The Percy fixture at Alnwick enjoyed much better weather than Cocklebarrow and Horseheath on Sunday as the rain didn't arrive until the penultimate contest of a seven race card where proceedings were put back an hour to allow pockets of frost around Fences 1, 2 & 3 to come out of the ground, and when racing eventually got the all clear those three fences were bypassed.
The highlights were doubles for jockeys John Dawson and Nick Orpwood, as well as local trainer Jimmy Walton.
Orpwood kept things simple on Walton's Pointing debutant Eastern Storm in the 2m4f Carr's Billington Four And Five Years Old Maiden Race. Sent straight into the lead, the five-year-old dictated a modest pace from solitary rival Liveyourbestlife (Lois Teal) and after being briefly joined two out was more fluent at the last before sprinting clear up the run-in to score by four lengths.
Eastern Storm is a home-bred half-brother to Frankies Fire, a six-time winner between the flags, and Orpwood said of him: ''He's still very raw and weak for a big horse, and proved to be a bit of a handful as he wasn't the easiest to steer at times but had plenty left at the finish and I couldn't pull him up.''
Orpwood felt privileged to be given the chance to partner former 167-rated chaser Saint Calvados in the 2m4f The Joiners Arms Men's Open Race and the twelve-year-old duly outclassed his three rivals with the minimum of fuss, having made the 315-mile journey from Harry Whittington's Oxfordshire yard on Saturday and enjoyed an overnight stay at Clerk of the Course Nick Hargreave's farm.
Back in his comfort zone over an ideal trip, the evergreen gelding led all the way and only had to be pushed out with hands and heels for a comfortable five lengths success over odds-on favourite Jetaway Joey (Jack Andrews). Whittington said: ''It was great to see him finishing off the race so well and I'll now try to steer owner David Maxwell down the route of the Aintree Foxhunters which is a far more realistic target than the Cheltenham equivalent.''
Walton's training double was completed by home-bred mare West Lawn in the Ratcheugh Racing Club NPPA Area Conditions Race. In receipt of 7lb from her two rivals, Charlotte Tailford's mount was always within a couple of lengths of long-time leader Kingrullah (Laura Fenwick) before taking it up approaching two out and the nine-year-old's stamina then kicked in as she forged clear to win by ten lengths.
Dawson initiated his third Northern Area double of the season on the Robin Tate-trained six-year-old ex-Irish gelding Great Notions in the 3m Yorkshire Air Ambulance Maiden Race.
However, his task was made much easier when the Gina Andrews-trained debutant Caractacus Potts (Jack Andrews), who was two lengths up and still going well, was badly hampered by a loose horse three out and lost all momentum. Left in front by default, Dawson's mount kept on strongly in the closing stages to beat the promising Where's Willy (Nick Orpwood) by three lengths, with Major Champion (Amy Milburn) a further length away in third.
Tate said: ''He's very docile at home but rises to the occasion when he gets to the races, just keeps galloping and will stay even further.''
Dawson rounded off another good day at the office on Wottinger (bred by Chris Dawson) in the 2m4f Ryecroft Glenton Restricted Race. On his return from a 328-day break, the seven-year-old Cannock Chase gelding was always travelling well and, after taking over from pace-setting Batsman Jack (Tom Chatfeild-Roberts) three out, found plenty in the closing stages to win as he liked by two lengths from last month's Horseheath Maiden winner Call Me Early (Jack Andrews).
Dawson said: ''He'd been working well at home with last week's Jedforest Maiden winner Trust Me Nate and I knew I had him spot on for his reappearance over an ideal trip.''
Last season's form figures under Rules of F3P may not have inspired much confidence in the chances of ex-chaser Morozov Cocktail in the 3m Alncom Conditions Race but the rejuvenated nine-year-old clearly appreciated the drop in class as he ended a losing run stretching back to April 2022 to give jockey William Easterby a 100th British Pointing winner - almost thirteen years after getting off the mark on Gwyre at Dalton Park
Always in the leading pair, he was in command two out and had ten lengths to spare at the line over odds-on favourite Courting Flow (Christy Furness). Easterby said: ''I bought him as a foal and have always liked him. He really enjoyed himself today bowling along up front and might well be aimed at the 4m1f Grimthorpe Gold Cup Mixed Open at Sheriff Hutton on April 6.''
The Ratcheugh Farm course is like a second home to Dundrum Wood who recorded a fifth win in six visits in the 3m Meldrum Construction Group Ladies Open Race under Martha Reeve.
Always prominent and jumping like a stag, Shona Westrope's evergreen eleven-year-old headed ex-chaser Rath An Iuir (Laura Fenwick) approaching three out and stayed on well down the home straight to score by four lengths, with Ashjan (Joanna Walton) a further length away in third.
The ultra-consistent Dundrum Wood (10 wins and 9 placings from 20 Pointing starts since 9th January 2022) was a fifth winner of the weekend for Gina Andrew’s Warwickshire yard - taking her seasonal tally to 13 from 32 runners, a strike rate of 40.6%.
The weather in December and January has been much better than last season in the Northern Area, with only one meeting abandoned. The 4 meetings held have averaged 80 entries, with a total of 209 runners and a healthy average of 8.04 per race, while the ratio of runners to individual horses entered remains high at 77.12%.
The next Northern Area fixture is the Berwickshire at Friars Haugh, Kelso on Sunday 9th February.