By Brian Lee

Welsh trainers Dai Burchell, Tim Vaughan and Peter Bowen all saddled winners at Worcester on Friday.

First off the mark was Ebbw Vale’s Burchell, whose seven-year-old King Alfonso, partnered by Richard Patrick, took the opening John Burke Memorial Handicap Chase by six lengths from the top weighted Salto Chisco.

King Alfonso, 3-1 joint-favourite, was winning for the third time on the bounce.

Tara Mac, a 25-1 outsider trained by Aberthin’s Vaughan and ridden by West Wales trainer Alan Johns, landed the Bob Love ‘King Of The Dirt’ Memorial Mares Handicap Chase when coming home 13 lengths ahead of the Michael Scudamore trained Northern Beau.

Abertgin training Tim Vaughan. Pic: Getty Images.

In the 7BetsFree.Com Novices’ Hurdle, five-year-old Francky Du Berlais, trained by Pembrokeshire’s Bowen and ridden by his son James, won by a short head from Captain Peacock, a winner of its only previous two races.

Francky Du Berlais was returned at odds of 4-1.

Pojnt-to-point

The latest British point-to-point fixtures list reveals there will be 173 meetings at 100 locations around the United Kingdom in the coming season – and an increased emphasis on early-season meetings.

The release of the 2018-19 list, ratified by the British Horseracing Authority, confirms the earliest start to a season will take place at the former Jump racing venue of Buckfastleigh in Devon on Sunday, November 18. 

A total of 14 meetings have been scheduled before the end of the year, a 75 per cent increase on the eight pre-New Year fixtures held last season.

Pembrokeshire trainer Peter Bowen. (Photo by John Walton – EMPICS/PA Images via Getty Images)

Meetings were encouraged to bulk up early fixtures – in part to relieve congestion later in the season – and the response has been welcomed by the Point-to-Point Authority.

Three venues will stage point-to-pointing for the first time – Eaton Hall in Herefordshire, the licenced racecourse of Ffos Las in Carmarthenshire and at Monmouthshire Showground in Monmouthshire. 

Eaton Hall – not to be confused with the former Cheshire venue – is on land owned by the Price family, well known to followers of jump racing.

The venue stages a meeting on Saturday, November 24, while Ffos Las will host a fixture on Sunday, December 9. 

Monmouthshire Showground, where several attempts were made to launch last season only to be thwarted by severe winter weather, will try again, with fixtures on Sunday, February 24 and Saturday, March 30.

Hackwood Park in Hampshire, Garnons in Herefordshire and Ystradowen in Glamorgan have all closed, but another former Welsh venue, Bonvilston, will reopen for the first time since 2011 when staging fixtures on Saturday, April 20 and Sunday, May 5.

Among other changes is an increase in the number of point-to-point Flat races. Introduced as a single race in 2016-17 and converted into six events 12 months later, the JRL Group-sponsored races have now been increased to 10.

Run over two miles, they are restricted to four, five and six-year-olds who have not run under the rules of any recognised Racing Authority, including point-to-point steeplechases.

The season concludes at Umberleigh in North Devon on Saturday, June 15, and National sponsors Connolly’s RED MILLS, 

The Jockey Club, Skinner’s Pet Food, The Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association and Timico are all providing continued support for the sport.

The full 2018/19 fixtures list can be viewed by clicking here.