SIMPLY THE BEST – BETTER THAN ALL THE REST!

The lyrics of this song could have been written for the individuals named in this article.

A well-known equestrian journalist once said

“The West Midlands is an area where it has never been easy to win races”

This makes the achievements of the four ladies profiled below even more remarkable - they helped shaped the sport we have today.

Their successors have a lot to be thankful for.

JACKIE BRUTTON
Jenny Pitman and Henrietta Knight both honed their training skills in the Point-to-Point field before they became household names following Grand National and Gold Cup victories, but a few decades earlier they had been proceeded by Jackie Brutton, who had to fight red tape and regulations in order to establish her training career.

Prior to that she had been a successful Point-to-Point rider with Michael Williams recalling in his first book on the sport “ Mrs Brutton won four races on Blue Heavan in 1948 who might well have remained unbeaten but for being struck into when finishing third on three legs in his division of the Ladies Open nomination race at the Ludlow”.

(See Note 1)

“Mrs Brutton also produced Compton Abdale an outstanding novice who was to make his mark at Cheltenham the following season when she became the first Lady to train a winner of the United Hunts Cup”.

A report from the Gloucestershire Echo on 8 th March 1949 said “Mr J Spencer, farmer and amateur rider, was given a rousing reception when he rode the favourite Compton Abdale to win the United Hunts Challenge Cup, a race in which 12 of the 21 runners fell.

The result was a triumph for Mrs Jackie Brutton, a daughter of the late Sir A McAlpine, who bred the winner.

Mrs Brutton has had Compton Abdale, who is named after the village where she lives since he was a 2-year-old. She broke him when he was 6-years-old and has always trained and hunted him herself in the Cotswold Country.

Nobody else has ever been on his back at home. Mrs Brutton has won several Point-to-Points on Compton Abdale as well as other horses she owns.

Mrs Brutton said “I am particularly pleased that he has won in my fathers colours, which I have registered because he and I were the only members of my family who were keen on National Hunt Racing.”

She combined her racing activities with Hunting and joined the Mastership of the Cotswold in 1959, continuing in post until 1971. She was one of the driving forces when a Point-to-Point course was set up at Andoversford in 1960 and was also associated with some useful horses during that period including Leading Seaman and Miss Provost.

She is mainly remembered for her association with Snowdra Queen and Lord Fortune but she had to overcome many obstacles before she gained the recognition she deserved.

Williams wrote “Before the start of the 1965 season a rule was brought in requiring all owners-trainers of Hunter Chasers to hold a full permit. Although this sounded innocent enough it was a body blow to woman who at that time were not considered eligible for permits and were thus effectively prevented from running their horses in Hunter Chases.

The worst sufferers from this sex discrimination were those highly successful ladies Mrs Jackie Brutton and Miss Lucy Jones, both of whom had winners of the United Hunts Cup at Cheltenham to their credit.

To Mrs Brutton in particular it was a bitter situation to be in because in 1965 she had in her stables at Compton Abdale another potential winner of this race.

Fortunately with this brilliant mare who was hunted by her owner in the Cotswolds it was only a matter of time for in 1966 when woman were granted permits to train Hunter Chasers. Snowdra Queen did win the United Hunts Cup and after being beaten by Baulking Green in 1967, she obtained her revenge and won it again in 1968.”

Snowdra Queen, a seven-year-old mare by Brightworthy was bought in Wales for £300 at the end of the 1964 season. I am reliably informed that Mrs Brutton actually went down to Wales to buy another horse. It appears there was a disagreement about its value and as she did not want the box to go back to Gloucestershire empty handed she purchased Snowdra Queen. Such is the fickle hand of fate.

Some trainers have that extraordinary knack of transforming moderate and sometimes difficult horses into winners and Jackie Brutton falls into this category. Under her guidance the mare made phenomenal improvement before the start of the 1965 season. She made all and was in " an unassailable lead until the rider appeared to black out and fall off" at the Bullingdon Club meeting.

This resulted in a change of jockey and Henry Oliver was called in to deputise, an inspired decision because they were undefeated in five races at the North Ledbury, Beaufort, Cotswold, Heythrop and Worcestershire.

Snowdra Queen was unchallenged when winning the Lord Ashton of Hyde Cup at Fox Farm and then beat some of the seasons best horses at Upton over the shorter trip of the Dudley Cup a few weeks later. She won all her races with ease that season and moved rapidly up the ratings.

I recall that in 1966 Snowdra Queen was one of the favourites for the Dudley Cup where the winner Handsel, carried royal blue colours and a white cap, while the mare carried McAlpine Tartan and white cap.

The race was run in very heavy rain and bearing in mind that in those days commentators were perched on the top of some precarious scaffolding (which was open to the elements), there was some excuse as he mistook Handsel for Snowdra Queen’s rain sodden colours, with the latter being called the winner before the commentator realised his mistake as Geoff Cambidge’s mount jumped the last.

Prior to that run the mare had been successful at the United Services and had won the United Hunts Cup at Cheltenham, after which MRS BRUTTON WAS CREDITED WITH BEING THE FIRST WOMAN TO OFFICIALLY TRAIN A WINNER IN BRITAIN, but she had many winners before the Racing Authorities recognised woman trainers. The next year, there were victories at the Bullingdon Club and Larkhill before she was beaten by Baulking Green at Cheltenham.

Over the next four seasons, a pattern began to appear. The mare would win a couple of races and appear back to her brilliant best, but would disappoint on subsequent outings.

In 1968, she gained revenge by turning the tables on her old rivals Baulking Green and Bartlemy Boy at Prestbury Park, which prompted the comment that "she was self willed and only shows interest in her first two or three races”. She won on her seasonal debut the following year but was retired at the end of that season.

Some people spend a fortune and a lifetime with horses but never own a horse of this quality but Mrs Brutton struck gold for the second time with Lord Fortune. He raced for eight seasons, six of them at the very highest level and won some of the biggest prizes in the sport.

His record in major races speaks for itself, but it would have been even better if he could have avoided a horse called Credit Call, who proved his nemesis throughout his career.

Lord Fortune did not enjoy the best of starts as a 5-year-old back in 1968. On his second outing that year he refused several times in his Members Race, which earned the comment "has ability but a difficult ride".

That assessment proved correct for despite winning the V.W.H. Adjacent on his debut the following season, the timing of his finishes were proving difficult to get right.

He finished fourth on his first run in 1970, but when George Hyatt replaced regular pilot Derek Edmunds who had broken his leg the horse was said to have improved by a stone.

They gained their first success in the Heythrop 4 miler before finishing third in that season’s Dudley Cup behind Frozen Dawn and Sunarise. He ended the year with a flourish by winning the Player Gold Leaf Final Hunter Chase Championship and finishing second to Some Man in the Horse and Hound Cup.

Edmunds regained the ride in 1971 and they were successful in the Cotswold Open but ended the season with more placed efforts than wins.

It was stated after the horse had enjoyed a profitable season in 1972 when he won two opens and finished second in both the Cheltenham Foxhunters and Horse and Hound Cup (to old rival Credit Call) that Derek Edmonds had now mastered how to ride him.

The author of the statement was vindicated the following year when the partnership won five races including the United Hunts Challenge Cup at Cheltenham and also finished a short head second to (you have guessed it - Credit Call) in the Horse and Hound Cup.

Lord Fortune won five more races in 1974 and was placed in another two, and at 12-years of age probably had his best season ever which culminated in victory over Crème Brule and Credit Call at Aintree. This earnt him the description of "a top class Hunter Chase with brilliant acceleration".

He was 13-years-old in 1975 when he won the Beaufort Open before finishing second to Credit Call (yet again) in the Liverpool Foxhunters. He ended his career on a high note when he won the United Service Open and the Heythrop 4-miler for the second time the following year.

Jackie Brutton enjoyed many successes at Cheltenham Racecourse so it was fitting that when The Riding for the Disabled Centre was established at this venue it was named in her honour.  

Note 1
In 1948 a Miss J Brutton shared the Riders Championship with Miss K Tatham-Warter, as Mrs J Brutton won four races on Blue Heavan that year it is safe to assume that they are one in the same rider.

SUE ASTON
Sue was born in Wiltshire and rode her first winner on My Milly in the Mid Devon Adjacent Hunts Ladies at Lowdons Farm, Moretonhamstead on 23 rd April 1960.

(See Note 2)

She rode 5 winners in her first season when according to that seasons Annual; she actually rode in a race and finished second on Culmleigh Queen with a broken wrist! She rode another 5 winners in 1961 and had 7 victories in 1962 (four on Culmleigh Queen and three on Polecat).

(See Note 3)

Michael Williams is quoted as saying, “this superlative rider who sits a horse like a professional flat race jockey is Pat Tollit’s natural successor and today she is unexcelled in the art of riding a finish”.

Michael added that “In recent years she has learned a great deal from the experience she had of riding on the flat in France and she rides out regularly for professional trainers during the summer. In that enlightened country she has won a number of races again top class opposition. Her greatest ambition is to ride in a ladies hunter chase in England, but the very idea of such a race is enough to give the Jockey Club a heart attack so it seems she will have some time to wait.”

No winners were forthcoming during the 1963 season, but she began to attract national attention after wins on Over Court (owned by a certain O. J. Carter in 1964).

The first time that she came to the attention of racegoers in this area was when she won on Over Court in the V.W.H. Ladies in 1965. Profit and Polar Star provided her with 6 winners the following season and the latter gave her 3 wins in 1967, to go with the 4 successes she enjoyed on Robert Dickenson’s Beaufort qualified Touch and Go II.

She won her first National Title in 1968 with 15 victories (which equalled Pat Tollit’s previous record) and this was double the total of the runners up Rosemary Cadell and Josephine Turner.

The following year resulted in a tremendous battle for the Daily Telegraph Cup. This was not resolved until the last day of the season when Convoys won the Ladies Open at the Tiverton Staghounds by a short head to provide Josephine Turner with her 14 th winner of the season. She finished one in front of Sue Aston who was without a ride in the race but was there spectating.

Seven of Sue’s wins were provided by Christopher Glynn’s (now Lord Wolverton) Hartlands. The horse had won 5 saddle club races for his owner the previous year but was not an easy ride and had to be scrubbed along from start to finish. Glynn nominated Sue Aston for the ride after he fractured his spine in a swimming accident in Australia.

Sue enjoyed a fruitful partnership when she teamed up with Tenor in 1970, which resulted in 9 wins from 11 runs. Michael Williams is quoted as saying after Miss Aston had won the Ladies Race at the Golden Valley “A spectator remarked now we know why they reckon this girl is the best in the country”. After her win on Tenor at the Heythrop where she stole the race from Mrs Ann Harden’s Darnick Tower on the last bend another observed “If Sue Aston was a man Terry Biddlecombe would be out of a job”.

Williams went on to say that “Not everyone feels the same away about this brilliant rider, some people think she rides too short and are consequently unable to conceal their delight on the rare occasions when she comes off and to some of her fellow riders any praise of her in print is like a red rag to a bull. This is one of the penalties that has to be paid for reach the top of the tree in any sport.”

A total of 14 wins for sufficient for Miss Aston to regain the Ladies Title (now sponsored by The Sporting Life) she had lost to Josephine Turner the previous season. The runners up on this occasion were Pat Tollit and Anne Greenwood.

It could have been more but she was also sidelined for three weeks due to injury with Michael Williams reporting that “ she broke a bone in her leg and had 14 stitches inserted in the deep cut above the break, in the course of finishing third on Tenor in the Ladies Open race at the North Hereford in February

“The incident occurred after the first fence on the second circuit when she ripped her boot to piece on the butt end of a gate when turning through a gap where a post and rails had been removed. Most riders would have made no attempt to continue but the courageous Sue who had broken two bones in her arm whilst exercising a horse shortly before the start of the season was made of sterner stuff”.

“Back on the same horse at the V.W.H. 3 weeks later and looking very lame with her leg strapped up and wearing an outsize riding boot loaned to her by David Tatlow she had the first of her 14 wins in Ladies Open, allowing the four opponents bold enough to take her on to do most of the work in the heavy ground before coming through to assume complete command in the closing stages”.

Records of that time show that Miss Aston passed a notable milestone in her career in 1971 when she notched up her 100 th win (See Note 4) and with 14 successes took her third Sporting Life Cup.

In that year she twice rode a winner at two meetings on the same day. Winning on Kiwi II at the Avon Vale before she was helicoptered to the Ledbury for a victory on Tenor, while later in the season she repeated that feat at the Berkeley on Kiwi II and at the Warwickshire on Tenor.

It appeared that Pat Tollit was going to win her 6 th Ladies Title but she hurt her rib when Tenor slipped up at the North Warwickshire. Miss Aston won that race on Miss Hanago. With her rival sidelined Sue Aston scored on Kiwi II in the Exmoor Ladies on the final day of the season and this meant that these two prolific winning riders shared the title.

In December 1974, Sue married David Horton. Two years later but 9 years after the rule had come into existence, the Beaufort Hunt opened its Members Race to Lady Riders for the very first time – this was also the year that all races are Point-to-Points were open to Lady Riders – except those confined specially to Men - .i.e. Mens Open.

Sue Horton became the first lady rider to win the Members race at the Beaufort when riding her father in laws Straight Lane she saw off the challenges of Nicky Bush on Innisfoil and Tony Harris on Gusserane.

It will be no surprise to read that Sue was the first woman to ride against men in an Open Point-to-Point. She partnered Earl Mouse in Division II of the Coronation Cup and won it.

Reports from the time indicate that she “seized the inside berth after her horse had jumped the second last in third place and hurled him to the last like a true professional and got him home in a driving finish by a length and a neck from Robert Waley Cohen (currently Chairman of the Point-to-Point Board) on Connello and Geoff White on Time out.

A broken pelvis sustained in the fall at the Avon Vale meant that she only rode two winners that season and two years later she announced her retirement shortly after breaking her arm and two ribs in a fall at the Beaufort. After the season was over she was the well-deserved recipient of the inscribed silver salver presented at the Point-to-Point dinner for special services to the sport.

She made a brief reappearance in 1982 when she rode in the Buchanon traditional member’s race at Didmarton but was beaten by Caroline Shearing on Paddy Too.

Sue died at the age of 43 in April 1986 when she was found dead in her car in the garage of her Wiltshire home having dropped off to sleep with the engine running and being overcome by fumes. The Coroners verdict was accidental death by carbon monoxide poisoning.

Her attributes are summoned up by Michael Williams who wrote “She was one of the all time greats whose skill in the saddle was matched by her generosity in spirit. She never had an unkind word to say about anyone.”

Note 2
While conducting research for these articles it was noted that in his book The Continuing Story of Point-to-Pointing Michael Williams stated that Sue was 14-years-old when she rode her first winner. Other well-known equestrian journalists of that time believe she was 15-years-old.

In his second book, Michael goes on to say that Sue was 43 at the time of her death (in 1986). This would mean that she was 17-years-old when she rode her first winner!

Note 3
According to the 1963 edition of Hunter Chasers and Point-to-Pointers, she rode 7 winners during the 1962 season when her career total was calculated at 34. Extensive research has only identified 17 winners during the period 1960 - 1962.

Further investigations revealed that in the 1971 Yearbook, her career total was listed as 97, but after riding 14 winners the following season this had been reduced to 94, i.e. the earlier statistical blip had been corrected.

After further investigations by David Ingle of Weatherbys Chase, it was discovered that Sue actually rode 9 winners in 1975 and not 8 as listed in the 1976 Annual.

It appears that when the winning totals for the leading riders in the Post War period were calculated in the mid-1980’s the original data may have been re-instated. Sue’s career record has therefore been recalculated at 130 and not 145 as originally thought.

Note 4
Due to the recalculation noted above further research indicates that Sue actually rode her 100 th winner on Kiwi II at the Berkeley meeting in 1972.

PAT TOLLIT (NEE RUSHTON)
Pat Tollit comes from one of Worcestershire’s best-known sporting families. Her father Major Harold Rushton rode 86 winners between the flags and owned the legendary O’Dell whose name was synonymous with the sport before the Second World War.

Pat rode her first winner on her first ride at the age of sixteen at the Cheshire Forest on her father’s old chaser Merry Knight. It was the start of a long and glorious career, which ended 25 years later when she rode her 171 st and last winner on Pensham at the Wheatland fixture in May 1973.

During the early stages of Mrs Tollit’s career she had many battles with Ida Croxon and as Michael Williams report of the 1951 season indicated the “duelling of Ida Croxon and Pat Rushton was fast getting into its stride and it was to last into the sixties.

Their two best horses were Don Isle and Lucky Dip and in the Ladies Open Nomination Race at the North Ledbury they dead-heated with each other. Pat Rushton won 9 of her 10 races on Lucky Dip that year; and Ida Croxon, who won five races with Don Isle and three on Michshine, was the runner up on four of these occasions, riding a different horse each time ”.

Assessing their rivalry in 1953 Michael Williams wrote “The Ladies Open race at the Ludlow, which in those days was the nearest equivalent to the Ladies Dudley Cup, was also run in two divisions. And what could have been more appropriate than for Pat Rushton on Episil to beat Ida Croxon on One Night in the first division and for Ida Croxon to return the compliment by winning the second division on Franciscan from Pat Rushton on Lucky Dip”.

The winners continued to flow and in 1955 Miss Rushton won 7 seven races on Episil, the only horse to win on the first and last day of the season.

Her race riding exploits were not diminished by marriage and motherhood. Her eldest daughter Katherine was born in 1959 but a year later Mrs Tollit won her second rider Championship and was already acknowledged to be the finest lady Point-to-point rider of all time.

She rode 9 winners when she took the Title for the first time in 1951 and that was also her winning total in 1960 with her fathers Rosies Cousin providing her with 6 of those victories, which included a win at the prestigious Melton fixture.

Rosies Cousin was 6-year-old at the time and later developed into a useful Hunter Chaser. His best distances were under three miles but Pat Tollit was never beaten on him in a Point-to-Point. Her most prolific winners during this period were Episil on whom she won 24 races and Lucky Dip who had 20 successes to his credit.

Between 1962 and 1965 Mrs Tollit dominated the riders Championship winning it three times. It could easily have been four but her third daughter Angela was born in 1963 while her great rival Ida Croxon retired in the same year.

Compared to the totals achieved by today’s riders, the number of winners required to win the Title was not great but it has to be remember that for much of that time Lady riders were limited to probably less than 15 rides per season.

Pat Tollit became the first woman to ride over 100 winners and did this on Uncle Coke at the Ludlow fixture in 1965, but she spent most of the following season sidelined with a bad back.

By 1967 Pat Tollit was still riding as brilliantly as ever on her new horse Gansy. She entered the winners enclosure 8 times on that horse and was seen at her best at the Albrighton Woodland fixture on the last day of the season when she beat Mrs Pat Hinch (nee Newton) on Cool Autumn and Sue Aston on Lawtonia. Her other wins that season came on Mr Teddy and Rosies Cousin.

Michael Williams wrote that “Pat Tollit and Sue Aston were two of the greatest Lady rider ever seen on a course and the duelling for the 1971 title that went on between the 29-year-old Sue Aston and the 39-year-old Mrs Tollitt was resolved in favour of the former with her 14 winners to her rivals 11.

“This was something to savour with honours about even as indicated when in a division of the Ladies Open at the Melton Hunt Club fixture, Pat Tollit got Articulation up on the run in to beat Tenor by a length but on the final day of the season, Tenor replied by streaking away from Pat Tollit’s mount Pensham in the North Warwickshire 4 miler”.

All of her wins in the 1971 season were provided by two horses, 6 of them on Pensham and another 5 on Articulation.

Her Title win in 1972 was down to the exploits of that phenomenal mare Pensham who won 10 Point-to-Points, which allowed connections to lift the prestigious Grand Marnier Trophy. Mrs Tollit rode her 150 th winner on Pensham at the Oakley fixture in March of that year. She had another 10 wins on Pensham the following year but the curtain finally came down on an extra ordinary career after the Wheatland meeting.

It was 13 years before her record was broken by Josephine Sheppard’s victory on Swarm at the Puckeridge and Thurlow.

Statistics can often be misleading but not so in this case. Pat Tollit rode 171 winners and had a strike rate of nearly 50%.

She may have had many things in her favour because she was able to call upon the services of some very good horses but that does not guarantee victory.

Her own ability in the saddle has to be a major factor and there is no doubt that her record stands up to close scrutiny - she was undoubtedly the best lady rider of her generation and perhaps of all time. We would not disagree with the statement made by Geoffrey Sale in his 1965 Annual “Words fail in describing the brilliance of this rider”.

In 1972, Michael Williams quoted one well-known equestrian writer “I have seldom seen two better women riding difficult young horses in front out hunting than Pat Tollit and Sue Aston. Sue lets down her leathers and imparts fearlessness to any green horse – but Pat Tollit is still supreme hunting”.

Now in her mid-70’s Mrs Tollit regularly attends meetings in the West Midlands and she should be more mobile this season having had a hip-replacement operation in the summer.

ALISON DARE
One of the most successful, if not the most successful partnerships in Point-to-Point history started at the North Norfolk Harriers meeting at Higham on February 3 rd 1980 when Silvertown finished runner up in the Ladies under a then unknown 22-year-old rider called Alison Dare.

Dick Baimbridge was reported to have said at the time “I had to find someone at short notice to take over from Helen Gundry on Silvertown. I remembered seeing a girl called Alison Dare riding in a race the previous season and I liked what I saw, so I phoned her up.” Thus a great partnership was forged.

Hugh Condry in his Horse and Hound column at the time reported “Alison, who has yet to ride a winner met Silvertown for the first time in the paddock having been engaged at the last moment when Helen Gundry had to forego the ride as her mother had died the previous day.”

A month later the Gloucestershire Echo’s report from the Beaufort meeting stated “The Ladies Open will be one well remember by 22-year-old Alison Dare, who registered her first ever success when forcing the Berkeley qualified Silvertown home ahead of Terrible Time and Troopial.

Christine Mason looked to have brought Terrible Tim with a perfectly timed challenge as the combination assumed the initiative going to the last, but Silvertown responded to his young riders sustained efforts, to snatch the verdict on the line.”

Statistics indicate that it took Alison some time to build up her expertise but she put those skills to good use in 1986 when she claimed her first Title as the expense of Amanda Harwood where the exploits of Dawn Street, Romulex and Mendip Express were major contributory factors.

Michael Williams report from the Exmoor meeting at Bratton Down in The Sporting Life said “Alison Dare set the seal on her bid for the Sporting Life Cup with a brilliantly executed late challenge on her own King Burg in the Womens Open to land her 19 th winner of the season.

In fourth place jumping the last where Auckland Jack lead from Withen Wood and Baradean, King Burg was produced with a searing late burst after Rosemary Vickery had looked like getting the upper hand with the hard ridden Withen Wood.”

A second championship followed in 1987 when she had 17 wins and finished clear of Lucy Gibbon and Jenny Pidgeon with Dawn Streeet (5 wins) and Mendip Express (3 wins) both playing their part in her victory.

She enjoyed a purple patch in 1990 (20 wins), 1991 (26 victories) and 1992 (21 successes) where she took the title for three years in succession, beating Polly Curling, Pip Nash and Linda Blackford.

In 1991 Alison broke all the established records. She recorded 26 wins, which was six more than the previous record but that came from just 38 rides. She rode 11 consecutive winners, surely a feat that is never to be repeated, she was also second 6 times that year and 3 rd 4 times which meant that only two of her rides that season were unplaced – a strike rate of 77%.

In 1993 Alison’s name went into the record books when she rode her 174 th winner at the Harkaway Club fixture to pass Josephine Sheppard’s record. It was appropriate that this winner was provided by David Willis’s Russki who Alison has described as the best horse she rode. The grey had provided her with her 100 th and 150 th winner.

In 1995 Alison rode just two winners but there had to be an explanation for that unusual occurrence – there was – she broke her leg.

Reports from the local media stated that “Alison was comfortable in Banbury Hospital yesterday 48 hours after breaking her leg at Heythrop. The accident happened soon after she became the first woman to ride 200 winners. Riding Danbury Lad in the Maiden she was cannoned into by a loose horse, snapping her leg below the knee”.

Baimbridge reported that “she was operated on during Sunday afternoon and they put six pins in her leg, but she rang this morning on a mobile phone and sounded in good spirits. It has been quite a help that Dr Paul Brown (the owner of Stephens Pet) was on hand. He made sure she got the best of treatment. (Sadly Dr Brown passed away in the spring of 2007).

After such a bad year in 1995 it was appropriate that Alison should win her sixth and last title, the following year with a total of 31 winners.

Alison retired in 2002 having accumulated 287 winners in a career spanning 23 years, (with Baimbridge providing 281 of those successes). Crested Grebe, Coney, Timber Tool (3) and Salmon Poucher were her only victories for outside stables.

Alison’s major attributes were that she was so well balanced. How many times did you see a Baimbridge runner fall or unseat? She yielded the inside to nobody and saved an enormous amount of ground during a race. She had an incredible judgement of pace; timing her challenge at exactly the right moment or injecting pace into a race to gain lengths at a vital time.

The stable runners were never subjected to sustained pressure, they were asked for an effort if none was forthcoming they were never subjected to more than a couple of taps with the whip in the hope of gaining another £20 in prize money.

Based on those statistics it is easy to see why Alison stated earlier in her career “I like riding the ones I know. Dick’s horses are fitter than others peoples”. That was not intended as an attack on the rest of the trainers but a tribute to Baimbridge’s ability. It proved a very wise decision.

Only a handful of lady riders have managed to get within striking distance of Alison’s record. These include Polly Curling (220) and Polly Gundry who passed the 200-winner mark in 2007.

After her retirement, Alison maintained her association with the Baimbridge yard but has subsequently set up on her own and enjoyed a great season in 2007 which was highlighted by

Twenty Degrees success in Ladies Hunter Chase at Stratford.

THE INFORMATION IS THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN COMPILED FROM A VARIETY OF SOURCES INCLUDING

THE CONTINUING STORY OF POINT-TO-POINTING BY MICHAEL WILLIAMS
PUBLISHED IN 1970 BY PELHAM BOOKS

 POINT-TO-POINTING IN OUR TIME BY MICHAEL WILLIAMS
PUBLISHED BY QUILLER PRESS IN 1998 (ISBN 1-899163-43-5)

VARIOUS EDITIONS OF HUNTER CHASERS AND POINT-TO-POINTERS BY GEOFFREY SALE AND MACKENZIE AND SELBY

GLOUCESTERSHIRE ECHO

RACING POST

HORSE AND HOUND

 POINTINGWM IS ALSO EXTREMELY GRATEFUL FOR THE ASSISTANCE RECEIVED FROM HENRY FRANKLIN AND FROM DAVID INGLE AT WEATHERBYS CHASE

THE PHOTOGRAPHS ARE REPRODUCED COURTESY OF

JIM MEADS (F H MEADS)

AND

JOHN BEASLEY (OF BIG GREEN ANNUAL FAME)
www.photomac.demon.co.uk