A BUMPER crowd and top class racing made Sunday's Hampshire Hunt point-to-point at Hackwood Park a resounding success.

The icing on the cake of a great day, was when popular leading rider Philip York scored a double with his first winners of the season.

Hampshire Hunt chairman Charlie Corbett said: “With 53 runners on perfect ground is a recent record for Hackwood Park and we estimate the crowd approaching 2,000. It was a wonderful change from the disappointing days of recent years.”

York enjoyed an easy success in the Bonhams Mens Open on Dante's Storm, trained in Oxfordshire by Alan Hill. An hour later, York on the five-year-old Turtle Too won the Robins Row 2.5 mile Maiden, by three quarters of a length from Somerset trained Anglingforcharlie.

The feature Aga Ladies Open resulted in an exciting race up the home straight, Shoreacres ridden by Hannah Lewis, getting the better of Moscow Blaze by a head. with Well Mett a further six lengths away in third. All three as well as fourth placed Sagalyrique, qualified for the Aga Ladies Championship final at Stratford on May 30.

Karen Dooley, rode her first winner on only her third ride in the Veteran and Novice Riders race, while Arthurian Legend, ridden by Zac Baker, brother of top flat race jockey George, was the best of three runners in the Club Members race.

There were 13 runners in the Judes Becher Open Maiden where Stoney Silence ridden by Sam Painting got the better of Cynthia Haydon on Isola Wild by just one length.

The next point-to-point meeting at Hackwood Park is on Easter Monday, April 21.