Thrilling AGA final cooks up a treat as two new champions are crowned on a fabulous night at Stratford

We had a new date and a new venue for our final this year - Friday 7th June at Stratford-on-Avon racecourse, and our build up started earlier in the week when we visited the Racecourse on Wednesday evening. We walked the course with four of our AGA finalists - all in contention for the AGA Championship, and took delivery of an AGA cooker, which was delivered by non other than our very own 'man with the van', Derek Martin!

The big day duly arrived, the weather was kind and the atmosphere was electric, but the AGA man was nervous ... we had a huge pavilion to fill! My plan to invite all 350 people who attended the PPORA lunch earlier in the afternoon (in addition to the 250 already invited) was soon scuppered - the capacity in the AGA pavilion was 250, so another 350 would have been stretching things!

A good sized crowd was streaming into the course, although I was snapped heading in the opposite direction (above). Not sure where I was going, maybe I had spotted the ice cream man!

Our Pimms and Bucks Fizz reception was proving a hit, and there was a decent gathering by the time William McGrath took to the microphone to kick things off with a 'father of the bride' type speech - which was very well received by the assembled throng.

This is a blog about our AGA final, however, one of our AGA title contenders - Hannah Lewis, won the first race of the evening on Overlut so she gets an honourable mention for a great performance!

Time flies when you're racing and I was soon rounding up our party for the parade ring so that they could view the runners before our final, and also judge 'Best Turned Out'.

The big guns were out in force tonight and some of them were soon deep in conversation in the parade ring.

Here come the girls ...

The ladies judged, the chaps observed, and the AGA man invited connections back to the pavilion after the race - closely watched by Derek! (below).

We decided to watch the race from the parade ring because this afforded an excellent view of the home straight and the finishing post ... something which we would be grateful for in around 7 or 8 minutes time!

Description (Gina Andrews) led on the first circuit, from Peplum (Hannah Grissell), Kinight Blaze (Charly Prichard), Swift Counsel (Jane Williams), That's Rhythm (Page Fuller), Lady Myafnwy (Hannah Lewis) and Little Miss Monty (Rachel Leyshon).

Please note the strategically placed AGA banners!

Jane took it up from Gina on the second circuit with Page well placed to mount a challenge.

Swift Counsel and That's Rhythm were having a ding-dong battle up front as they entered the home straight, with Jane just edging it as they jumped the last - above and below.

Gareth Topham in the commentary box was almost breathless as he called the finish!

Thanks to Jackie Oliver (Graftonwood), who captured these images as the pair slugged it out after the last and all the way to the line.

What a thriller! They were at it all the way up the run-in with Page just getting the verdict by half a length, prompting joyous scenes in the parade ring as Sally Duckett & Geoffrey Deacon danced and hugged (shame there are no photos).

What a ride, and what a game performance from That's Rhythm! Page was elated, as were her mum Charlotte and dad Richard, and it was hugs all round in the winners enclosure. Jane was just as elated as her second place was enough to clinch the AGA title, and a brand new AGA cooker! As you know I have not been involved in pointing all that long, but I can't find any record of a sponsor that has ever given such a generous prize, am I right?

The AGA man was also elated, I hugged Mrs AGA first and then everyone else who was involved, Page, Mr & Mrs Fuller, Jane, Jo Mason, I even hugged Gareth Topham (below) for his superb commentary! I just felt so relieved, another thrilling final, and another year when the series and the championship were decided in the dying strides of the final, what a fitting finale!

The new AGA Champion with groom Katy Lyons - no more words are required!

More lovely photos from Jackie Oliver (Graftonwood) and of course the oldest swinger in town, the man who has been with me every step of the way, John 'Big Green Annual' Beasley.

BIG red AGA Library clocks were the prize this year, there was one each for owner, trainer and rider, and the more observant among you will spot the 'smiley face' on two of them but not the other (there was a reason for this).

Waiting patiently in the wings was our new AGA iTotal Control Lady Riders Champion, Jane Williams. Not only was she about to become the owner of a brnd new AGA cooker, she was also about to get another hug from the AGA man!

Jane won our first final in 2011 on Billyvoddan, and was runner-up on the same horse in last years final, so it was fitting that Billyvoddan's connections - owner Juliet Minton and her husband David, plus trainer Phil Rowley (and his stable jockey Alex Edwards), were in the winners enclosure to celebrate with Jane.

An official letter confirming Jane as the new champion was posted this week and she now has to decide what colour she would like. Exciting times ahead, just ask last years champion Claire Hart!

Tim Peters was on hand with his roving microphone and I know of at least two people out of the 4,000 plus crowd who heard my interview! I said that if we had been able to write a script for the evening in advance then it would have been pretty much as it happened, perfect!

Georgina, the AGA man and William.

The AGA man takes loads of photos every week, but I didn't manage to pick my camera up this evening, nor did I arrange for someone else to take photos on my behalf. I'm kicking myself because it was a night to remember and we had a pretty stellar crowd in our pavilion, we've come a long way in three years!

Just as the evening was drawing to a close there was a little surprise for me as Sarah Oliver (Chief Executive of the Amateur Jockeys Association) had arranged for me to have a spin with 'the doc', the 'jockeys doctor' himself, Dr Philip Prichard (President of the Amateur Jockeys Association). I followed the field for the last race and I loved it, what a way to watch a horse race, a totally different perspective, brilliant!

This montage of marvellous photos, tracing the journey that we have been on this season - a wonderful journey I might add, was on display in the pavilion. The journey started in November last year at Cottenham, and included many highs, with just the odd low, and lots of laughs. We had a memorable trip to Ireland for the inaugural 'Tattersalls International Point-to-Point' in May, a marvellous day at Garthorpe for the 'Little Cookers of the Future AGA Point-to-Point Pony Racing Championship Finals', and a memorable night here at Stratford. It was an emotional night for me and the feedback since suggests that everyone present thoroughly enjoyed the experience. That pleases me, a lot.