THE North Ledbury point-to-point at Hereford Racecourse this Sunday boasts a minimum card of eight races, starting at 1pm.

However, the action begins long before that, with two fully-subscribed Pony Races, sponsored by The Elms School, Colwall, scheduled for midday.

With a picnic bank accessible from the Leisure Centre end, the meeting will be a popular venue for spectators.

The grandstand and paddock can be gained through a gate from this car park, as well as the usual main gate.

Entrance to the meeting – which has attracted 180 entries – is £12.50 per person, under 16’s free, and a card machine will be available on the main gate.

Meanwhile, Georgie, ridden by James Ridley, upset the odds-on favourite Fruit Fayre with a determined finish to take the Mens Open race at South Herefordshire Hunt point-to-point meeting at Garnons.

Fruit Fayre seemed to set to land the odds for favourite backers as his jockey Pat Gerety set sail for home before the third last fence but as he drifted wide on the home turn Rideley got a renewed effort from his mount and closed on his inner and got up on the run-in close home to win by a short head.

Winning owner Alastair McLeish said: “I’m delighted, he needs a cut in the ground so he may be kept for Cheltenham’s hunter chase evening if we don’t get appreciable rain."

Although unsuccessful in the Open, Gerety gained compensation in the final race, the two-and-a-half mile Maiden as his Againn Dul Aghaidh easily won by eight lengths in the style of a promising individual.

It was a case of ‘return to sender’ in the opening Hunt Members race as race sponsor John Chinn of Castlebrook Vineyard, near Ross-on-Wye, saw his Frosty Heights win the five runner event for Hoarwithy trainer Pip Hooley and enable him to collect a case of his own wine as a prize.

A disappointing three runners went to post in the Ladies Open race but Get it On, ridden confidently by Sarah Bowen, easily swept into the lead at the second last fence and the pair drew away from the only other finisher Well Mett to score by an easy four-and-a-half lengths.

Bowen will now be looking to secure rides on the flat during the summer as she has taken out a Category B licence.