Overcoming all the odds point-to-pointing returned to Fife today (Saturday) when Britain’s newest point-to-point course at Pusk Farm near St Andrews was unveiled.
Dry weather and quick ground affected field sizes and the seven-race card suffered a walk-over and void Flat race, but the five contests that went ahead served up a series of tight finishes that generated plenty of excitement for a large crowd.
Nick Orpwood recorded a small piece of point-to-point history when riding the first winner.
Nick Orpwood and Watch Law on the front end before winning the course's first point-to-point
Louisa Cheape, master of the organising Fife Bloodhounds and whose family own the land on which the course is situated, said: “When you embark on something like this knowing you are a long way from the horse population you have to make it good to make people want to come – you have to build something good.
“I think we might have done that. What we have also proved is that Fife wants a point-to-point. The crowd has proved that.”
Louisa Cheape - 'We have proved that Fife wants a point-to-point'
Sterling efforts to produce safe ground resulted in a watered track that was largely firm, but took a print and the course was nothing if not level. Riders, trainers and officials generally agreed the organisers could have done nothing more given that rainfall expected in the week failed to arrive. The location was given a thumbs-up all round and with a steady uphill finish in front of the crowd the course scored from a racegoer’s viewpoint.
Trainers Victor Thompson and Wassls Young enjoying a day at the races
Cheape added: “We’ve learned a lot and there are a few things we’d do differently, but we have to be pleased with this first effort. We don’t have crowd figures yet, but there are 1,000 cars in the car park and we know a number of people have come by train.”
*Read Peter Burgon’s report from the meeting on this site and in Go Pointing this week