64 Animals

‘This should not be missed’

Meanwhile, in a real show of confidence in British point-topoint form, the brilliant two-mile chaser Energumene was bought by Ireland’s champion trainer Willie Mullins after the horse had won a point at Larkhill aged four. Energumene was recently involved in one of the great clashes of recent times, when he took on and was narrowly beaten by the mighty Shishkin at Ascot (to see it, play the ‘Shishkin vs Energumene | A Clash for the Ages’ video, above right - it’s just over two minutes long, and incredibly exciting). Their hoped-for rematch in the Queen Mother Champion Chase at the Cheltenham Festival is one that should not be missed. Another Cheltenham Festival horse to watch out for is Third Time Lucki, who finished second in a point-to-point for Warwickshire trainer Fran Poste, and has since become a star for Dan Skelton.

A new way

In 2006 four-yearold horses were allowed to run in British point-topoints, and while their numbers fluctuated over the next ten years, a Herefordshire point-to-point trainer called Tom Lacey emerged with a game-

changing plan. Copying a form of trading popular in Ireland, Lacey began sourcing well-bred three-year“Energumene was olds, breaking them in and educating them to jump with recently involved aplomb, and then selling them in one of the great after they had run in one or two clashes of recent point-to-points. One reason this form of trading times, when he was proving successful was a took on the mighty growth in specialist sales of Shishkin at Ascot” young point-to-pointers held at several venues, but particularly at Cheltenham racecourse. These sales drew in well-heeled owners keen to buy horses who could

Ahoy Senor (Alex Edwards) leads on his way to a win at Kimble, Bucks, in November 2020 Image Carl Evans

run at big race meetings. Lacey, who trained Sky Pirate and Energumene to win point-to-points, worked out that leading ‘professional’ trainers wanted to buy once-raced four-year-olds who had shown ability, and had physical presence and a solid pedigree, rather than older horses who had won a string of point-topoints, but whose form and pedigree was of limited appeal.

Lacey paved the way

Other trainers around Britain, often younger members of the trade hoping to build a career, took note of Lacey’s lead. Chris Barber, who trains near Seaborough on the Dorset/Somerset border, is a grandson of the late Richard Barber, a giant among trainers of point-topointers. Like his grandfather, Chris handles older point-topointers - but he also trains youngsters who are for sale. He says: “I became involved through following my grandfather around at the sales – he had a great eye for a young horse and firmly believed that point-to-pointing was a good grounding for a horse to go on and race over hurdles and fences. “If a young horse has shown it can race for two and a half miles and jump 16 fences a lot of the early work has been done. “Tom Lacey paved the way for buying and selling British pointers (on a commercial scale). He was successful, and that side of the sport provides another string to our bow. There’s not a lot of money in just training pointers, but if you can buy an unfurnished horse at a sale, and later sell it for a profit, that’s another strand of income. “We use the same training methods, “I followed my but whereas an grandfather around older pointer at the sales – he more or less knows the job and just needs had a great eye for a young horse and to be made fit firmly believed enough to race, that point-to-a younger horse needs educating. pointing was a good Good riders who grounding for a can give them horse to go on and that education race over hurdles are important – a bad football coach and fences” won’t get the best out of young players, and it’s the same in our job. “I don’t believe this commercial side of pointing is bad for the sport, especially since races for fouryear-olds only, and four- and five-year-olds, are now becoming established. There are races for older horses, so they are not missing out, and the commercial, younger horses are encouraging new faces into the sport. The current champion point-to-point trainer, Tom Ellis (who is based in Warwickshire), has a big string of horses, but they include horses of all ages, so it cannot be said the sport is becoming exclusively about youngsters. “There’s room for all, and while we are all delighted when someone sells a British pointer for a good price at auction, we are also just as pleased to join them for a drink at the back of the car if they train an older horse to win an open race.”