A WELCOME sunny day greeted a large crowd on Exmoor for the Devon & Somerset point to point fixture at South Hill.

A respectable 28 runners faced the starter, no doubt courtesy of some hard graft by an excellent team on the ground. The formidable trainer-jockey combo of Luke Price and James King notched a double while Jack Stenhouse narrowly denied his girlfriend’s younger sister her first winner in a thrilling Novice Riders contest.

Jockey Jack Stenhouse may have had mixed emotions after capitalising on the runner up’s one mistake at the last to drive home Teescomponentsfly to take the Novice Riders race by a head. Prior to that the David Pipe trained Sidi Ismael under 16 year old Mia Holmes had given an exhibition round of jumping and looked certain to record her first winner.

Given that Jack is dating Mia’s sister, Shannon, this result will probably be forgiven and this competent riding performance by Mia should be rewarded soon enough.

The racing started with a newly formed take on the Members race which was opened to all the local staghound packs and it was owner Brian Palfrey, chairman and former Master of the Tiverton Staghounds for whom Skilful Lord prevailed despite a late challenge from Sizing Cusimano.

With the field of four swopping and changing the lead throughout the race, it meant the pace was strong and while James Shaw wanted to sit quietly on Skilful Lord, he was forced into the lead earlier than intended. A good jump at the last sealed victory.

Josh Newman has been having a tremendous season both riding and training winners and his The Kings Writ denied his 14 years to skip around the course to record an easy 8 length win over Mulberry Hill and take the Mixed Open. Josh explained afterwards “I just need to stress how hard it was to take the ride back from Hannah Morgan who has won twice on him this year. Had I not been chasing the title, she would have been on him for sure.”

Chris Barber invariably improves horses in his care and his eye-catching chestnut Chief O’Hara gleamed in the sunshine while walking around the paddock. Moved by owners Andrew and Sally Mutch from trainer John McConnell in Ireland where he’d run unsuccessfully, apart from a sticky jump at the first, Ed Doggrell managed to get the son of Doyen to relax and he coasted home by 15 lengths from favourite River Story.

James King continued his ruthless quest to retain his riding title and he partnered the last two winners both for his regular patron, Luke Price. The Conditions race went to Inchidaly Robin who was recording his fifth straight win when cruising home by 10 lengths from rival Josh Newman on Whitsand Bay.

Inchidaly Robin has now won on all of his starts for Luke who describes him as a “proper horse.”

Their second winner was less expected as All Thumbs Up took the finale, a Restricted having had over two years off the track. Just under a length separated the winner and runner-up Drumlee Spud who ran a much improved race for trainer Chris Barber. Sadly the winner was found to have sustained an injury while in the winner’s enclosure which marred the victory for joint owner David Van-Pouke, whose Lavorante also took this race here last year.

Kirsty Boutflower