By Bob Bracher.

COMPETITIVE racing was the order of the day when a good crowd gathered for the Blackmore and Sparkford Vale point-to-point meeting at the Charlton Horethorne course on the hills on the Dorset and Somerset border.

The highlights on a dry but chilly day were another impressive performance by the Coronation Gold Cup winner Viroflay, a riding double for Will Biddick and a long-awaited victory in an incident-packed Hunt race.

Viroflay had turned in an impressive performance when winning at Larkhill and he was a class above his four rivals in the Ineos Grenadier-sponsored Mixed Open race.

Watched by owners Paul Nicholls and John Bolton, he took a while to settle for rider Olive Nicholls but once he was on an even keel the writing was on the wall for the opposition.

After giving him ‘a tap on the bottom’ after the third last, Olive said ‘he went into another gear and went right away’.

The winning margin was given as 30 lengths from Oistrakh Le Noir ridden by Will Biddick.

It is likely Viroflay’s sights will now be set on a Novice Hunter Chase and connections did not rule out the possibility of the Ineos Grenadier final at Cheltenham.

Trainer Georgina Nicholls is rightly proud of the success he has been enjoying and the partnership he is forming with her daughter.

Will Biddick started the day by winning the Tattersalls Cheltenham-sponsored four- and five-year-old Maiden race with the previously unraced Sea God for owners Chris Barber and Phil Fry.

Producing a good turn of foot after the last, he had five lengths in hand at the winning post from Eau du Berlais ridden by Charlie Sprake, who had made most of the running.

Sea God was bought by winning connections at Doncaster last May and is a half-brother to Turn Turk who won three races for Nicky Henderson in 2017. He is likely to have an entry in the Cheltenham Festival Sale on Thursday, March 16.

There was drama in the Longman Cheese Sales Hunt race when short-priced favourite Shantou Flyer slipped on the flat unseating Olive Nicholls and then, when loose, cannoned into West Approach ridden by Freddie Gordon, who also was unseated.

This left Country Legend ridden by Tom Bishop in front and the combination maintained the advantage to record a five lengths victory over Hunting Percival ridden by Charlie Sprake.

The mare was recording her ninth career victory and is  a real credit to her connections James and Frances Bishop.

They have been generous long-term sponsors of the Blackmore and Sparkford Vale point-to-point and it was fitting their mare should finally give them a victory in a race they had been trying to win for many years.

James reminisced: “I was beaten by Robert Alner in the Hunt race at the old course at Kingweston in 1985 when I was riding Tavy Lord and this was the nearest I got to riding the winner.”

Tom, who works in London and still rides out for trainer Richard Bandey when he can, was quick to praise his parents for the work on the mare who relished the better ground.

The Manor Farm Partnership Sponsored race had the biggest field of the day with 13 horses.

It looked that this would provide Will Biddick with his second winner when the June Fear-owned gelding Itsnotcosiownhim hit the front after the third last and looked like he had the race in the bag.

However, Alice Stevens riding the Fran Nimmo-trained Pocatello, had other ideas and in a driving finish got her mount’s head in front to record a neck victory.

He was bought at Doncaster by Charlie and Fran Poste on the recommendations of Derek O’Connor and needs to run left-handed to be at his best.

He is owned by a partnership headed up by Bridget Gatehouse and Fran said: “Bridget is our vet and a long-term friend, and comes in to ride the gelding on a daily basis, so should be given much credit for this success.”

Will did not have to wait much longer before recording his second victory of the day aboard Macklin, who he trains for owner John Studd, in the Alec Jarrett Conditions race.

John, who was celebrating his birthday, was surprised by his gelding’s victory – he had said beforehand he had no expectations and looked taken aback in the winner’s enclosure.

The win did not appear to be a fluke, Will steering him to a five lengths victory over the favourite Paloma Blue ridden by Josh Newman who had recorded a good win at Milborne St Andrew on his last outing.

John said he bought the gelding for 9,000 Euros as a yearling and he had gone into training with Francois Nicolle in France and won a chase on firm going at a provincial track there.

Clearly appreciating the better surface, he is one to keep on the right side of on faster going.

John said the 2021 Cheltenham Foxhunters hero Porlock Bay has been retired at the age of 12.

The meeting ended with the Church House Investments Restricted race and another good finish, Ed the Red ridden by Darren Andrews beating Bang on Target ridden by Josh Newman with only a neck separating them.

The winner trained by Chloe Newman for owner John Norman thought a mistake at the last might have proved costly but the gelding stuck on gamely to hold off the determined challenge of the runner-up.

He was bought out of Henry de Bromhead’s stable after being placed in a couple of hurdles.

Chloe said with a smile: “It was good to win today and to have my nephew Josh in second place.”