88 PPORA-Supported Races for 2026/2027 Confirmed

The PPORA has increased its support for point-to-pointing for the coming season with the announcement that it will be providing a financial contribution to 88 races at 42 courses across 62 fixtures. This represents an increase of almost 30 on the 59 PPORA races that took place in 2025/2026 and the PPORA would like to thank the organisers of every fixture holding a race for their support.

For the 2026/2027, the PPORA will again be contributing £200 per race, a figure which was increased from £100 last season. While fixtures are encouraged to use half of the contribution to help cover the running costs of their meeting, and to award the other half to connections as additional prize money, they are free to use the £200 at their discretion.

The first two PPORA-supported contests take place at the Croome & West Warwickshire meeting at Shelfield Park on Sunday 22^nd November – a Restricted and a Level 2 Conditions Race, to be partnered by Novice Riders.

This will be the first time that the Warwickshire venue, which opened in 2021, has held PPORA races, and is proof of the much-appreciated backing that the West Mercian Area, where Shelfield Park is located, is giving to the PPORA by staging their races. The Area is holding 31 such events in total – including no less than nine at Chaddesley Corbett, and 14 fixtures hold two or more PPORA races.

Graham Saveker, one of the three PPORA Committee Members for the West Mercian Area, explained why he is grateful to the PPORA for their contribution.

“On behalf of the PPORA, It is always a pleasure to work in partnership with courses in the West Mercian Area to put on their races and this coming point-to-point season sees 31 PPORA-supported races across the region.”

“With at least one PPORA race at each fixture in the Area this year, they are demonstrating their clear support for West Mercian pointing. PPORA races also play a key part in the wider development of young horses and jockeys, with which we have had a long history of success over the years. The most recent example from last season would be national leading novice jockey Lucas Murphy, who scored at a number of meetings in the Area and has successfully progressed from pointing to winning under rules.”

Three fixtures – the Harkaway Club at Chaddesley Corbett on Monday 28^th December, the Larkhill Racing Club at Larkhill on Sunday 3^rd January and the Kimblewick at Kingston Blount on Saturday 27^th February, stage no less than three PPORA contests, and Nolan Best, joint-Fixture Secretary for the latter meeting and Sandhurst Area PPORA Committee Member, confirmed why he is keen to support PPORA races.

“We support the PPORA because we want to promote it and I don’t think the pointing community appreciate how much the PPORA do for the sport, or that racegoers are aware that they can be members without owning a horse.”

“Not only does the PPORA subsidy boost prize money, but at Kingston Blount we’re going one step further, and anyone who runs a horse in one of the PPORA races will be invited to the sponsors tent for a glass of champagne.”

“We stage three races, purely and simply, to promote the PPORA as we want more people to join, and limiting eligibility to PPORA members has no impact on entries or runners.”

Of the 88 PPORA races throughout the season, the showpiece event is the Novice Riders Championship Final, a Level 1 Conditions Race held at the Grafton fixture at Edgcote on Sunday 16^th May. This race is fully sponsored by the PPORA and offers £1,700 in total prize money, of which £1,000 goes to the winner. Last year’s contest was won by Talimar Pearl, owned by David Churches, trained by champion trainer Josh Newman and ridden by Lucas Murphy.

In addition to the support for the races, the PPORA will again be recognising five winners for the 2026/2027 point-to-point season at the National Point-to-Point Awards. These will be the Princess Royal and Wilkinson Sword Trophies for the leading female and male rider respectively who have not ridden a winner before the start of the season, the PPORA Awards for the leading owner and rider in the 88-race series, and the Jim Mahon Memorial Lifetime Achievement Award.

Eligibility for all PPORA-backed races is limited to horses both owned and ridden by current members of the PPORA.