03/01/2026
Exciting times ahead for this season 🏇
Preview of the Yorkshire Area season written for today's Yorkshire Post. This is the full version as supplied. It has been reduced to fit the available space when published today.
YORKSHIRE AREA POINT TO POINT SEASON'S PREVIEW 2026
Point to point racing returns to Yorkshire next weekend when the inimitable Mick Easterby will once again welcome a large and enthusiastic crowd to Sheriff Hutton, where the curtain rises on the area's 2026 season on Sunday 11th January. For those who are unfamiliar, pointing is what you could call pop up horse racing, amateur jump races run over a distance of usually three miles, on courses built from scratch on farms or parkland. Many of these are once a year venues such as the stately Duncombe Park or scenic Hutton Rudby. The Yorkshire season comprises eleven meetings culminating at Witton Castle in May and the full fixture list can be found at gbpointing/fixtures
The Easterby family are staunch supporters of pointing and a good place to begin a tour of some of the leading yards is with Mick's daughter Cherry Coward who hopes to defend her large trainers title. Noted for producing tough and hardy horses who run regularly and consistently, none more so than the evergreen Ballydonagh Boy, back this season looking to add to his marvellous record. “He needs no introduction” reports Cherry's daughter Sam “what a legend he has been for us and is very well. The aim is to make his seasonal reappearance at Sheriff Hutton. Joining him there could be Red O***m and Greater Glory, both looking to continue the success they had in 2025 and we also have Sunset On Fire and Zhiguli back again this year and hopefully we can have some good fun with them again too. Belpasso is new to us this time” added Sam. “ He's had a run in a bumper but was weak and green so his patient owner has given him time. He also heads to Sheriff. We also have two unraced five year olds, one of them first foal of our good mare Wizadora”. Unfortunately, stable jockey and defending champion Yorkshire lady jockey Rosie Howarth is out following a knee operation but will hopefully be back later in the season.
Another returning hero is last season's leading Yorkshire horse Surprise Attack who racked up five wins for owners the Racy Ladies partnership and husband and wife team of John and Alice Dawson who respectively ride and train him. With John having taken out his full training license recently Alice has now taken responsibility for the whole of the pointing yard although John is continuing riding, trying to regain the champion jockey title from Thomas Easterby. “Surprise Attack is back and going well” said Alice. “He will probably reappear in mid January and we'll aim him for the Yorkshire Area. The owners love pointing and we all enjoy getting around the wagon for a picnic with our families afterwards for a debrief. One i'm really looking forward to is The Village Way who we got last season when he won twice. He's already had a run this season, winning a good race at Alnwick in December. Hugo Moss was a good second at the same meeting and he's another promising young horse. We also have some lovely unraced youngsters to hopefully produce with the aim to sell”.
Hollywood Harmon was another of last season's stars back trying to enhance their reputation. Shrewdly bought by the Wilson family as a maiden for a mere £1000 she put together a string of great performances, culminating with an easy win in the maiden hunter chase at Cartmel in May helping jockey Pippa Brown win the ladies' novice jockey's championship and trainer Alex Wilson a share of the small trainers' title. Outlining plans, Alex reports “Holly is set to make her seasonal debut at Askham Bryan followed by hunter chases at Fakenham and Carlisle, ground depending. The ultimate goal would be the Aintree Foxhunters. A little work to do to get there but not impossible! I also have the promising Jardin Carre back again and two new additions Apieceofthemoon and Muddagent.
Few yards anywhere in the pointing world can rival the successes of the father and daughter partnership of Robin Tate and Fiona Needham, who have scaled the heights, most recently with their much missed Cheltenham Festival heroine Sine Nomine. Red Delta and Great Notions were a pair of promising youngsters who progressed really well throughout last season but they have moved on to trying their hand at racing under rules. “We've six horses for pointing between us” says Fiona. “Dad trains two youngsters for Peter Wright, the former CEO of the Point To Point Authority, Helm Bar who made a promising debut when fourth at Alnwick in December and Kitman who ran well at Garthorpe on a track which didn't suit and he should be a nice horse for the future. I also have a Jack Hobbs 3yo who shapes well but it is early days yet. So I regret no current stars but always hopeful!”.
Yorkshire pointing has always been a good place to look for future stars and many good horses have begun their careers here, such as Grand National winner Mr Frisk,To help foster this the GB Pointing Bonus Young Horse Maiden Series has been launched and three Yorkshire meetings will host qualifiers : The first of the Sheriff Hutton fixtures, together with the Yorkshire Jockeys Club and Scarborough Races, both at Charm Park. Jack Teal has established an enviable reputation for unearthing talented young horses and there is every chance there'll be more stars of the future coming out of his Malton yard this season. “I've got around twenty for pointing this season” said Jack. “ There's a nice mix of older ones and a fair few youngsters. Hopefully there'll be some good ones amongst them but they don't all turn out to be to be winners! Of the established ones, Whats The Solution is back again looking to build on his successful time last season and I also have Lets Go Harry who looks like a nice horse.”
Admission at Sheriff Hutton is £15 per person with under 16s free and is cash on the gate. The meeting is being run once again in aid of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance for whom a total approaching a quarter of a million pounds has already been raised and donated by the organisers. Whilst some meetings also offer advanced online ticket sales, occasionally with early bird offers, £15 is the typical cost of a day out at a Yorkshire point to point and you can always pay on the gate. There are bookmakers if you fancy a flutter as well as trade stands and other attractions and you can get much closer to the action than on a professional racecourse. You can usually park overlooking the course, bring a picnic and your well behaved dogs which are welcome too. All in all a grand day out!
