Brilliant Charlie Marshall hoping to press on as he returns to the old routine following Stateside success

If there is an award for outstanding achievement by an amateur rider in 2024, then Charlie Marshall deserves to win. His victory in Saturday’s Maryland Hunt Cup, the first by a Briton since the four-mile timber race was inaugurated 130 years ago, involved great skill and nerves of steel.

Arriving in the States just over a week before the race gave him some hope of acclimatising, but his preparation for such a stern test was like warming up on a bouncy castle before taking a space walk. Yet with advice from trainer Joe Davies – dubbed the Willie Mullins of timber racing – Marshall placed on one side the skills he has honed in riding over steeplechase fences, and revamped the method to suit the challenge.

The primary element is to not ask the horse to reach for the fence but to let the fence come to you. Winning on Blackhall, the outsider of 11 runners and a horse who had won just a maiden point-to-point in Ireland in 2020, was amazing, but Marshall’s rapid adaption to timber racing and his overall horsemanship was brilliant.

Now back in the ranks he has been mowing, strimming and electric fencing at the Dorset yard run by fiancee Hannah Clarke. This weekend he has six rides at three meetings and is hoping to build on his 57 point-to-point successes.

Pipe deserves credit

High-fives for David Pipe for being a thoughtful boss and giving young riders racing experience. By leasing two horses for staff members Lukke Morris and Conal Kavanagh to ride in point-to-points he is giving something back to a sport in which he enjoyed success as a rider and trainer, and he should benefit from the experience and confidence they gain through race-riding. Both Morris and Kavanagh are involved in training the two pointers.

On Friday Pipe gained a small return on his investment when Kavanagh – on his first ride under rules – won Chepstow’s Dunraven Bowl hunter chase on Castle Daragh, while on Sunday Morris gained his initial point-to-point success when dead-heating in a race at Stafford Cross in Devon. With support from licensed trainers like Pipe, more young people can try point-to-pointing as a way of improving their knowledge of racing.

King takes Clermont ride

Famous Clermont is the sole British challenger for Friday evening’s Champion Hunters’ Chase (5.25) at Punchestown. The Chris Barber-trained nine-year-old won last year’s Randox Foxhunters’ Chase but missed the chance of a repeat last month due to heavy going. James King takes the reins forthe first time because Will Biddick is in action at Cheltenham’s hunter chase meeting.

Biddick is very likely to land the mares’ race (6.55) on Regatta De Blanc, who he also trains, and he has a fine chance in the intermediate race (5.10) on Barber’s Wolf Walker, who has impressed in three straight point-to-point victories.

Key rivals include Iskandar Pecos, who has the edge in experience having won two hunter chases, and the Tom Ellis-trained Latenightrumble, who could complete a remarkable hat-trick for the mare Latenightdip. Her foals Latenightpass and Latenightfumble, also trained by Ellis, won it in 2019 and 2022 under Gina Andrews, whose brother Jack rides the latest family member.

Iskandar Pecos will benefit from Huw Edwards’ 5lb riders’ allowance, a gift which in the open race (5.45) will benefit Jeux D’Eau, a six-year-old who showed impressive progress to win the recent Lady Dudley Cup. Jeux D’Eau is trained and part-owned by Edwards’ partner Laura Richardson.

Law Of Gold hacked up in the four-miler (7.30) last year and will be hard to beat once again, while Solomon Grey has finished first and third in the past two runnings of the finale (8.05) and is likely to be thereabouts again.

Weekend preview

Competitive racing on good ground will be the theme this weekend after months of disruption to the fixture list. Among a raft of closely fought titles is the novice women's award, which could come down to a battle between Natasha Cookson and Aimee Jones. Cookson heads to Witton Castle to ride family horse Supremely Lucky, but Jones has three possible rides between Dingley and Eyton-on-Severn.

The senior women's championship lies between Izzie Marshall (16 wins) and Gina Andrews (15). They are set to face each other in a couple of races at Godstone, where Andrews can draw level on Captain Biggles or Loughan in the mixed open, but Marshall could hit back in the conditions race with Urban Grit unless Andrews’ mount I’m Spellbound bounces back from a below-par recent start.

Max Comley’s Boss Man Fred has the option of four-mile races at Flete Park or Dingley. Coral frontman Simon Clare owns Go Johnny Go, a contender for the maiden race at Flete Park and who, if successful, would aid Josh Newman’s bid to become champion trainer.

At Dingley the Jockey Club/RoR veterans’ race can go to Golan Fortune, while the bet of the weekend could be Courting Flow at Witton Castle. He split two smart horses when second last time out. The third from that contest, Red Delta, has Lou Marvelous to beat in the restricted race.

Final tip: follow Luke Price runners at meetings around the country. The Welshman has won ten races from 20 runners this season and will be no less potent as the ground dries.

Saturday
Flete Park, Devon, PL21 9NU – first race 2.00. 6 races, 80 entries
Godstone, Surrey, RH9 8DB – 2.00. 7 races, 89 entries
Sunday
Dingley, Northants, LE16 8PJ – 1.25. 7 races, 121 entries
South Hill, Somerset, TA22 9PT – 2.00. 6 races, 71 entries
Monday
Eyton-on-Severn, Shropshire, SY5 6PW – 1.00. 7 races, 150 entries
Mollington, Oxfordshire, OX17 1QE – 2.00. 7 races, 119 entries
Vauterhill, Devon, EX37 9BT – 2.00. 6 races, 80 entries
Witton Castle, Co Durham, DL14 0DE – 2.00. 6 races, 98 entries

More information at pointtopoint.co.uk and gopointing.com

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