Part 2 of the AGA title goes to Yorkshire and the AGA cooker goes to the South Midlands

AGA Championship final exceeds all expectations with a thrilling finish as the lady riders take centre stage at the home of jump racing!

Words by yours truly, with the mood of the evening captured via a series of marvellous photographs taken by our very own John "Beazo" Beasley, and Jackie Oliver - with a few from me thrown in for good measure! 

The culmination of five months of hard work, the big race - The moment we had all been waiting for had arrived, nine top quality horses, piloted by nine top lady riders were lined up to face the tapes at the home of jump racing - it doesn't get any better than this! 

Not only was there a prize fund of £7,500 at stake, but we had a "race within a race" to decide who would be the inaugural winner of the AGA Total Control Lady Riders' Championship. The winner of the championship was set to be the proud owner of a brand new AGA Total Control cooker worth more than £10,000 - what a prize, and as the tapes went up there were still 5 possible winners - Claire, Jane, Hannah, Jacqueline and Sam!

Pondering the challenge ahead - AGA girls Hannah Lewis (Rathcor), Charly Prichard (Prince Massini) and Sam Drake (Unowatimeen)

My pre-race tip was Upton Springs, although in truth I felt it was too close to call and the one certainty was that we would get a thriller! The following images by John and Jackie are fabulous and tell the story of the race better than any words I could use - I hope you like them.

A great shot of the whole field, L-R, Rathcor, Metal Detector, Prince Myfanwy (outside), Billyvoddan (stars on sleeves), Unowatimeen (striped cap), Prince Massini (rail), Amicelli (outside), Upton Springs (pale blue) and Impact Zone (green)

L-R Unowatimeen, Lady Myfanwy and Impact Zone - fab shot!

Poetry in motion - the old boy Metal Detector, piloted by Ripper Rippon, and Unowatimeen with Sam Drake aboard

Go Jo - a popular guest in the AGA room, both pre and post race, Jo Mason and Impact Zone show how it's done, as Ted Walsh would say "he's a grand leper"

Another fabulous shot - cousins go head to head as the Yorkshire girls lead the way, Jacqueline Coward/Amicelli (pink and blue), and Jo Mason/Impact Zone (green and black) lead the field

Three Yorkshire girls almost in line - Sam Drake/Unowatimeen (noseband), Jacqueline Coward/Amicelli (centre) and Jo Mason/Impact Zone (green)

Jac and 'Celli are "In Total Control"

Another great image of the AGA lady riders battling it out for the race and the AGA

One handed Jacqueline - great balance!

Determination and concentration - Harty and Jane go head to head 

And the winner is ... Three out it was looking like history would repeat itself as Billyvoddan was poised to storm up the famous Cheltenham hill again ... then when Amicelli crashed through the second last the race looked at Billy's mercy ... but he veered to his right allowing Jacqueline and Amicelli a few valuable seconds to recover ... and the pendulum had swung back in their favour ... Jacqui flew the last but Billy was closing all the way to the line ... the thrilling finish that we had wished for was happening right before our eyes ... Amicelli just held on to deny Jane and Billy a second succesive victory ... a win for Jane would also have bagged the brand new AGA, and even a second place could have done it ... but Claire Hart hung on for third on Lady Myfanwy and the AGA was hers!

Yorkshire all the way ... Amicelli is in front but Billyvoddan is closing fast on the run-in

The aftermath, celebrations and commiserations - A sprint from the Royal Box back to the winners enclosure is not something that has ever been part of my life before, but it was tonight! Confirmation of the result and a quick calculation was enough to verify that the AGA belonged to Claire, then after a hug for Mrs S I was off! William caught up with me just inside the parade ring and advised that I should "calm down", wise words as remaining "In Total Control" was my job, however, I spotted Cherry Coward and ran off to give her a hug!

A delighted Jacqueline Coward was led into the winners enclosure by Jane Farrar - in her customised AGA "I'm In Total Control" fleece, and she was greeted by a very happy (and vocal) crowd of supporters from Yorkshire.

AGA Pointing stalwarts Chris and Derek made it down from National Hunt Room 1 to join us in the winners enclosure and witness the Coward celebrations. Phil and Mel Rowley, who had been willing Billyvoddan to get up - and he so very nearly did, were also on hand to offer their congratulations.

Jacqueline was in great form and Amicelli looked like he was enjoying it as well  

WINNER! - nice rug 'Celli

The presentation, Yorkshire joy - A happy presentation podium is a sight to behold and this one couldn't fail to bring a smile to your face, seeing it up close and personal and being part of it certainly beats watching it on the television, that's for sure! 

"I'll ride Long Run for you Robert"

AGA clocks are a much sought after prize in the pointing world, with one having been awarded to the winning owner in all 28 qualifying races this season, and for the final we decided to award one to the winning trainer and rider as well.

   

AGA Chairman John Coleman and his wife Maureen presented the clocks to Cherry and Jacqueline Coward, and they were flanked by Robert Waley-Cohen  (left) and William McGrath.  

The race within a race, Harty wins the AGA! - Our AGA Total Control Lady Riders' Championship had caused quite a stir and the battle to be the inaugural winner had been raging for weeks. The point scoring system ensured that nobody could run away with it, and despite the front two of Claire Hart and Jane Williams pulling clear, there were still seven possible winners on the eve of the final. Claire and Jane had been having their own private battle since the beginning of April but it was still possible for one of the other five to steal the prize from under their noses!

Claire and Lady Myfanwy return to the winners enclosure and the smile on Minnie's face says it all! (it says "I've only gone and won a brand new AGA)

More photos and celebrations - In a game of extreme highs and lows a win is celebrated like there is no tomorrow, and then celebrated again just for good measure. In those circumstances it seemed only right to join in ... so we did!

One very happy Mr AGA Pointing - thank you girls, that's every single one of you who has ridden in an AGA or AGA-related race this season, but especially the nine brave ladies who have just taken part in our final

Mr Coleman, Miss Coward and Mr S

L-R William, yours truly, Cherry Coward, John Coleman and Robert Waley-Cohen

 Champers and Kat take in the spectacle that is a Coward celebration

Invites were extended to the winning connections to join us for a celebratory drink, and the same invite was extended to all of the other participants ... I think they deserved it!

How the race was won part one, by Cherry Coward - We still had one or two surprises in store, including three presentations, and Carl Evans was also due to make his second appearance of the evening to review the race with Jacqueline. That had to be put on hold though as the stewards had detained JC or a "chat", however, Cherry Coward was happy to step in and do the honours.

 Somebody needs to fill that wine glass up for Cherry

Just in shot is the winner of "best handbag of the season" award

Cherry was fantastic and had the assembled throng in stitches with her summary of the race, however, there was still no sign of her daughter! A quick glance around the room confirmed that the subjects of our planned presentations were all present so the microphone was handed back to William. 

Presentations and a few tears - In a well rehearsed move the microphone was snatched back from William and handed to Heather Kemp who gave a short speech thanking AGA for our support and then presented William with a framed "AGA themed" picture on behalf of the PPA.

Mrs Kemp

Lucy Tucker and Heather with William (who looks rather pleased)

William admires his new picture 

Next up was a very brave lady called Isabel Tompsett who is 11 months into am amazing recovery from head injuries which she suffered in a horrific fall at Fakenham last May. Isabel is a very determined lady and this has helped her on the long road to recovery, she is also extremely popular and this was evident in the reception that she received when she stepped forward to receive her AGA clock. Throughout the season Isabel has previewed the AGA qualifying races and her tips have been posted on the blog - in fact, of the all time most popular posts, 3 of the top 5 are about Isabel, proving beyond doubt that she has a huge fan club out there!

Isabel and William

Isabel (sponsored by AGA at the time of her fall), was accompanied by her mum Bridget and Clare Hill from the Injured Jockeys Fund, and she surprised everyone by taking the microphone from William and giving a very moving speech. In the speech she praised the staff and facilities at Oaksey House in Lambourn - where Isabel is a resident as she continues her remarkable recovery.

That speech - the Simpson tears are flowing

The tears were flowing and I was only able to hug Isabel because I was incapable of speaking, what a brave and inspirational lady she is! Next to step forward was Pat Tollit who was given a clock for the influence she has had (and continues to have) on this wonderful sport during her lifetime. That is reflected in our table where you will see two of her granddaughters - Alex Dunn and Josephine Banks, plus one of her daughters, Angela Rucker, all with a decent number of points.

Mrs Tollit - "a lifetime in the saddle" - she already has somewhere in mind to hang her new clock

The final presentation saw John Beasley step forward to receive his very own AGA clock - having photographed 29 presentations this season it was a shame that nobody was on hand to capture Johns moment in the spotlight. John's post race interviews have been a feature of our season and are very popular on Youtube, however, I did manage to turn the tables on him as he became the subject of a short Simpson interview!

The girl who won the race, how the race was won part 2, by Jacqueline Coward - At this point our new AGA champion appeared having been released at last by the stewards, so I cued the race DVD up again and this time it was Williams turn to ask the questions.

"I could see Billyvoddan's blinkers but he wasn't going to get past Amicelli"

Like the rest of the Yorkshire contingent Jacqueline is very engaging and her views on the race were well worth hearing - her post race interview with Beazo is also worth a watch (this can be viewed via the link at the top right of the page). 

The girl who won the AGA, Claire "Mini" Hart - A well thought out plot had seen Claire reach the final with a perfect 50 points (courtesy of her 5 wins in AGA qualifiers), and it was this that helped to clinch the AGA for her. Jane Williams had reached the final on 46 points, and although their respective placings in the final itself meant that they finished level on points overall, the extra qualifying victory meant that Minnie snatched the AGA from under Jane's nose ... although the length of Amicelli's neck also had something to do with it.

No caption required other than to say "what a great photo"

Both girls joined William onstage to recount their battle over the final weeks of the season and the camaraderie between the two was there for all to see, they may be fierce rivals out on the course but they are good pals off it! Following this little exchange Claire was handed an iPhone by AGA Technical Director David Carpenter and through the wonders of modern technology was able to turn on all of the ovens on her new AGA in Telford! This was played out on the big screen and Claire received several rousing cheers as she turned the cooker on and off!

"British Racing Green please William"

Miss C V Hart was then whisked off to be photographed by the AGA Total Control cooker in our AGA van (not for the first time this season), with both David and William. She was also photographed by our strategically placed AGA Cook Shop display which included items from the new Diamond Jubilee Cast Iron Set.  

Soon to be adorning the Hart kitchen I believe

 Claire and DC with their new toy

William demonstrates that the best cooker in the world now has more changes of pace

Lady riders and connections meet our guests - A perfect end to the evening was achieved as lady riders, owners and trainers mingled with our guests, and we reflected on a fantastic evening with a well earned drink.

The well earned drink - a drink of champions?

 I can spot at least one Smith-Maxwell!

Liam Harrison with top jockey J D Moore

Our new AGA champion (centre) with Emily MacMahon (red) and two very happy AGA Pointing boys - Derek and Chris

Liam shows off his new silks - in Bristol Rovers colours no less!

 Sam Drake tells William she will be back next year!

I think Beazo must have had his steps out to take this one!

 

A Yorkshire area champion and a South Midlands area AGA winner, and a few thank you messages (well, loads actually!) - All of the people listed below are due a huge thank you for their efforts to ensure that our hard work, drive and determination has been matched, and that and our second season as a National Sponsor has been a massive success. The inaugural AGA Total Control Lady Riders' Championship went right down to the wire with an exciting battle for the cooker giving us a race within a race, and a thrilling final giving us a heart-stopping finish!

So, in no particular order, here we go:

• The AGA finalists - Jacqueline, Jane, Claire, Charly, Jo, Sam, Ripper, Sarah-Jayne and Hannah take a bow, you gave us a race to remember!
• Jacqueline and Amicelli - for showing that they love a battle, and for bringing the fight to the southerners!
• Cherry Coward - for your support, your furry handbag and for just being nice
• Claire "Minnie" Hart - for taking the bull by the horns and throwing down a challenge, for being determined, for supporting our series and for being an incredibly nice person
• Every single lady rider who has ridden in an AGA sponsored ladies open or an AGA related ladies open (51 races in total including the final)
• The Yorkshire girls for embracing the series and being such good fun, especially with your twitter banter - Jo Mason, Sam Drake, Gemma Tutty, Pip Tutty, Luci Sutcliffe, Claire Sutcliffe and Lucy Egerton all deserve a mention
• Jane Williams - for being a true champion, supporting us from the minute she won the title last year, for coming back to defend her crown, and for showing that you can lose with class
• Charlotte Brader and Lazer - for your support for the AGA series, for breakfast and for ensuring that myself and Derek had a memorable trip to Yorkshire
• Course officials/volunteers, racegoers and bookies - for a warm welcome all over the UK
• Lucy Tucker and Heather Kemp - it's been a pleasure working with these two, I think we all showed that we can "get things done", it's a great partnership
• Kelly Simpson, Niki Sturgis and Katy Arinc - the girls in the PPA office, nothing was too much trouble
• Phil and Mel Rowley and Juliet Minton - so near yet so far, incredibly supportive throughout and for also showing that you can lose with class, great people
• All owners and trainers who have entered a horse in an AGA sponsored ladies open, or an AGA-related ladies open
• Carl Evans  (Racing Post Weekender) - for your support and for inspiring me, very much appreciated Carl 
• Fleur Cushman and Cheryl Gunn (Racing Post Weekender) - incredible support again from "the bible"
• John "Beazo" Beasley - for being a great race day companion, for your knowledge of this game - some of which you pass on every time we speak, for being available throughout the season for help and advice, and for your stunning photos - cheers Beazo!
• My long suffering wife Cindy - for putting up with my pointing obsession, the blogging, the tweeting, the facebooking, the texting and phone calls and for supporting me all season by actually being there at nearly every meeting - she actually really enjoys it and now has loads of new friends as well!
• Jeremy Grayson (Racing Post Weekender) - wisdom, wit, knowledge of the game, providing the total number of fences for every course that we visited, and for being an all round top bloke
• Jumping For Fun and Dom Bradshaw - incredible support, massive THANK YOU
• Andrew Norman and Gareth Topham - this duo have also provided some incredible support, not just in person but also via hunterchases.com 
• Arthur Thompson and Pointing Yorkshire - great support from "oop north"
• Lady riders again - this time for putting up with the endless requests from me, including posing for countless photos - quite often in a freezing cold field with an AGA "I'm In Total Control" polo shirt on!
• Jackie Oliver - for the photos and the encouragement (which means a lot), and the support via Pointing South Midlands, she is another incredibly nice person!
• The twitter followers - 734 at the last count and still rising, your support is amazing and the banter is first class
• Facebook friends - for allowing me to turn my personal profile into a running commentary on AGA Pointing and for liking and commenting on all of the photos that I post
• The blog readers - I really, really enjoy doing this and the pleasure I get from knowing so many people actually take the time to read it and look at the photos is immense - thank you all, it will be kept going as there is still loads to write about
• Anyone who has thanked me for being passionate about this great sport, I share your passion and believe we can take it to new heights
• New friends all over the UK - see you all soon I hope, if a fella with a strange accent turns up asking you to put the kettle on it will probably be me!
• The Cheltenham team - including Rebecca Morgan for helping to make the final evening the huge success that it was, and Simon Claisse for giving us superb ground to race on and for calming my nerves in the run-up to the final
• Steven Astaire - for your support and words of wisdom, and for the wonderful Tweseldown experience (twice)
• The Hart team - for your support of our series, for the fun, and for the invite to your party - more incredibly nice people!
• Fergal and Jelly O'Brien for allowing us to have a "practice run" before the season and convert your gallops into a fantasy "AGA land"
• Jamie Smith - the AGA Group Print Manager, everything I asked for was delivered, thanks Jamie!
• Derek Martin - the man with the van, without hard working Derek the banners and flags would not have been there, he loved every minute of it and would do it all again at the drop of a hat!
• Emily MacMahon - INCREDIBLE support and encouragement from Em, organised a great dinner in Lambourn, and we were there to see her have a winner at Whitfield
• Hannah Lewis and Adrian Wintle - for launching a title challenge at the end of March which ensured that Claire and Jane did not have it all their own way
• Bridget and Gina Andrews - their title challenge also gained momentum at the end of March ensuring that April was a cracker
• Diana Williams and Helen Hart - two mums who define the word "support", they love their girls and will do anything for them ... I also think they love AGA!
• The AGA Pointing boys, including Chris Lincoln who really got what this is all about, worked hard and enjoyed himself into the bargain!
• The AGA shop and distributor managers and staff who turned up in the cold to "work the patch", great effort!
• Mark Hill - who provided odds for the Championship throughout the season and who also made a few quid I believe as to my knowledge nobody backed Claire (my money was on Jane and Rachel King)
• Camilla Henderson - for the tour of Seven Barrows the week before Cheltenham, and for being the perfect dinner companion later that evening - sponsor her here  http://www.justgiving.com/Camilla-Henderson0
• Chloe Boxall and Rachel King - for also being fantastic dinner companions during our visit to Lambourn
• J D Moore - another Lambourn dinner companion who has gone on to become a friend and a supporter of our series, top man
• Paul Champion, Kat Fidler, Viv Buckby and Carolyn Tanner - results, advice, words of wisdom and support - thank you!
• Danny Whittemore and the team at Weatherbys for ensuring our insert was inserted every week on time ... even when we didn't deliver it on time!
• Tim and Laura James at Mabel Gray for the weekly press release, the racecard insert and the proof reading

I am quite certain that there are some very deserving people missing from this list so I will no doubt dip back in throughout the day to update it, especially when the guilt kicks in once I realise I have missed them off!