The Yorkshire 'holiday home' for racehorses where they come to rest and recuperate

Annabelle Sowray, known as Bella, has been around horses all her life and runs Laskill Grange Holiday & Pre-Training Stables in the heart of the North York Moors next to her mum Mandy’s holiday accommodation business.

“Mum always says that from being able to walk I’ve only been happy if I’ve had a head collar and lead rein in my hands,” said Bella.

“I used to help out at Cherry Coward’s yard and spent a season for Tim Easterby with his pointers and hunters. I worked for Rainbow Equine Hospital as a veterinary assistant for nine years.

“My main income now is giving racehorses a holiday, an opportunity for them to switch off, away from the daily routine at their stables. I currently get nine or ten horses at a time from Mark Walford in Sheriff Hutton and some from Katie Scott in Galashiels.

“I love freshening and sweetening them up. It’s so quiet here. They come. Switch off. Go out in the field. Come in. They are on holiday, but I know they are still horses in training. I gallop them twice a week.

Bella is fast earning a reputation for the care she takes and that of her team of a couple of local girls, and guys from Mark Walford’s stable who ride them out.

“One owner said the other day, we like how you treat every horse the same, whether it is worth £400 or £40,000. I follow them after they have gone back into training and out of the 18 I had last year all but one went on to win at least once.

“Two horses, both serial winners, Eeh Bah Gum and Bit Of A Quirke, trained by Kevin Ryan and Mark Walford have been coming to me each winter since the day I started and I’ve just taken on another 65 acres to extend what we have available.

Bella said she loves what she does as her living and sees her training of pointers as about having fun with a touch of adrenaline rush.

“When horses come on holiday you don’t have to explain yourself to anyone or say why they might have run badly, you just put them back on the wagon and they are on their way home.

“Pointers are fun. I have a few of my own. I don’t want to get too serious and not enjoy it. As long as they run up to their merits and I bring them home I’m happy. I’m quite keen on getting my permit but I would never want to train professionally and I’m really grateful for all the support I receive from my friends and family. I couldn’t do any of this without them.

Bella has an impressive early track record and clearly has a knack for knowing which horses to take on.

“I had my first winner at Easingwold in the Bilsdale Hunt race in May 2019 with French Seventyfive. I’d picked him up late in the season. I remembered him from when he’d started pointing before going under rules and bought him to try and win that race.

“Mark (Walford) had him as a 2 year old. I thought he was beat when he turned down the top bend but Jacqueline (Coward) who was stood next to me said, he loves Easingwold he’ll come back, and he won by about half a length. He’s 16 now and a companion horse for the others.

“I bought Manicman from Sam England for £400 as a hunter and then asked Sam if she minded if I pointed him because he felt so well up the hills and around the moor. I took him down to Cottenham in Cambridgeshire. I didn’t expect a lot but the favourite fell at the open ditch and he won at 10-1 by 5 lengths.

“Manicman is still in training and has won 3 out of 4 for me so far. He’s the yard favourite but won’t be at Duncombe Park. He loves running when nobody else likes to. He only likes the top of the ground and will only run when it’s firm.

Bella’s other winner was Imperial Imp who won a maiden at last year’s Holderness Point to Point at Dalton Park.

“He was a lovely horse that my mum’s partner Tom Friel had sent over from Ireland. That means the three I’m running at Sinnington haven’t given me a win just yet.

“Gatacre Street ran a very good race there last year behind Point The Way and will run in either the mixed open or veteran; Life Is A Highway I bought out of Ben Pauling’s yard. He’s been placed but never won. I like the idea of being able to run him in Restricted. He was 4th at Sheriff in January; the third runner is an unraced 4 year old by Jack Hobbs, Made Me What I Am. He’ll run in the bumper.

Christopher Denny is chairman of Sinnington Point to Point and is looking forward to another great day at Duncombe Park.

“Duncombe Park provides one of the most iconic of backdrops and we are grateful to Jake Duncombe for once again allowing us the use of the grounds.

“I’ve been involved over 40 years and the hunt race is our personal Cheltenham Gold Cup. It is a source of friendly rivalry on our volunteer led committee. We target it with the one horse we have Clondaw Anchor, secretary Bertie Hayton will be riding her horse and Tim Easterby will probably have family horses ridden by his sons.