Point to point horse racing: from the field to the track

What is point-to-point racing?

Point-to-point racing is amateur jumps racing over fences, organised by hunts and clubs on farmland courses and run under separate point-to-point regulations rather than the Rules of Racing.

The name comes from early races across country from one church steeple to another, the same origin as the word steeplechase. Modern point-to-points are held on courses usually laid out on farmland, with riders who are amateurs and horses that must be qualified under the point-to-point regulations.

Most races are run over a minimum of three miles, though maiden races can be shorter. Prize money is small, so the sport runs on enthusiasm, local owners and, in Ireland, the value of a young horse that wins.

Why are Irish point-to-points a sales ring?

Irish point-to-points are where many future jumps stars first show ability, because a win in a maiden point shows that a young store horse can gallop and jump, which makes it valuable to buyers.

The model works like this. A dealer or small trainer buys an unraced store horse at three, prepares it and runs it in a four year old maiden point in the spring. A horse that wins, or runs well, can be sold soon afterwards at a specialist sale, often to a leading British or Irish yard.

Envoi Allen is one well-known example: he won an Irish point-to-point, was sold at a Cheltenham sale and went on to win the Champion Bumper and Grade 1 races over hurdles and fences.

How do horses move from the point field to a professional yard?

After a good point run, a horse is usually sold at a point-to-point sale or privately, joins a licensed trainer and makes its debut under Rules in a bumper or novice hurdle.

Sales are held through the season, including at Cheltenham. Buyers watch video of the point, check the time and the way the horse jumped, then assess it in the ring. The new yard often gives the horse a break before its debut under Rules, so a gap of several months after the point is normal.

Because the point was run outside the Rules of Racing, its form sits outside the official record. On a racecard the horse can look like a newcomer even though it has already won over fences.

What is a hunter chase?

A hunter chase is a race under the Rules of Racing for horses holding a hunter certificate, ridden by amateur riders, and it is the main bridge between the two sports.

Hunter chases are run at regular racecourses, over regulation fences, and appear on racecards alongside professional races. Many runners are former professional chasers that have moved into point-to-points in the later stages of their careers, so hunter chases often feature well-known names from the past. The best-known are the Festival Hunters' Chase at Cheltenham, long known as the Foxhunter, and the Foxhunters' at Aintree.

Reading a hunter chase means reading two kinds of form: recent point-to-point runs, which you will not find in the Rules record, and the horse's professional form from earlier seasons.

How do point-to-point graduates perform under Rules?

Point-to-point winners arrive with fitness and jumping experience that most rivals in bumpers and novice hurdles lack, but the step up in pace under Rules can find out horses that won slowly-run points.

Points are often run at a steady gallop, with the race developing late, while a two mile novice hurdle is run at a much stronger pace. Graduates who won their point on stamina may need longer trips under Rules. The trainer matters a great deal, because some yards buy from the point field every year and have clear patterns with these horses.

The free trainer readiness page shows which yards are sending out winners right now, which is a useful check when a new recruit makes its debut. A graduate joining a stable in form starts with a clear advantage over one joining a yard that is out of form.

How do you read point-to-point form?

Read point-to-point form for the manner of the performance: how the horse jumped, whether it won going away, the time relative to other races on the day and who bought it afterwards.

A horse sold for a large sum after its point has been judged by experienced buyers who watched it closely, so the price is a form of rating. A horse that fell at the last when in front can be as highly regarded as the winner. Where the sale price and the buyer are public, they are worth noting before the horse's debut under Rules.

Watch for horses from the same point meeting that later race under Rules, because their results say something about the strength of that point form. When several horses from one point go on to win bumpers, the winner of that point deserves extra respect.

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