The second Point-To-Point Authority Press Day at Stratford Racecourse took place on Thursday.

A few statistics from the 2014/15 season:

• 184 meetings at 104 courses.
• More than 30,000 attendees.
• 2717 horses, 603 riders, 1280 races.
• Average of 50.41 horses per meetings, 7.2 per race.
• 21% of the jockeys were new riders.
• The average age of jockeys was 26. 59% male, 41% female.
• £90,000 in National sponsorship

We have seven national sponsors for the 2015/16 season.

Dodson & Horrell continue their partnership with the PPORA by supporting the Novice Riders' Series, the 29th consecutive year of involvement with the sport. We are very excited to be hosting the PPORA Club Members Race for Novice Riders Championship Final at the Melton Hunt Club meeting on 8th May.

Subaru have nearly doubled their support by sponsoring a 50-race national qualifier series for the final held at Stratford Racecourse on 20th May 2016. The Final will also see the award of  the new "Subaru Restricted Championship" with the owner receiving the use of a Subaru Forester for a year. Once any horse has been placed in a Subaru sponsored race then points can be accumulated for any race one, including those run prior to qualification. Three of the qualifiers are held in the Midlands region at the Midlands Area Club, Woodland Pytchley and Fernie meetings.

Doncaster Bloodstock Sales are repeating their sponsorship of the Point-To-Point National Hunt Flat (Bumper) race at Aintree and are also supporting a new Point-To-Point bumper to be held at Exeter.

The Jockey Club again sponsors the Mares Maiden Series and the Champion Novice Mare Award. Miss Gotaway, the winner of last year's award, is now in training with the Cheltenham Festival wining trainer David Pipe.

Connolly's RED MILLS will sponsor 14 races in the "Intermediate Series" which leads up to the Cheltenham Hunter Chase Final. We have two of these races, at the Brocklesby  and Belvoir meetings.

AGA Rangemaster return for their sixth year of sponsorship with a new "Grand Prix Leading Rider Championship" which will see male and female riders competing at meetings where AGA have sponsored a race. The "AGA Joker" can be "played" by a rider twice a season. Points scored at that meeting are doubled. The relevant Midlands meetings are the Cottesmore and South Wold.

The Thoroughbred Breeders Association has agreed to increase their sponsorship from 10 to 12 races across the Mares' Only Series, including at our Belvoir and Melton Hunt Club meetings in the Midlands.

After hearing from the various sponsors we were given a brief introduction to the new national Point-to-Point website which will be up and running by the start of the season. It was a very impressive demonstration which shows how the new site includes social media integration, results and form, as well as resources which make the sport increasingly accessible to a wider public.