MISCELLANEOUS

NOVICE RIDERS FOR 2005

POINTINGWM TAKES A LOOK AT SOME OF THE CHALLENGERS FOR THE AREAS NOVICE RIDERS TITLE

Several riders will be making their debut over the next few weeks - do any of them have the potential to take over the mantle recently vacated by Tom Weston?

Simon Grundy burst onto the Point-to-Point scene in a big way in the late 1980's riding good horses such as Dingbat and Fennelly. Now almost two decades later his 16-year-old daughter Helen is scheduled to make her first appearance on a racecourse. Plans are already in hand for the Grundy's to travel from their home near Upton-on-Severn so that Helen can ride Go Go Gallant at the Tiverton meeting.

Helen has had a couple of rides on Go Go Gallant, the most recent one being in the North Hereford Ladies where they finished unplaced

Pat Tollitts exploits in the Point-to-Point field go back even further than Grundys and it would not be an exaggeration to say that she would be in the top five of the sports Leading Lady riders. Two of her granddaughters could make their debuts this year.

Alex Smith-Maxwell, the 17-year-old daughter of Katherine Smith Maxwell, our local Point-to-Point Owners and Riders representative, West Midland Point-to-Point Secretaries Association Chairman and local Steward is currently sidelined with an ankle injury. She is unlikely to be seen out for several weeks but it is understood that Lombards Lass has been assigned the job of providing her with a potential winner.

Alex made her debut at Whitwick Manor but failed to trouble the judge

16-year-old Josephine Banks, daughter of Worcestershire Point-to-Point Entries Secretary Christine Banks and another Tollitt offspring could be seen on the course during the coming weeks on one of her grandmothers horses.

Lizzie Merrick, the 16-year-old daughter of the North Ledbury Secretary Sally Pugh could make her first racecourse appearance this weekend on the Nicky Sheppard trained Orient Bay. This useful ex-chaser looks an ideal schoolmaster and will surely be good enough if his rider is.

Lizzie had her first race at Larkhill a few weeks ago and shaped promisingly against tough opposition

Twin brothers Jack and Bay Watson will be vying for the rides on Parsons Pride. Their sister Hannah has already proved a more than capable rider between the flags and they should be able to carry on the family tradition.

Bay rode Borderline Breeze who was unplaced in the Mixed Open at Kingston Blount

The Bush Family down in the Beaufort country has been part of the local Point-to-Point scene for the past fifty years. Bill Bush's rode numerous winners in his familiar black and white colours and sons Nick and Steve have followed in the family footsteps. This year will see the debut of Steve's 16-year-old daughter Lucy - maybe in family tradition she will ride against her father. Those with long memories will remember that Bill and his two sons once filled the first three places in the Beaufort Hunt race.

Lucy Bush made her racecourse debut on Seef in the Ladies Open at Whitwick. Unfortunately the horse had an uncharacteristic fall and Lucy left the course with a suspected broken wrist

Since this page first appeared several jockeys have had their first rides and acquited themselves well. It would be interesting if somebody set up a book to see which of them was going to be first to ride their first winner.

They could be beaten to this task by young Richard Spencer who teamed up with Wortley Boy at Whitwick on Sunday. The horse is owned by Sue and Len Ballinger and used to be trained by Tom George and previously won a 3-mile hurdle in soft going at Warwick. Richard who also has the ride on Mainlier lined up has been riding out for several years for several local trainers and spent some of the summer holidays with Peter Bowen.