Ludlow
Bitterley
Saturday 12th April 2008
by Stella Havard

The Ludlow Hunt point-to-point scheduled for this Saturday (12th) at Bitterley, is set to be the usual bumper day ‘between the flags’. Entries secretary, Belinda Edwards reports a record entry of 240 horses and there will be a minimum of nine races on the card, though divisions may well make more.

Belinda relates that the carefully tended course at Bitterley has an excellent covering of grass, and that the official going is currently ‘good to soft’, but drying nicely.

Jeremy Mahot, the French rider based locally with Maz Scudamore, will be looking to extend his lead for the local area title, though nearest rivals, Matt Hooper and Rob Hodges will be doing their best to close the gap.

With plenty of trade stands and rides for children, the fixture has become a very popular venue for a family day out, particularly as there is natural ‘grandstand’ viewing from the bank near the finish.

The flag will drop to send the runners on their way for the first race at 1.30 p.m – this will be the Confined event, where all finishers will qualify for a crack at the Brightwells Confined Championship at Bredwardine on May 17 th.

One of the other feature races of the day will be The Mens Open, where the winner will qualify for the Volkswagen Touareg Mens Championship, a hunter ‘chase final at Towcester on May 12 th..

As the meeting is always well attended, early arrival is recommended –there will be plenty to see and do! The course (SY8 3HF for satellite navigation) can be found four miles north east of Ludlow, just off the A4117.