BUS RIDE THAT CHANGED MY LIFE
by Brian Lee

I was 15-years old and working in Guest Keen and Nettlefolds in Cardiff back in 1952 when I attended for the first time a point-to-point meeting.

The Pentych Hunt Steeplechases were held on Bassett's farm in Rhiwbina on the outskirts of the city. That day April 5 1952 would change my life.

The open countryside, the horses, the jockeys in their bright racing colours, the bookmakers with their betting boards and the informal and friendly atmosphere were all part of the attraction and a revelation to a young steel worker brought up in a little terraced house.

What made it more exciting were the close finishes to the races. For instance, in the members' race Terry Chappel's Watch, an aged black gelding, got home by just a head.

Ron Harris's brown mare Sally On, from the Tredegar Farmers Hunt, beat Shaun Ballymee by a short head in the men's open race  and Major  E Creighton Griffiths's chestnut mare Kilbeg was a short head winner of the maiden race.

 The ladies' open race was won by a grey gelding owned by Rowley Williams called Sylvester 11 and this horse was to become a great favourite of mine.

I soon became an ardent fan of point-to-point racing and would travel to other local meetings by bus.

The following year, 1953, the races were held at St Fagans near Cardiff  and it was there that I saw  Castleton farmer Bill Jones land a double on Spurn Head and Wood Marten.

Bill Jones was the top rider in Wales and the first to ride 100 winners and he became my hero and much later a friend.

However, little did I think then that in 1966 I would be reporting on the Welsh hunt-racing scene for the national and regional press. This came about after I had sent a letter to the editor of the Horse and Hound complaining that they were not covering meetings in my part of the world.

A few days later, I received a letter from the magazine's deputy editor Hugh Condry asking me if I would like to report on the Welsh  point-to-points for the magazine.

Soon afterwards, mainly thanks to Hugh, my services were being required by other publications such as the Sporting Life, Sunday Express, Sunday Telegraph, Daily Telegraph and the Western Mail the national daily newspaper of Wales.

Now, more than 40 years later, I am still covering the sport! 

In my role as a freelance hunt-racing correspondent, I have met and interviewed many of the Turf's famous characters. Grand National winning trainer Jenny Pitman, Brian Fletcher, who rode the immortal Red Rum to two of his three unique Grand National victories, and other winning Grand National jockeys such as Bob Champion, Michael Scudamore, Carl Llewellyn and Hywel Davies.

Brian Lee (left) with Brian Fletcher who won the Grand National three times
Red Alligator (1968) and Red Rum (1973 & 1974).
Pic by Alun Sedgemore

I could mention many more and I even got to meet the legendary Flat race jockey Sir Gordon Richards and, as he was born in Shrewsbury on the Welsh border, I tried to convince him that he was Welsh! Although he admitted that Richards was a Welsh name, he didn't agree to being a Welshman!

I have been reported to the Jockey Club on several occasions. Banned from two racecourses- but turned up anyway- and been threatened with solicitors' letters and promised a "good going over'' by an irate bookmaker.

One leading point-to-point rider after threatening me with a solicitor's letter ended the conversation by saying, "After all it's my living you're writing about.'' Amateurs? 

Yet I am still very much in love with the sport that has given me so much pleasure. And to think it all really started the day I caught a bus to Rhiwbina all those years ago.