David Simpson: Foxhunter: pro or no? *H&H VIP*

Opinion

Bryony Frost struck a blow for UK lady point-to-point riders when she landed a thrilling victory in the Foxhunter (report, p66) at Cheltenham last Friday, but the debate rages on about the number of trainers from the professional ranks who routinely target the race.

The Foxhunter is a race that divides opinion, with the protagonists falling broadly into two camps. Those who would prefer it if the race was primarily the preserve of true pointing horses, and those who believe the race could potentially fade away and die without the participation of former high-class chasers from some of the big pro-yards.

Of course, both camps do have one thing in common and that is the desire to see a true pointer win the race. That very nearly happened last Friday when Barel Of Laughs came within two necks of doing just that.

I can see both sides of the argument and one day I would love to own a horse which is good enough to participate in the race. Philip Rowley proved last week that there is hope for the true pointers so please don’t give up. Get your horses qualified and take the big boys on. They can be beaten!

Ref Horse & Hound; 23 March 2017