Pointing People: Maurice Thomas
- pporacommittee
- Jul 10
- 3 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
Popular and long-standing point-to-point owner Maurice Thomas passed away earlier this week at the age of 87, following a battle with cancer.
While Thomas was born and brought up in Oxfordshire, where he farmed at Dormer Leys near Tetsworth for many years until relocating to nearby Watlington some time after the loss of his wife Valerie, he described himself as ‘a proud Cornishman’ – his family were from Helston and his father only bought Dormer Leys a few years before Thomas’ birth.
He first dipped his toe into point-to-point ownership with the Handels in Somerset. Following that, his pointers were trained by his neighbour Lynn Redman at Tetsworth. His best pointer with her was prolific winner Goodnight Vienna, bought from another neighbour, Frank Jarvey. He also had Redman’s useful mare Home By Midnight as a broodmare after her racing career, and won a race with her daughter Bunny Boru.
“I’ve known Maurice for over 40 years – as long as my husband – and he was like an uncle to me,” said Redman. “Horses were our shared interest – his love of racing came from his father Ron – and we were partners in crime. He never missed a gallops day and, if I was poorly, he’d run the show. It was like he was my assistant. He was a legend, so supportive and always there for me. We saw him every day.”
Thomas was renowned in pointing circles for his generosity and hospitality. While based in the South Midlands, he regularly travelled outside the area, in particular to fixtures in Devon and Cornwall, and there was an open invitation to his car boot picnics at any meeting he attended, where his rare joint of beef was a highlight. Celebrating the end of the season with Thomas at Umberleigh was always a convivial occasion.
“I remember a freezing cold day at Didmarton after Home By Midnight was second,” laughed Redman, recalling his picnics. “We were huddled together in our lorry, rammed full of people. I could smell burning, and Maurice’s coat was on fire – he’d been leaning against the cooker!”
“Another favourite memory,” adds Redman, was when Sizzling Sun – my first pointing winner – won at Hereford in 1994. Maurice spent a fortune buying beef rolls and champagne for everyone and the corks made marks in the ceiling that I’m told are still there!”
The best current horses running in Thomas’ green and black colours are prolific winners I K Brunel, whose victory at his local track Kingston Blount in May 2024 was instrumental in Izzie Hill taking the female jockeys championship that season, and Normofthenorth. Thomas saw the pair give him a double at Kingston Blount in May, at the last point-to-point he attended.
He also part-owned the Hill-trained Clondaw Westie, placed in the 2022 Aintree Foxhunters, along with Redman, and had winners under rules trained by Hill’s wife Lawney, including No More No and Everything’sontick.
“Maurice was a model owner and always wanted what was best for his horses,” Hill told me. “He loved his betting and pointing suited him because of the camaraderie. Lynn should take credit for nurturing Maurice’s interest in pointing and racing,” continued Hill. “She was brilliant with him and he appreciated it – although he had the final word, he always listened when she suggested he buy a particular horse.”
In recent years, Thomas took more of an interest in racing under rules, both on the flat and over jumps. His National Hunt horses, owned in partnership with Redman’s husband Martin, have included the Robbie Llewellyn-trained multiple winner Loup De Maulde, but his best horse has been a two-year-old sprinter. Chipotle. Thomas was part of the Woodway 20 syndicate who owned the 2021 Royal Ascot Windsor Castle Stakes and Redcar Two-Year-Old Trophy winner, trained by Eve Johnson Houghton.
The funeral will take place at St Giles Church, Tetsworth, at 11.30am on Thursday 30th July.
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