Racing Post P2P Focus

A chance to catch last week’s Racing Post point-to-point focus column, which was published on Friday, October 30.

Cornelius Lysaght’s marathon broadcasting session at two point-to-points last weekend epitomised the efforts that had been made to get the British season underway.

Calling on the skills he had honed at BBC local radio before becoming the corporation’s racing correspondent – predominantly heard but not seen on Radio 5 – he stepped in front of the cameras to present live streaming broadcasts via Facebook from meetings in Devon and Gloucestershire. Had he been told that would involve non-stop talking and interviewing between eight races in often atrocious conditions on Saturday, plus a further ten on Sunday, he might have given the project a second thought, but he barely faltered and the broadcasts received widespread praise for content and quality.

Their importance should not be underestimated, for the sport will not be open to paying spectators for the foreseeable future, and 24 hours before Sunday’s fixture at Maisemore Park the local authority had a Covid wobble and told organisers that owners and bookmakers would not be able to attend. Health officials and police officers duly visited the meeting, but after a tour with Point-to-Point Authority chief executive Peter Wright they left, apparently happy with the measures in place. It was tough on owners who expected to witness their horses in action, but they were offered the chance to withdraw and few did.

A key point about the point-to-point broadcasts – which this Sunday will continue under Luke Harvey’s guidance at a meeting in Buckinghamshire where owners will be admitted – is their reach to followers of the sport, racegoers and all-important sponsors. They could in time provide branding opportunities and a revenue stream via a pay-per-view system.

Wright, who in the scrum to get the sport off the ground has been the front and back rows, summed up the opening weekend when saying: “I was absolutely thrilled the season got off to such a good start. Not only was there great racing but we also clearly proved that point-to-pointing is inherently safe, being held in open fields and with everyone based around their vehicles. The fixtures, run by volunteers, did an outstanding job. With this solid start I feel that we can move forward with confidence.

“I would like to give a big shout out to the riders, who for the time being have to change in their cars. Despite the appalling weather [at Saturday’s meeting in Devon] they remained unfailingly positive and polite and were a great advert for the sport.”