Mai Cure notched her first win in over three years as Pebmarsh trainer Paula Twinn got off the mark for the season at the Essex Farmers & Union Point-To-Point at Marks Tey on Easter Monday.

Twinn is a most deserving winner as she gives up a great deal of her time to organise the children’s pony races that have become such a popular added attraction at many Pointing fixtures, including yesterday’s.

Owned and bred by her father, David Claydon, Mai Cure is little bigger than many racing ponies yet belied her lack of stature to comprehensively outgun her three rivals in the Intermediate Race.

Her victory was the initial leg of a first ever riding double for East Anglia’s top female jockey, Gina Andrews, from Lilley in Hertfordshire. Andrews went on to make it eight wins for the season in guiding Royal Tender to a similarly convincing triumph in the closing Restricted Race.

Equipped with sheepskin cheekpieces for the very first time, Royal Tender jumped much better than of late to score for Exning, near Newmarket, handler Hugh Collingridge.

This second victory meant that Andrews pipped Louise Allan for the Mark Tey lady rider’s championship, while the equivalent men’s trophy went to Rupert Stearn, from Wymondham, who was absent riding two hunter chase winners at the National Hunt meeting at Fakenham.

Allan at least had the compensation of taking the Ladies’ Open aboard Leatherback, another horse prevailing for the first time since 2006.Leatherback is trained at Ampton, near Bury St Edmunds, by Joe Turner, who also had the enjoyment of seeing his grandson, Ed, win for the first time when guiding another member of his yard, Thoutmosis, to a narrow success in the Novice Riders’ Race.

This was a second lifetime winner for Ed Turner, but in many ways meant more than the first, gained down in Sussex last April, as this time it was much closer to home and at a course that his late father, David, had virtually made his own during a record-breaking 345-victory career.

Trainer Martin Ward, from Sutton, near Ely, had broken his duck for the campaign at Higham two days earlier and doubled his total here when Katy’s Classic got home by half a length from Tuesday Club after a great late battle in the Maiden Race.

But it was an up-and-down day for Ward and winning jockey Matthew Mackley as they later teamed up with Kaboobi, who fell fatally leaving Mackley with a suspected broken ankle.

The day’s other winner was Itsallupintheair, who notched his second course success inside nine days when landing the Men’s Open for Chediston trainer John Ibbott and Newmarket jockey Harry Fowler.

Results

Race One (Open Maiden Race):

1 Mrs W Ward and Mrs A Dunne’s Katy’s Classic (Granta Harriers) (M Mackley),

2 H Hill’s Tuesday Club (Cambs University) (G Kennedy),

3 D Wales’ Toe to Hand (W Norfolk (Miss G Andrews).

Also: Ciderlay (4), Crooked Brook (5), Run Doctor Run (6), Shilgrove Lad (7), Grand Symphony (pu), Ruby Rew (pu), Running Attraction (pu), Vera Caro (ro). Half a length, five lengths. 6.41. SP 7-4 fav.

Race Two (PPORA Members Race, Novice Riders):

1 J M Turner’s Theoutmosis (Suffolk) (E Turner),

2 Mrs P Rogers’ Good Vintage (Cambs with Enfield Chace) (O Hopkins-Fagan),

3 The Kendall Family’s Birdwatch (Waveney Harriers) (E Kendall).

Also: Mister Swallow (4), No Nay Never (pu), Stavordale Lad (ur). Two lengths, 20 lengths. 6.41. SP 9-4 (Good Vintage 5-4 fav).

Race Three (Men’s Open Race):

1 A J Schofield’s Itsallupintheair (Waveney Harriers) (R H Fowler),

2 J M Turner’s Parkinson (Suffolk) (E Turner), H Hill’s Dark Thunder (Quorn) (G Kennedy).

Also: Feathered Storm (4). Fifteen lengths, three lengths. 6.44. SP 11-10 fav.

Race Four (Intermediate Race):

1 Mrs P Twinn and D Claydon’s Mai Cure (E Essex) (Miss G Andrews),

2 R Clifton-Brown’s Luke Lively (Granta Harriers) (A Pennock),

3 J M Turner’s Winapenny (Suffolk) (E Turner).

Also: Mon Esprit (4), Kaboobi (ur). Distance, five lengths. 6.46. SP 6-4 fav.

Race Five (Ladies’ Open Race):

1 J M Turner’s Leatherback (Suffolk) (Miss L Allen),

2 Mrs S Cinnamond and B Stickland’s Rodalko (E Essex) (Mrs L Spence),

3 C Buckley’s Bolero Éclair (E Sussex and Romney Marsh) (Miss K Smith).

Also: Monty’s Tag (4). Three lengths, 10 lengths. 6.42. SP 10-11 fav.

Race Six (Restricted Race):

1 H J Collingridge’s Royal Tender (Thurlow) (Miss G Andrews),

2 H Hill’s and Mrs T Robson’s Inchadoney Boy (Cambs University) (R H Fowler),

3 Mrs M Martin and M Ward’s Nomadic Blaze (Granta Harriers) (Miss R Ward).

Also: Olympe de Farges (pu). Distance, head. 6.44. SP 4-5 fav.