Point to Point Rides

Point to Point Rides

Richard Bevan Point to Point Rides
I rode point to pointing on and off between 1986 and 2000. I had limited success in Point to Points but did manage to win the North West Point to Point Area Novice Riders Title in 1987 and the following year won a point to point at Aintree Racecourse which was good.

First Point-to-Point Winner
My first winner was at Sandon in Staffordshire on a horse called Rimfire

My first winner was at Sandon in Staffordshire on a horse called Rimfire

My first winner was at Sandon in Staffordshire on a horse called Rimfire

Aynsley Challenge Cup
Courtesy of Sandon Races
Aynsley Challenge Cup

In 1992, I rode my last pointing winner, Rouse About at Brampton Bryan. This was the same year that a new rule was brought out by racing authorities whereby riders who had held a professional licence for less than thirty months could return to amateur status after twelve months away from racing. I’d held my professional licence for twenty-nine months so just made the cut.

53 point to point rides
Completed 30 = 56.6%
23 rides in the first 4 places = 43.4%
5 1st 9.4% winners
6 2nd 11.3% placed second
8 3rd 15.1% placed third
4 4th 7.5% placed fourth
fell 5 = 9.4% / ur 0 = 0% / bd 1 = 1.9% / co 1 = 1.9% / ro 1 = 1.9% / pu 15 = 28.3%

1986

Date Venue Horse Position/Runners

15/3/1986 Eaton Hall
Rimfire 2nd/16
Master of Mickley PU/16
First ride in any sort of race was on Rimfire at Eaton Hall Wynnstay Point to Point
I had a second ride in the maiden on Master of Mickley for Peter Brookshaw PU / 16 ran
I went back to work on the Monday morning The Duke asked how I did told him I was second and also had another ride for Peter Brookshaw in the maiden and he said to me “Don’t ride in f?cking maidens”
I said to him “it jumped well and I pulled it up when it got tired”
His reply “Don’t ride in f?cking maidens… yet!”
15/3 Eaton Hall Rimfire 2nd/16

31/3 Eyton on Severn Rimfire 3rd/9

12/4 Sandon Rimfire 4th/16

26/4 Eaton Hall Rimfire 3rd/12

26/4 Eaton Hall Rimfire 3rd/12

3/5 Weston Park Rimfire 3rd/10
3/5 Weston Park Rimfire 3rd/10
3/5 Weston Park Rimfire 3rd/10

1987

Date Venue Horse Position/Runners

21/3 Eaton Hall Rimfire BD/17

21/3 Eaton Hall The Berwick PU/14

18/4 Sandon Rimfire 1st/11

18/4 Sandon Rimfire 1st/11

18/4 Sandon Blue Gift Fell/11

22/4 Eyton on Severn Rimfire 2nd/7

22/4 Eyton on Severn The Berwick 5th/15

22/4 Eyton on Severn Tudor Beam PU/18

25/4 Chaddesley Corbett Indian Retreat 3rd/9

2/5 Weston Park Rimfire 4th

4/5 Eyton on Severn The Berwick 2nd/8
4/5 Eyton on Severn The Berwick 2nd/8

4/5 Eyton on Severn Tudor Beam 1st/12

Tudor Beam

1988

Date Venue Horse Position/Runners

5/3 Weston Park Rimfire 3rd
Rimfire
Kintbury in front Steve Brookshaw and Jonathan Cambidge on Rodace (Whiston’s) and us in between the two

Rimfire

5/3 Weston Park Rimfire 3rd

video
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Mens Open race at Weston Park Point to Point 5th March 1988
Kintbury Steve Brookshaw
Rodace Jonathan Cambidge
Rimfire and me
(and also my mother)

5/3 Weston Park Tudor Beam PU
30/41988 Weston Park Tudor Beam 3rd/9

5/3 Weston Park The Berwick PU

12/3 Eaton Hall Kings Award PU

12/3 Eaton Hall Blouser PU

12/3 Eaton Hall Suntan PU

14/3 Chaddesley Corbett Secret Island FELL

2/4 Sandon Rimfire Ran Out (wrong side of marker)

2/4 Sandon Kingford PU

2/4 Sandon Suntan PU

16/4 Sandon Rimfire 5th
Rimfire
16/4/1988 Sandon Rimfire 5th

16/4 Sandon Kings Award 2nd/13

30/4 Weston Park Tudor Beam 3rd/9
30/4/1988 Weston Park Tudor Beam 3rd/9

30/4/1988 Weston Park Tudor Beam 3rd/9

30/4 Weston Park The Berwick 2nd/17
30/4 Weston Park The Berwick 2nd/17

30/4 Weston Park The Berwick 2nd/17

2/5 Eyton on Severn Kings Award 4th/9

2/5 Eyton on Severn Gold Ace 1st/9
2/5 Eyton on Severn Gold Ace 1st/9

2/5 Eyton on Severn Gold Ace 1st/9

7/5 Aintree Gold Ace 1st/13
7/5 Aintree Gold Ace 1st/13

7/5 Aintree Salad 6th/12

7/5 Aintree Sailing By 6th/16

1992

Date Venue Horse Position/Runners

21/3 Sandon Arthur’s Rascal FELL/17

21/3 Sandon Ardent Spy 5th/12

28/3 Alpraham Rouse About FELL/12

28/3 Alpraham Billy’s Boy PU/12

28/3 Alpraham Ocean Rogue PU/8

11/4 Brampton Bryan Rouse About 1st/13
11/4/1992 Brampton Bryan Rouse About 1st/13
11/4 Brampton Bryan Rouse About 1st/13
11/4/1992 Brampton Bryan Rouse About 1st/13

video
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20 4 1992 Eyton on Severn
20/4 Eyton on Severn Ardent Spy PU/6

Ardent Spy

20/4 Eyton on Severn Ardent Spy PU/6
20/4 Eyton on Severn Ocean Rogue PU/10

20/4 Eyton on Severn Rouse About 3rd/7

20/4 Eyton on Severn Last By Space PU/15

20/4 Eyton on Severn Adderley Lass FELL/9

I had a shaken brain injury in this fall and was in hospital for a week
To this day I still don’t remember anything about being in hospital

2000

Date Venue Horse Position/Runners

20/2 Weston Park King Paddy 5th/14

12/3 Eyton on Severn King Paddy Carried Out/17

9/4 Tabley King Paddy 6th/16

9/4 Tabley Doug Eng 4th/10

22/4 Sandon Corkers Flame 3rd/11

24/4 Eyton on Severn King Paddy 2nd/4

Working as a Stable Lad in Racing

Working as a Stable Lad in Racing

I started working full-time for racehorse trainer David “The Duke” Nicholson (as Nicholson was known) on September 10, 1984… the very first horse I rode out for Nicholson “my 1st lot” was horse called Broadheath (roadwork exercise)… two years later Broadheath won the Hennessy Gold Cup (for David Barons).

Horses I Looked After in Racing
Charter Party was a horse I looked after for two seasons when I worked for David Nicholson… first season the horse was very good, winning at Kempton on Boxing Day, the Ritz Club Handicap Chase at the Cheltenham Festival and also the Golden Miller Handicap Chase at Cheltenham

The second year I looked after him he was hopeless (I led him up in the Gold Cup when he fell)… it was hardly surprising he was so out of form because he never got a holiday after the 85/86 season, he was kept stabled all Summer, his legs blistered, also hobdayed then following box rest put straight back into training, what’s more the horse hardly ate up his feed at any point throughout 86/87… too much was expected of him

ps Just to put it on record… Charter Party worked very well up Barry Hills gallops for me too and two years before he won a Gold Cup… just saying

Races I led Charter Party up

14/11/85 Wincanton
Silver Buck Handicap Chase
Charter Party 2nd / 4 ran

23/11/85 Newbury
Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup Handicap Chase (Listed Race)
Charter Party Fell / 15 ran

4/12/85 Worcester
Long Haul Handicap Chase
Charter Party 2nd / 9 ran

26/12/85 Kempton Park
Falklands Handicap Chase
Charter Party 1st / 7 ran

15/1/86 Windsor
Royal Windsor Handicap Chase
Charter Party 5th / 7 ran

13/3/86 Cheltenham
Ritz Club National Hunt Handicap Chase (Listed Race)
Charter Party 1st / 16 ran

16/4/86 Cheltenham
Piper Champagne Golden Miller Handicap Chase (Listed Race)
Charter Party 1st / 9 ran

13/11/86 Wincanton
Silver Buck Chase (Limited Handicap)
Charter Party 4th / 7 ran

22/11/86 Newbury
Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup (Handicap Chase) (Listed)
Charter Party PU / 15 ran

3/1/87 Newbury
Bradstone Mandarin Handicap Chase (Listed Race)
Charter Party 3rd / 6 ran

21/2/87 Nottingham
Mapperley Handicap Chase
Charter Party 3rd / 4 ran

19/3/87 Cheltenham
Tote Cheltenham Gold Cup Chase (Grade I)
Charter Party FELL / 12 ran

Viking Flagship I looked after for one season 1994/95 during which he won the Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown, Castleford Chase at Wetherby and the Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham

I rode him out at home for a while during which time he didn’t work very well on the gallops but then got jocked off (it didn’t prove anything, the horse wasn’t working well, then does, that’s how it goes)… however, I did get the reins to school him over the all-weather hurdles in his first schooling session of the season which was really good

Races I led Viking Flagship up

3/12/94 Sandown Park
Mitsubishi Shogun Tingle Creek Trophy Chase Grade 1
Viking Flagship 1st / 6 run

27/12/94 Wetherby
Castleford Chase Grade 2
Viking Flagship 1st / 6 run

14/1/95 Ascot
Victor Chandler Handicap Chase Grade 2
Viking Flagship 5th / 8 run

11/2/95 Newbury
Mitsubishi Shogun Game Spirit Chase Grade 2
Viking Flagship FELL / 3 run

25/2/95 Kempton Park
Emblem Chase
Viking Flagship 2nd / 4 run

15/3/95 Cheltenham
Queen Mother Champion Chase Grade 1
Viking Flagship 1st / 10 run

Silver Wisp I looked after at Jackdaws Castle and he won the Group 2 Jockey Club Stakes at Newmarket… the shame is he never ran often enough to keep himself fit and ended up going wrong at home on the gallops… actually one part of the gallops, the loop on the end of the long gallop, a place he hadn’t been asked to work on throughout his previous 12 months at Jackdaws (the loop had been resurfaced with new wood chip which hadn’t properly settled, horses were rushed back on to that part of the gallop and Silver Wisp got leg trouble from doing so… I even had to point out the horse had a leg, the head lad never noticed)

The horse was wrapped up in cotton wool too much and then got ruined at home

Races I led Silver Wisp up

19/4/94 Pontefract
Fryston Conditions Stakes
Silver Wisp 2nd / 8 run

29/4/94 Newmarket
Madagans Jockey Club Stakes (Group 2)
Silver Wisp 1st / 8 run

17/6/94 Royal Ascot
Hardwicke Stakes (Group 2)
Silver Wisp 11th / 11 run

13/8/94 Newbury
Tripleprint Geoffrey Freer Stakes Class A (Group 2)
Silver Wisp 5th / 6 run

Whilst in racing I was also fortunate to ride some very good horses at exercise and on the gallops which included the following … Charter Party, Very Promising, Chinrullah, Solar Cloud, Tickite Boo, Long Engagement, Bigsun, Against the Grain, Goldspun, Gainsay, Voice of Progress, Connaught River, Waterloo Boy, Viking Flagship, Silver Wisp, Silver Wedge, Barton Bank, Carobee, Strong Beau, Moorcroft Boy, Second Schedual, Another Coral, Al Hashimi, Relkeel, Triple Witching, King Lucifer, Billygoat Gruff, Martha’s Son, General Wolfe, Wandering Light, Shuttlecock Corner, Governorship

My time in stables was spent as follows
David Nicholson (1984 -1987) (Cotswold House, Condicote, Gloucestershire)
Bill Preece (1987 – 1988) (The Wrekin, Telford, Shropshire)
Bill Clay (1988 – 1992) (Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire)
David Nicholson (1992 – 1995) (Jackdaws Castle, Temple Guiting, Gloucestershire)
Captain Tim Forster (1995 – 1996) (Ludlow, Shropshire)

The Duke’s Open Day 1985
Michael ‘Corky’ Caulfield and my dad in the same photo
The Duke's Open Day 1985

Leading Nicklup for Captain Tim Forster
Going into the Winners Enclosure at Ludlow
Nicklup Ludlow

Standing with Connaught River
The Duke’s Open Day 1985 in the top yard at Cotswold House, Condicote
The Duke's Open Day 1985 with Connaught River

Rectory Garden owned by The Earl Cadogan
At Captain Tim Forster’s Second Yard
Rectory Garden

The Duke’s Open Day 1994
Jackdaws Castle
The Duke's Open Day 1994 Jackdaws Castle

The Duke’s Open Day 1994
Jackdaws Castle Leading Silver Wisp in the Horse Parade
Jackdaws Castle Leading Silver Wisp in the Horse Parade

Master Hope with his lad on The Duke’s Open Day 1994
Master Hope and his lad

Riding Master Hope on the gallops at Jackdaws Castle
Riding Master Hope on the gallops at Jackdaws Castle

Riding Master Hope on the gallops at Jackdaws Castle (in front… Fred Hutsby on the horse behind)
Riding Master Hope on the gallops at Jackdaws Castle

Riding Master Hope on the gallops at Jackdaws Castle (in front… Fred Hutsby on the horse behind)
Riding Master Hope on the gallops at Jackdaws Castle (in front… Fred Hutsby on the horse behind)

Riding Master Hope on the gallops at Jackdaws Castle
Riding Master Hope on the gallops at Jackdaws Castle

Riding Master Hope on the gallops at Jackdaws Castle
Riding Master Hope on the gallops at Jackdaws Castle

Silver Wisp in Number 1 Stable at Jackdaws Castle
Silver Wisp in Number 1 Stable at Jackdaws Castle

Horses I Led Up – NH Races 1995/96

Horses I Led Up – NH Races 1995/96

Horses I Led Up at the Races
1995/1996 National Hunt Season

20/12/1995

Tanners Champagne Handicap Chase

Ludlow Racecourse
Nicklup
Result
Finished 1st / 7 ran

Tanners Champagne Handicap Chase

Nicklup

Nicklup Ludlow

Tanners Champagne Handicap Chase

Tanners Champagne Handicap Chase

11/1/1996

Corscombe Novices Handicap Hurdle

Wincanton Racecourse
Eastern River
Result
Fell / 17 ran

Corscombe Novices Handicap Hurdle

17/1/1996

Aspley Conditional Jockeys Novices Handicap Hurdle

Nottingham Racecourse
Eastern River
Result
Finished 8th / 20 ran

Aspley Conditional Jockeys Novices Handicap Hurdle

15/4/1996

Harry Bissill Memorial Challenge Trophy Handicap Chase

Southwell Racecourse
Howgill
Result
Finished 2nd / 12 ran

Harry Bissill Memorial Challenge Trophy Handicap Chase

26/4/1996

Bromfield Sand And Gravel Handicap Chase For The Oakly Park Challenge Cup

Ludlow Racecourse
Howgill
Result
Finished 4th / 8 ran

Bromfield Sand And Gravel Handicap Chase For The Oakly Park Challenge Cup

13/5/1996

‘bit Of A Clown’ Handicap Chase

Towcester Racecourse
Howgill
Result
Finished 5th / 9 ran

bit Of A Clown Handicap Chase