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Current men’s champion James King reached the 300-winner mark in point-to-points when scoring on the Luke Price-trained Sailor McKay at Charing in Kent on Saturday.

The Warwickshire-based rider (above), who had celebrated his 30th birthday two days earlier, said: “It was good to get there and especially nice to do it on one of Luke’s horses – it was his 150th training point-to-point winner, and I think I’ve ridden about half of them.

“I saw it [the 300] was achievable in the first five or six weeks of the season and I was hoping to reach it before Christmas. It was a bit frustrating in the build-up because I rode a number of odds-on shots that I managed to get beaten on.”

King’s first point-to-point ride, on April 1, 2013,  resulted in victory on the Tim Sage-trained Presentandcorrect at Lockinge, and he has since won the men’s title race four times. He lies ninth on the list of the sport’s most successful riders, but needs just two more victories to draw level with Polly Gundry who is one place ahead.

He said: “For the past few years I’ve built some brilliant contacts and ridden for a lot of talented people on fabulous horses. It’s been great having that support. Long may it continue.”

At Larkhill yesterday King won on Grace A Vous Enki, his ninth victory from ten rides on the horse who in the 2023/24 season won six times under King and landed the Connolly’s RED MILLS Leading Horse title.

King winning Sunday’s mixed open race at Larkhill on Grace A Vous Enki

Asked about other highlights, King said: “I believe I was the first rider to win all four Classics [Lord Ashton Of Hyde’s Cup, Coronation Cup, Grimthorpe Gold Cup and Lady Dudley Cup]. There are lots of horses I would like to ride again, because when you finish second you think should I have done something differently.

“The horse that has given me the greatest feel is probably Lift Me Up [King won three of four races on the Maxine Filby-trained gelding]. When I rode him in his early days I thought he could go right to the top, but he had a few little niggles and perhaps hasn’t achieved what he promised, albeit he is very good. When I won a restricted race on him at Chaddesley Corbett [December 2022] he felt very special.”

Full reports from Charing and Larkhill coming soon