After a very successful meeting at Guilsborough, hosted by the Pytchley with Woodland, Midlands Pointing returns to Leicestershire on Saturday 22nd March, for the third of this season's Garthorpe fixtures, the Belvoir.

This year there is a six-race card followed by schooling races which will give spectators a chance to see a mixture of both amateur and professional horses on the course for an informal race practice session.

Tickets for the meeting are available via our ticketing page for a reduced price or you can get them on the gate for £15. Young Farmers Club members can enter for £10 if they bring their membership card with them. Under-16s are admitted free.

Alongside the racing the Belvoir team have been hard at work organising other non-racing entertainment. There will be a family dog show which starts at the same time as racing, at 1pm and includes lots of different fun classes which only cost £2 to enter. There is a fun fair for the children and trade stands offering a variety of products.

This year the Belvoir meeting is also running a silent auction, available online here, which includes some excellent lots including a day's hunting with Jim Culloty and Oisin Murphy, visits to top professional trainers, holiday cottage rentals, nice lunches and lots more.

There is a fully-stocked bar ready for the meeting and the organisers are running a "happy hour" from 4.30pm which gets three drinks for the price of two. Take part in that and you'll be more than ready for the band which is firing up after the last race. Don't forget to designate a driver!

The feature race of the afternoon is the fourth race, the Birketts Mixed Open race, where we will see the best rated horses of the day. Julian Sherriff's talented ten-year-old Fier Jaguen will be looking to make it a hat trick of wins in opens at Garthorpe this season having previously won in style under Bradley Gibbs at both the Melton Hunt Club and Cottesmore meetings this year. He has strong competition from a number of in-form horses, though, including Caryto de Brosses who has won several times at this course but can be a little unpredictable. Aramax has won all four of his races this season for trainer Jennifer Owen, the most recent being in open company. Gina Andrews has a choice of rides between Captain Biggles - a winner last time in a conditions race at Ampton - and Loughan, yet to win this season. Paper Mill has won his last two open outings, at Ampton and Horseheath, while Camdonian was third last time but won his two opens previous to that. Bradley Gibbs also trains Jet of Magic whose two runs between the flags have both resulted in seconds, one of those to Foxhunters-placed Music Drive.

The six races on the card begin and end with maiden races for horses which are yet to win a point-to-point.

The first race of the day is part of a national series for young horses sponsored by Goffs and is specifically for four-year-olds and run over the shorter two-mile four furlong distance. This has 11 horses entered, most of which are making their racecourse debut. A good win here will put a good price tag on these youngsters which is why it has attracted top trainers and jockeys from all over the country. This should be a very interesting contest.

The last race is sponsored by Teigh Bed and Breakfast and can be entered by any maiden horse and has no weight allowances for younger horses and the ages range from five to ten. This maiden will be run over the longer three-mile distance. James Henderson owns and trains Pax who was very impressive when second at this course at the Cottesmore meeting in February and should improve for that run. Validation and Avichi In The Park are also both looking to improve on seconds last time out. Some here are making their racecourse debut while others have competed under rules and are now making the switch to points.

The second race of the day is sponsored by Roythornes and is for novice riders. These are jockeys who had not won five point-to-points at the start of this season (but may have done since). Although carrying a penalty, The KM Racing Club's Shentri, trained by Kelly Morgan and ridden by Poppy Shaw, should be well-backed. The eight-year-old looked to have the equivalent race at Higham in February sown up when he had an unlucky fall. Since then he has been placed twice in good company. Kelly's sister Laura and brother Tom Morgan saddle Glen Cannel (Will Grant) and The Composeur in the same race. Others in this race with plenty of experience include Largy Mountain, Blagthebookies, Steady The Ship and Premier Fantasy.

After this, Tryac are sponsoring the Restricted race. Generally these horses will have won a maiden race but not won at this higher level. If they have they carry a 5lb weight penalty. Ask Elli, trained by Bradley Gibbs and ridden by Edward Vaughan, receives an 11lb allowance for being a five-year-old mare, but this pairing also has L'Aventara entered which might allow the jockey to eat this week. Along with these two, Jasmin des Bordes (Miss V. Frost), Havock (Jack Andrews) and Copshill Rock (Dale Peters) all won last time out. Gina Andrews has two possible rides in Can Daddy Dance, trained by Nigel Padfield and Cheytac which she trains herself. Local support will be on Batman Jack owned by John Chatfeild-Roberts, trained by Kelly Morgan and ridden by John's son Tom.

The fifth race of the day, sponsored by local farrier W. Spence, is a conditions race for horses which are registered either in the Midlands or Yorkshire point-to-point areas. The seven entries here are Dusart, which had a confidence-boosting win at Guilsborough a fortnight ago under Meisha Micklewright and is ridden here by Tom Chatfeild-Roberts, Shentri (also entered in the Novice Riders and perhaps more likely to run there); Largy Pearl, trained and ridden by Dale Peters and a winner here last time; Somptueux and Glen Cannel, debuting between the flags; Champagne Glory, trained by Stuart Morris and ridden by Jack Andrews; and Courting Flow, trained by Jack Teal and ridden by C. Furness.

The gates will open at Garthorpe around 10.30am, so come along and bring a picnic so you can enjoy the atmosphere before racing starts.