A POINT-TO-POINT meeting which had been postponed due to the equine flu outbreak went ahead at the weekend.

The Sinnington Hunt staged its event at Duncombe Park.

A spokesman said that there were some strong entrants, however the new BHA regulations that were brought in during the previous week to combat the flu had somewhat reduced the size of the fields, with all runners having to have had their vaccinations within the last six months.

Local rider Will Easterby was in good form as he recorded his first treble at his home track.

His most impressive performance came in the Restricted, when he partnered the Steph Easterby-trained Aphaea.

The pair jumped and travelled very smoothly and when challenged over the final two fences by The Unmentionable and Dale Peters, Easterby and his mount stayed on stoutly to win on her debut.

Will also took the Confined race, this time with Rattle The Cage. The pair stayed on well on the run-in to fend off the runner up Game As A Pheasant.

The easiest part of Will’s sequence of wins came in the opening Hunt Members’ race courtesy of Black River, who breezed home.

John Dawson and the Cherry Coward-trained Path To Freedom took the Mixed Open ahead of Greensalt, and in the Novice riders’ race Phil Greaves won for the second time.

Division two of the Open Maiden saw a real battle between Sommervieu under Phil Armson and Kimberley Boy and Will Easterby.

They were separated by a nose at the line as the pair tussled up the straight, with Sommervieu clinching it.

In the first division of the Open Maiden, somewhat decimated by the flu regulation, Dale Peters secured the race readily on Omar Maretti.