THE United Hunt meeting at Folkestone was marred slightly by inclement weather, but produced some excellent racing.

The meeting started with a great win by Mathew Robert’s Honourable Spider, ridden by Peter Bull, and trained by the rider’s wife Suzy.

This was a first Hunter Chase winner for the owner and trainer, the rider having previously won on his own horse, Right Said Fred.

Hercules Morse was a good winner of the Grants Cherry Brandy final for the Grissell family, owned by Gardi Grissell, trained by his wife Di and ridden by Phillip Hall.

Phil York rode a brilliant race on Steve Garrott’s River Bailiff to win the Cuckoo Maiden at the generous odds of 9-1, beating the 9-4 favourite To The Top. So the evening ended with the honours shared, three winners for the locals, and three from away.

The area point to point season has now finished, but some of the horses who took part have continued running in hunter chases, and with a good measure of success.

Caryonharry and Millennium Way were in the line up for the £5,000 Gerrard final at Huntindon, and they fought a ding-dong battle to the line, with Carryonharry just getting the verdict by the narrowest of margins, a short head.

Carryonharry, owned by Heather Silk and ridden by Cynthia Hayden, also ventured to Stratford where they took on seven opponents in the Ladies’ Hunters Chase final, with a first prize of £5,000.

Starting 11/10 favourite, Carryonharry kept well up with the pace throughout, going clear at the second last to win comfortably by six lengths, giving his rider her second win in only her second ride under rules.

So the south-east season finally ends with five major hunter chase winners, a record to be proud of.