THE curtain came down on the Northern Area Point-to-Point season with the Haydon meeting at Hexham Racecourse.

Runners travelled from as far afield as Inverurie in Scotland, as well as from Barnsley and Scarborough.

And it turned out to be a fruitful day for Yorkshire raiders, with five of the seven winners trained in the white rose county.

Matts Commission (Jack Teal) ended the campaign by landing the conditions race. The six-year-old held a narrow advantage from five out before extending his lead to five lengths approaching the penultimate fence.

Teal’s mount cruised home four lengths ahead of Habbie Simpson (Tabitha Threadgall) with Ladyvie (Lucy Provan) a further 15 lengths away in third place.

Following a number of solid efforts under Rules last season from Nick Alexander’s yard, Dutch Canyon (Lucy Brown) made the most of a drop in class with a 20-length victory over Hooligan Jack (Charlotte Tailford) in the maiden race.

Returning from a nine-month break and having his first start for Selkirk handler, Lesley Coltherd, the nine-year-old forced the pace from the off and, jumping boldly out in front, could be called the winner a long way from home.

The Craigsteel gelding was bought privately last year by Stow farmer and former point-to-point jockey, James Muir.

Miss Carney hit the front five out in the restricted race, before powering clear from the next, and Emma Todd’s mount eventually came home as the only finisher when Buzzkillbob, who was more than a fence behind at the time, pulled up after two out. Amie Waugh was gifted a 40th career winner between the flags when her mount, Winged Crusader, was the only horse declared from the 18 entries for the six-year-olds and over conditions race.

The 11-year-old Winged Love gelding, trained by Waugh and owned by her father, Simon, is the outright leader in the prestigious National Champion Horse standings and heads to the South Durham fixture at Sedgefield on Sunday in search of a ninth victory of the season.

Jess Bedi extended her lead over Lily Bradstock and Laura Fenwick in the national novice riders championship with another win on course specialist, Iron Chancellor, in the ladies’ open race. The evergreen 14-year-old stayed on strongly to beat Damien’s Dilemma, ridden by Waugh, by five lengths, with Abbeyview (Laura Fenwick) a further 10 lengths away in third.

Cherry Coward was the trainer to follow as her only two runners, Game as a Pheasant and Tom Horn, struck gold to take her seasonal tally of winners to 18.

After being sidelined for most of the campaign with a broken leg, Coward’s stable jockey, Jack Andrews, was content to track the leaders on Game as a Pheasant from the outset in the men’s open race before pressing the button after three out and the response was immediate as his mount took it up at the next before forging clear to score by 12 lengths from Carlos Gardel (John Dawson). Cara Richardson enjoyed a first winner on Tom Horn in the 2m4f conditions race. The 13-year-old headed odds-on favourite, Forgivienne (Will Milburn) with a better jump three out and kept finding extra in the home straight to prevent his rival from getting back on terms.

The main action was preceded by two well-contested pony races. The 138cm novice riders contest had nine runners and saw Telynau Master Oats (Faith Rourke) beat Larkfield Lad (Jake Dickson) by a neck with Kakusta Jacobean (Enya Currie) in third. The 148cm open race had six runners and resulted in a more clear-cut success for the in-form Indian River (Shay Farmer) from Hawkesfield Flyer (Joshua Thompson) and Milli Butterfly (Alfie Nichols).

Nick Orpwood carried off the men’s jockey championship for a second time.

Waugh retained the ladies’ championship, while Tabitha Threadgall lifted the novice rider title.

Winger Crusader, owned by Simon Waugh, won the £500 champion horse award, with Jimmy Walton’s home-bred Frankies Fire taking both the novice horse championship and leading mare award.

In the Hexham Racecourse-sponsored South Northumberland Point-to-Point Series covering this season’s Border, Haydon, Morpeth and Tynedale fixtures, Waugh was the leading jockey.

Abbeyview’s consistency ensured Fenwick was the leading owner. Jack Andrews picked up the Tony Ward Memorial Trophy as the leading jockey at the Border and Haydon fixtures.

Competing for the very first time, junior rider Faith Rourke, of Prudhoe, won by a neck in the Pony Racing Authority’s race at the Haydon Point-to-Point.

Mum Sarah said: “She was really up against it in a strong field of nine riders, most of whom were older and had travelled some distance to compete. Faith rode like an absolute star and won by a neck in a photo finish from the hot favourite.”

A South Northumberland Pony Club member, Faith has had her pony for just six months, and trained him herself.