Bank holiday bonanza for AGA as the crowds come out in force for a very unique point-to-point meeting at Peper Harow

The M25 on a Bank Holiday weekend is no fun whatsoever, and I can tell you that I was bored stiff as I sat on this four lane car park for what seemed like hours. Was it worth it? Yes it was! I had been told that I would find Peper Harow unique, I did and I also liked it - a lot!

Beazo was on course long before the AGA man today and he must have been missing me as he rang me to find out where I was! I arrived just as the heavens opened and sensibly stayed put in the car until the rain had eased off. The sun was soon out but I was thankful that I had made a last minute decision to pop my wellies into the boot.

Two of the lady riders in our race had their eye on the 10 points for our championship, Gina Andrews (pictured above right), and Hannah Lewis, both very keen to get over the 30 point mark before Stratford. Seven lined up with Extra Bold (Rilly Goschen) sent off the 5/2 favourite.

It was a decent race by all accounts, but therein lies the problem, there is no vantage point on this course that allows you to view the whole race - unless you're with the commentator, but it didn't seem to bother the enormous crowd! With a circuit still to run Terra Bleu (Clare Wills - red) and Extra Bold (Rilly Goschen) were neck and neck, and they would be seperated by a neck when they passed the post, with Extra Bold getting the verdict.
I really would like to tell you more about the race but as I only saw them jump the last - above, I can't, in fact I didn't even see them cross the line.

It was the first time we had seen Rilly win an AGA Ladies open since her win on Lucky Nellerie at Welbeck during our first season, and as you can see she was delighted. I reckon we'll see Extra Bold again in ladies races, watch this video and see what Rilly thinks.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxYSlfia1Nc

Not long after this photo was taken Beazo tried to jump the fence to take a short-cut into the paddock ... and ended up flat on his backside! There was quite a crowd watching and I managed to stop laughing long enough to whip my camera out, but I'm saving that photo for another time.

During our walk around the lorry park Joanna Andrews provided some nice homemade pie and a cup of tea for me and the AGA boys, and we put our order in for next week!

A group of girls had wondered out on to the course after the last race, they were obviously lost so Derek pointed them in the direction of the champagne tent!

As I started this blog with a photo of Beazo I thought I would also finish it with one, but not the one of him flat on his backside! We enjoyed our day at Peper Harow, and it certainly ticked a lot of boxes for AGA, with some decent enquiries for new cookers coming our way ... and the M25 was a lot quieter on the way home!

Ladies Championship is reaching an exciting climax ahead of our grand finale at Stratford as AGA go sponsorship crazy with Irish Pointing and Pony Racing Finals next on the agenda

I love point-to-point racing, but you probably already know that! I'm also really excited about the next four weeks, because not only will they be action packed and exciting, but they will also potentially define our season. First on the agenda we have five AGA qualifiers, plus three additional point scoring races (introduced to replace the 3 qualifiers we have lost), so that's a whopping 176 points still up for grabs ... including the 10 in the photo below!

It's also worth remembering that nobody can score more than 50 points as only the best five scores will count, plus there are double points available in the final. What does this mean? Well, if you get to Stratford with 30 or more points then you're definitely in the game, so you will see that there are still lots of lady riders in the running to win a brand new AGA cooker! Who's your money on?

Next on the agenda is a trip across the water for the Tattersalls International Point-to-Point Festival on Friday 24th and Saturday 25th May. AGA are sponsoring the AGA 6-Y-O & upwards Mares 'Claiming' Maiden (Lady Riders), which will see a team of 4 top UK lady riders take on 4 lady riders from Ireland. A strong team has been selected by the Point-to-Point Authority and they will all be familiar names to anyone who follows the AGA series.

L-R former National Champion Gina Andrews (equal 4th in the AGA table) will be on the plane, Yorkshire is represented by Jacqueline Coward - the current leader in the Lady Riders National Championship (she is also the reigning AGA series champion). The reigning AGA Total Control champion Claire Hart is rather excited to be going, as is the reigning National Champion Jane Williams, and rumour has it that all four of them are looking forward to the party on the Friday evening! (which is also being sponsored by AGA).

National Champion Jane Williams moves to the top of the AGA table with a stylish win on Shernally at Woodford

The top of the AGA table had a familiar look to it after the Berkeley meeting at Woodford as National Champion Jane Williams moved into a four point lead with a very stylish win on that tough little mare Shernally. Jane is a great role model, and there may well have been a future National Champion on show earlier in the day as the action kicked off with some exciting pony racing which helped to get us in the mood for the main event - although the start was somewhat chaotic (which was no fault of the young riders).

AGA Rangemaster CEO William McGrath has a pony (pictured above), which is ridden by his 10 year old great nephew Liam Harrison. Young Liam rode a great race to finish second on 'Meg', although the he came crashing down to earth with a bump the following day as he broke his wrist when he fell off his bike, and he is now sidelined for the remainder of the season.

Four good 'uns lined up for our race and after taking a few snaps in the paddock I made my way to the bookies to donate some money to the Mike Smith summer holiday fund (not for the first time this season).