Report 2011
Point to point was introduced into Cornwall in 1932
by Mrs Percival Williams, who had noticed tremendous enthusiasm for hunt racing in the Welsh borders.
After much spade work in a conservative pre-war Cornwall the first meeting was held on Carland Downs near Mitchell.
The West Briton reported that "five races were held in front of thousands of spectators,
who enjoyed excellent viewing on the slopes of Carland Downs". The course ran over 15 banks and was held over
three miles of fair hunting country. Spectators on horseback were not allowed onto the course and all of
the jockeys wore normal hunting dress! A pony race was the fourth race with a 14.3hh limit and ponies were measured with their
shoes on by the official measurer on course before the race.
In 1933 the meeting moved to Silver Valley near Chacewater where the course, again over natural hunting coutry, was extended to three and a half miles.
Heavier jockeys were given a chance to compete with the introduction of a thirteen and half heavyweight race.
In the farmers race all unplaced finishers received a £2 payback.
A new course was next developed at Penatillie, St Columb Major in 1938. There was no racing during the war years but the Penatillie
fixture resumed in 1946 with the price of the official racecard doubling to two shillings. After a couple of years a move westwards
was made to the well remembered Tehidy course. Initially the Tehidy meetings were held over Cornish banks but conditions of entry and
increasing officialdom and regulation led to the building of a brush fence course alongside the traditional banking course.
The stewards at the time were becoming concerned about unimpeded racing with appeals allowed for crossing, jossling or impeding
other horses! In the 1950's entries at Tehidy were suprisingly large with the Adjacent Hunts race regularly attrcating a huge entry of
eighteen runners. Tehidy also saw the end of formal pony racing over banks in 1952, with the height restriction raised to 15hh.
However, for every inch a pony measured under 15hh a 7lb weight allowance was granted.
More senior race goers will remember the vast crowds at Tehidy and the dust rising from the plough on Merrose Farm at the top of the
hill. The course did not always in later years prove popular with owners and trainers, which resulted in yet another move along with the Western
and North Cornwall Hunts to the Royal Cornwall Showground in 1986.
Finally, a very bold move by the hunt committee saw Trebudannon develope in 2000 with the first meeting abandoned after the third race due to a torrential
deluge. Trebudannon has, thanks to our host farmers Mr David Knight and the Weldhen family, evolved and improved each year with large
attendances reminiscent of the good old Tehidy days.
The late John Weldhen a driving force behind this course won the prestigious Grand Marnier National Point to Point award in 1989 with his gelding
"For a Lark".
