GO TO SEASON 2002 NEWS ITEMS

Large numbers of outbreaks of highly contagious Foot and Mouth disease, mostly located in Cumbria and Devon, resulted in the Jockey Club deciding that the risk of passing on infection at point-to-point meetings was too high and they therefore cancelled all point-to-point meetings from the start of March onwards. The Parham meeting at the end of February therefore had the dubious honour of being the last p-t-p that took place in England in the year 2001.

Travellers strike early in 2001
(added Jan. 16th 2001)

Last season it wasn't until week three of the season that South East qualified horses opened their account. However Nick Gifford trained Belvento started the 2001 success list on week one when winning at the Tweseldown meeting under David Dunsdon.

Week two saw two more area winners - this time travelling north rather than west. Noyan, a winner of a couple of hunter chases in 2000, (including at Folkestone) turned over the favourite in the Ladies race with Kincora occupying the third slot. Di Grissell trained Carraig Brol, who promised much but then disappointed a couple of times in 2000, started favourite for the first division of the maiden but could only manage third under Ben Hitchcott. However the second part of the maiden brought a full house for the South East with Ben Hitchcotts mount The Winkster sandwiched between a pair of Hickman piloted horses. Assisted by Andrew victory went to Daydreamer who was placed a couple of times last season. The winner would have been helped by the Higham track running only just over 6 minutes suggesting that the course was only just running 3 miles - the bits after 3 miles being Daydreamer's achilles heel in 2000. It could even have been an area 1-2-3-4 had not Call The Tune not fallen when still in contention four out (unfortunately not the first time in her career! - she ought to win a maiden if she can sort out the negotiation of the jumps towards the end of her races.)

Having been placed twice on favourites on Sunday Ben then had to endure two more second places at Plumpton the following day but ended the run with a victory in the Novice Hurdle on Maximus - a horse on which he won the last race of the South East's 2000 season at Penshurst.

Televised Kempton glory for Struggles
(added December 28th 2000)

Leading South East corinthian David Robinson - last seen on telly coming off at the first fence in the Aintree Foxhunters - has now got a permit to run most of his yard of talented 'pointers' under rules. His top horse Struggles Glory gave him plenty of publicity when winning a televised handicap chase at Kempton's prestigious Christmas meeting. Presumably handicapped on his useful pointing and hunter chasing form the use of somewhat shorter and somewhat younger leading South East rider Ben Hitchcott meant that Struggles seemed to be pretty well in at the weights. Ben, having already won the previous race, was clearly a man in form and duly did the business. A double on the box must mean that many sensible leading trainers must surely be marking Ben's 7 lb claiming ability as worth its weight in platinum.