What is Point to Pointing?

Point to Point races are steeplechases confined to horses which hold a valid Hunters Certificate and are organised by a Hunt Committee which is affiliated to the Irish Masters of Foxhounds Association, the Irish Masters of Harriers Association or Staghounds. The Irish National Hunt Steeplechase CLG (INHSC) is responsible for the governance and administration of Point to Points in Ireland and sanctions approximately 100 fixtures to be run between October and May.

Point to Points are vital in terms of the continuing worldwide reputation of Irish National Hunt horses with a report into the social and economic impact of Irish thoroughbred Breeding & Racing in 2023 noting “in the 2021/22 season alone, public sales of Irish Point to Point graduates totalled £34m, with private sales estimated at c.£17m, taking total sales of Irish Point to Point graduates to c.£51m. The majority of these sales will be from Irish owners and breeders to Irish and British owners, with sales to the latter representing foreign investment into Ireland.” The report further noted that “overall owner expenditure in Point to Points is estimated to be c.€25m in 2022 - the vast majority attributed to training fees, followed by ancillary services such as farriers and vets.”

History of Point to Point

The first recorded, and now legendary Steeplechase match, took place in Ireland from Buttevant Church to St. Marys Church, Doneraile, Co. Cork in 1752. The riders raced from the steeple in one church to the steeple in the second church, hence the name steeplechasing was formulated.

During the 19^th Century, Point to Points was run under the auspices of the Hunt Committee organising the fixture. Notably, the Ward Union and the Kildare Hunt continue to stage meetings at their respective venues, to the present day. Point to Point meetings continue to be run on a voluntary basis by Hunt Committees, these Committees work tirelessly to transform green fields to racing circuits and return them to green fields again after their fixture while also providing voluntary staff to officiate at their fixture.

Since the beginning of the 20^th Century, Point to Points have been run by the Irish National Hunt Steeplechase CLG (INHSC) who established the Irish National Hunt Steeplechase Regulations for Point to Point Steeplechases, in 1900. These Regulations were subsequently recognised in the 2016 Horse Racing Ireland Act, with the INHSC being responsible for making the Regulations which are enforced at each fixture by Officials from the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board. Approximately 100 fixtures are sanctioned by the INHSC each season which runs between October and May.

The sport remains regarded as the “nursery” of Irish National Hunt racing. Many horses commence their career in the pointing field before progressing on to the racecourse. Many graduates of Point to Points have become household names on the racecourse winning the most prestigious blue riband races, including the Cheltenham Champion Hurdle and Gold Cup, Aintree Grand National, Irish Grand National and many other highly regarded National Hunt races.

Best Mate, winner of 3 Cheltenham Gold Cups between 2002 - 2004, and other subsequent Cheltenham Gold Cup winners War of Attrition, Denman, Imperial Commander, Native River and Minella Indo all commenced their respective careers between the flags. While recent winners of the Aintree Grand National that have also graduated from the Point to Point field in recent years include, Rule The World One For Arthur, Minella Times, Noble Yeats and Corach Rambler. In a 3 year period between 2021 and 2023, both winners of the Champion Hurdle, Honeysuckle and Constitution Hill had their first competitive runs in Point to Points. Many more graduates have won numerous Grade 1 pattern races at home and overseas.

The sport is also responsible for presenting an opportunity for aspiring young riders and in recent years the INHSC has been very active in programming and sponsoring races for Novice Riders, starting out on their careers. Riders such as Ruby Walsh, Adrian Maguire, Timmy Murphy, Norman Williamson and Davy Russell started their racing careers on the Point to Point circuit while Aidan O’ Brien, Enda Bolger, Ted Walsh and Tony Martin honed their riding and training skills in the Point to Point field.

In previous years the sport was dominated by celebrated point to point riders such as Willie Rooney, P.P. Hogan, Billy McLernon, Connie Vaughan, Nicky Dee and Timmy O’Callaghan. In more recent years John Berry, John Queally, J.T. McNamara, Derek O’Connor, Jamie Codd and Barry O'Neill were champion riders on numerous occasions.

Point to Pointing is a unique part of Irish culture and the INHSC is conscious of keeping costs at a reasonable level while developing it and making changes for the good of all its participants. It provides all participants with an opportunity to discuss and assess a wide range of topics with the aim of improving the sport from an administrative, regulatory, operational, promotional, and safety aspect. Many improvements have been made as a result of the inclusive involvement of all stakeholders and in several instances, new ideas introduced in the Point to Point field have subsequently been adopted on the racecourse.