Point to Point

Point to Point

Point to Point racing is a form of amateur racing for hunting horses

Many of the horses and jockeys will appear in these races before they compete in National Hunt races, usually in Chases.

It was created to return to the spirit of the original National Hunt races, which quickly became dominated by thoroughbreds and large prizes.

For many years now the horses running in Point to Points have been thoroughbreds. The horses have to obtain a certificate from a Master of Foxhounds stating that they have hunted for at least 6 days in the season before racing starts in January. Some are fairly hunted, jumping a variety of obstacles and coping with plough and pasture alike but others, sometimes the retired "professional" horses, go to the meet and are just trotted around the roads where the hunt is to be found.

The name 'Point to Point' derives from the early days of the sport, where races could be run from one church spire to the next – literally point to point on the horizon.