Left: Richard Pugh of Tattersalls Ireland and p2p.ie
Pointers for the future James Thomas chats with Richard Pugh who explains the reasons behind the huge growth in the point-to-point sales division
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HEN EDMUND BLAKE challenged his neighbour Cornelius O’Callaghan to a race across country from St John’s Church in Buttevant to St Mary’s Church in Doneraile, County Cork, neither man could have possibly imagined what the four and a half mile match would foretell. That 1752 contest is credited as being the first recorded steeplechase run in Ireland and laid down the blueprint for point-topoint racing, which was officially recognised in 1889 and is now a multi-million pound industry and an important proving ground for young NH horses. Recent times have ushered in a boom
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