Yorkshire cracker as Sheriff Hutton hosts the return of our AGA point-to-point Champions

AGA Home Business is the theme for our point-to-point sponsorship this season so the award winning Carr House Farm bed and breakfast in Ampleforth was an obvious place to start the weekend. This 16th century farmhouse - which is surrounded by woodland, serves a delicious AGA cooked breakfast and has long been on my list as a potential Home Business partner.

Our friendly hosts were Anna Lupton and her husband Jack Peckitt - who is a former northern amateur point-to-point jockey, and is also officially recognised as a friendly face for North Yorkshire! The pair also breed Cuckavalda gun dogs - which will appeal to shooting enthusiasts, and you can even take a dog for a walk during your stay if you choose to enjoy some of North Yorkshire's most famous walks, which are on the doorstep.

The forecast snow didn't arrive, however, there was a nice crisp frost so we set off for Sheriff Hutton in good heart (about 30 minutes away), fortified by our AGA cooked breakfast. The Yorkshire sunshine was almost tropical and it soon had the frost out of the ground, so with the course looking in immaculate condition the action started early with a couple of pony races.

By the time the runners had entered the paddock for the Club Members race there was a healthy looking crowd in attendance, which included lots of familiar faces. There were also plenty of familiar faces in the paddock (Cowards and Masons among them), and it wasn't long before one of them - AGA Champion Jacqueline Coward, was back and heading for the winners enclosure!

Pre-race confidence proves to be well founded as Emily MacMahon wins a thrilling AGA Ladies Open on Master Medic at Larkhill

"Where's Larkhill" asked Mrs S last week, "Near Salisbury Plain and Stonehenge" was my response, "Sounds like the middle of nowhere and miles away" she replied! While it's not in the middle of nowhere, it would certainly mean an early start for us - and I chose to break that news to her gently at some point during Saturday afternoon. The first message arrived at 4.40am on Sunday, courtesy of AGA Total Control Champion Claire Hart, who was reminding me that another AGA race was on the horizon. There was also a subtle reminder that she would be feeding and mucking out eleven horses before I had even thought about getting up!

Nothing remarkable about the photos above you may think, other than the fog! It was foggy all the way there, and foggy when we arrived - very foggy! We couldn't see the course and racing was delayed by one hour in order to give the fog a chance to lift - the Met Office reports suggested it would, although it was touch and go for a while and racing was in doubt.

The car park continued to fill up and the fog slowly lifted to reveal a previously hidden racecourse ... and some horses! Great news for everyone, especially Jackie Oliver who had been amusing herself taking photos of me ... taking photos of her, and the then amusing her friends by showing them the snaps!

All good fun but the eagle eyed among you will have spotted the AGA Home Business booklet being handed to Mrs Hope by Mrs Hart in the background, I certainly did. Mrs Hope liked the idea so watch this space!

Mud bath at Chaddesley as Horsham Lad wins a cracking AGA Ladies Open, and our new Le Chameau boots make their debut!

It was dark at 6am on Friday morning, and cold, and wet ... and I'm sure that the Coward family will remind me that it was just the same at 4am in Yorkshire! I was up and had the car packed while the rest of the Simpson family slept, and they did not want to get out of bed - even a nice cup of tea in a special edition AGA mug was not enough to tempt Mrs S (Yorkshire tea as well!).

 

As you can see from the first three pics it was already quite muddy when we arrived, and we needed a tractor to tow Derek in with the AGA van - which also caused a slight delay! It was a good day for our new Le Chameau boots to make their debut, but, despite the new footwear, Mrs S refused to get out of the car - however, she was eventually cajoled out after being convinced that it was really quite warm!

I suspect that washing machines in the pointing world will be working overtime this weekend, especially the one in the Lewis yard - Hannah returns to the paddock (above) on a very muddy Vic Venturi after finishing 3rd in the Club Members race, and gives connections her view of the race (below).