THE annual Pendle Forest and Craven point to point takes place at Westby Hall Farm, Gisburn this Saturday, first race 2pm.

The meeting which brings together horses and jockeys from the North West and the Yorkshire areas, is the nearest that steeplechasing gets to this region and it is a day out enjoyed by many thousands of spectators.

This season there are almost 140 entries for the six race card. Racing starts with the members race, where entries include Whitby, a gelding trained at Waddington by Christine Billington, who ran very well for a long way in the Land Rover final at Towcester last week. If lining up his opponents could include Blank Cheque who is trained at Coniston Cold by the father/son combination of Joe and David Coates.

Blank Cheque is on the crest of a wave, having won four races already this season and he is deemed good enough for connections to consider a crack at a Cheltenham hunter chase.

Among the jockeys expected to ride at the meeting are Richard Ford, who won the 1996 Aintree Foxhunters on Rolling Ball and the country's top female amateur rider under Rules this season, the Thirsk-based Fiona Needham.

There have been many meetings lost to the elements already this season but at present there are no weather doubts concerning the course. Although, the ground will be on the soft side of good.

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