Six challenging years at the top - reflections from Peter Wright as he steps down as chief executive of the Point-to-Point Authority

There are company crises and post office scandals, some of which in comparison make Peter Wright’s tenure as chief executive of the Point-to-Point Authority seem smooth.

Not that it has merely been a cruise around the countryside – after six years in the role, he steps down at the end of next week having steered the sport through equine flu, Covid lockdowns, a fall in registered horses and the wettest winter and spring, resulting in a record number of postponed/abandoned meetings this season.

After that lot, it will be a doddle to engage in home renovations which have been on hold since 2018. He says: “I had a flood from a pipe, and people who come to my house look up at the kitchen ceiling and say ‘Oh, you’ve still done nothing about that then’.”

That is hardly surprising given Wright’s year-round, Monday-to-Friday schedule and attendance at race meetings most Saturdays and Sundays from November to June. He has been lauded and applauded for his energy, and primarily for keeping the sport going behind closed doors during lockdowns, but as he said when announcing his ‘retirement’, you cannot please all the people all the time, and he has had criticism too.

Reducing fixtures to reflect the horse population, and creating races with conditions aimed at widening the number of horses who can win, have not been without debate. Yet many improvements he has made have been achieved without ceremony.

Raised voices were heard in Devon and Cornwall once the PPA board on which he serves voted to end the season this coming bank holiday Monday. That leaves two West Country meetings to be staged after the season’s end, angering organisers who fear their fixtures will suffer.

However, Wright says: “One of the wonderful things about point-to-point people is that, even when they are really cross and really willing to go for you, they don’t want you to take it personally. I spent two weekends visiting Devon and Cornwall recently and had great chats with people, some still fighting their corner, but being very civil and engaging and allowing for proper discussion, which is great.”

He has visited all but one of Britain’s current 79 courses – plus a number which have become defunct – and he says: “If nothing else, in terms of getting to know Britain this has been a fantastic job. The people in each region are very different, but all moving on the same lines at different times.

"In countryside terms, East Anglia leads the way in which the farming and rural population has evolved. With fewer hands to help on farms, the younger generation has turned away from horses and got into shooting, and that is slowly happening in the West Country too. Ironically, crowds at race meetings are getting younger.”

In an era when levelling up has been a government strategy of limited success, Wright’s version has been challenged too. He says: “I firmly believe everyone should have a chance in life, and that applies to point-to-pointing.”

Using statistics and data to reveal facts that some find unpalatable, Wright has attempted to create opportunities for horses of all abilities. On the topic of emerging riders, he says: “At the moment, about 60 per cent of fixtures have races for riders who are novices [five or fewer winners at season’s start] or grass roots [fewer than 20 winners or no Cat A or B licence]. I would like to see every card have one of those.”

Of future plans, he says: “I’ve tried retirement before and was thoroughly bored, then this job came up at just the right time.” While some European and African travel is planned, he could yet be back. Maybe not in point-to-pointing on a national basis, but if racing under rules does not offer him a role of some description it will be missing a trick.

Weekend preview

With a number of championship pot-boilers and a possible record score, the final weekend of the season has become a marketeer’s dream.

At a meeting in Devon on Wednesday evening, Ed Vaughan, 16, rode his 25th winner of the season – if he rides five more over the next three days his score will match the record set by James Bowen in 2017.

Ed Vaughan: needs five winners to match the record set by James Bowen in 2017Credit: Carl Evans

On the same card, Gina Andrews won the final race and clawed back a winner on Izzie Marshall, who is three ahead in the women’s championship. The pair are set to carry their battle to Dingley, Kingston Blount and Chaddesley Corbett over the next three days.

Somerset’s Josh Newman has saddled 25 winners and, with a lead of three over Oxfordshire’s Alan Hill, is likely to lift the Foran Equine-backed division for yards with 15 horses, but both men have multiple entries.

Newman says: “We didn’t aim for the title because we felt we had no chance, but the horses have been happy, fit and well and the second half of the season has been particularly good.” Newman nominates Important Notice, a probable runner at Upcott Cross, as his most likely winner.

At the same venue, Surrey’s Rob Varnham will run Count Simon if a win will sew up the award for yards with five or fewer horses, while Devon’s Dean Summersby is poised to take the six to 14 horses category. His daughter Charlotte, currently one behind leader Anna Johnston in the novice women’s contest, is jocked up on four horses in Upcott Cross’s grass roots race.

With 13 victories, Worcestershire trainer Nickie Sheppard is three behind Dean, but this week’s rain has made it more likely she will run her ace pair of Grace A Vous Enki and Ihandaya at Chaddesley Corbett. The first-named has won six races and heads the Connolly’s Red Mills leading-horse title, but is just one ahead of Luke Price’s Mini Fortune, who is entered at that meeting and Kingston Blount.

Ihandaya: runs in the ladies' open at Chaddesley Corbett on MondayCredit: Carl Evans

In the ladies’ open race, Sheppard’s Ihandaya would face the Will Biddick-trained Macklin, an enviable spare ride for Gina Andrews.

Saturday
Dingley, Northants, LE16 8PJ – 2.00. 6 races, 86 entries

Sunday
Bratton Down, Devon, EX31 4SG - 2.00. 6 races, 79 entries
Kingston Blount, Oxon, OX39 4SG – 2.30. 6 races, 88 entries

Monday
Chaddesley Corbett, Worcs, DY10 4QT – 1.00. 7 races, 137 entries
Upcott Cross, Devon, EX21 5AE – 2.00. 6 races, 99 entries

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

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