexham Racecourse on Sunday, December 1 followed a fortnight later by the Ratcheugh Racing Club card at Alnwick.
As usual, four of the Area's 14 meetings will take place at the latter venue which celebrated its 75th anniversary this year.
Some good fixture planning sees none of the scheduled Northern Area meetings in the new campaign clash with one on the Yorkshire circuit and in a bid to attract more entries, 80 of the season's 90 races are open to horses from all areas.
The Lanarkshire & Renfrewshire and Eglinton on March 22 will again have record prize-money of £7,500 on offer, with a minimum prize fund of £1,000 for all seven races, while the other Overton Farm meeting on April 13 will be the first Sunday card at the South Lanarkshire venue since the Dumfriesshire & Stewartry raced there on February 9, 2014.
After losing their 2023 and 2024 fixtures to the weather, the Jedforest will be hoping to make it a case of third time lucky on January 19 with a seven race card which includes a £1,500 3m4f Mixed Open with £1,000 to the winner.
The Area's 2m Flat Races will be staged at the Ratcheugh Racing Club, College Valley & North Northumberland, Morpeth and Leuchars meetings, with the latter contest at the first new point-to-point track to open in Scotland since 2004.
Some of the local trainers and horses to follow include:
VICTOR THOMPSON - More than 50 years after training his first winner under Rules at Cheltenham, the octogenarian Newton-by-the-Sea permit holder remains as enthusiastic as ever and currently has 11 horses in training although some of these are expected to go chasing or hurdling. He has sent out more than 100 Pointing winners since January 2005 and possible runners at the Border (December 1) and Ratcheugh Racing Club (December 15) are the ex-Ben Pauling gelding CLAPTON HILL, ALL WAYS AND EVER and UP WITH THE PLAY. Last season's Berwickshire Maiden winner SOMETHING GOLDEN, Overton scorer and Hexham hurdles winner PARAMARIBO, and ex-Irish hurdler PARK HIND are also likely to be in action at the December meetings with Lyall Hodgins taking most of the rides this season for the Thompson yard.
MIKE CREGAN - The Mosshouses-based handler has the Vicky Simpson-owned duo EAGLES ROCK and well related newcomer PHANTOMS CAVE, as well as an unraced Robert Goldie home-bred half-sister to the ill fated Alnwick Flat Race winner Firth Of Vic. The progressive EAGLES ROCK, last season's leading novice horse in the Northern Area, is on track to make his reappearance at the Border as long as the going is not too soft.
JACK CLARK - Sure to have recent acquisition ASHJAN, a five-time winner under Rules (3 chases & 2 hurdles) who made his racecourse debut on the Flat at Nottingham in October 2015, ready for the early meetings while veteran campaigner COOKING FAT will wait for better ground later in the season.
NICK ORPWOOD - Last season's Northern Area Men's Champion jockey is looking forward to the new campaign and has some exciting new additions in his eight-strong team which includes the James Innes-owned ex-Irish duo HENDRICKS GIRL and THEOLDBOGGROAD who were bought at Goffs UK Doncaster Sale in May. The former is expected to head to Alnwick on December 15, while THEOLDBOGGROAD who is related to prolific jumps winners Tommy's Oscar and Court Minstrel could run at the Border a fortnight earlier.
Orpwood hopes to have his own new ex-Irish recruit HURRICANE HARMONY ready for Friars Haugh or Alnwick in the second half of January. OVER THE WALL could be out in December along with an unraced five-year-old, while he also has last season's Overton scorer FIRST ONE D'ANA , a three-year-old just broken in, and an unraced Rhona Brewis home-bred four-year-old by Telescope.
KATE LECKENBY - Has a 4-year-old Scorpion gelding bought at Goffs UK Doncaster Sale in September 2023 that will hopefully make his debut in the Alnwick Flat Race on December 15, and FEROCIOUS who was nine lengths 3rd to Kalabaloo at Alnwick in January 2022 before finishing in the first four in three hunters' chases might make make a comeback.
JAMES COOKSON - Last season's quartet of dual Overton scorer BLOUEBRAV, and experienced campaigners NICK LOST, SUPREMELY LUCKY and VIVAS have been joined by THE CLONMEL KID who was placed twice between the flags in Ireland earlier this year, and ex-Gordon Elliott former 136-rated hurdler FOLCANO. NICK LOST is likely to be his first runner of the new campaign at Alnwick on December 15. Cookson's horses are always worth following at Overton where he has had 7 winners and 6 placed from 16 runners since February 2013.