Horse racing remains one of the great social occasions of the year but expensive hats and members enclosures can leave many people feeling left out. However, one farmer in the Clyde valley is keeping alive an altogether more friendly and charming form of this sport of kings.

For nine years now farmer Willie Young has been turning one of his large fields in a bend in the river Clyde into a point-to-point horseracing course.

Point-to-point has in origins in the hunting of foxes. When the business of hunting was over a course would be laid out using marked points over which the hunters would race.

These informal races are now very much part of the racing calendar and a properly regulated nursery for new talent. Many amateur jockeys and unproven horses who go on to achieve great things at Aintree and Cheltenham start out at point-to-point meets.

It has all the trappings of any other day at the races but as Willie Young points out it is much cheaper and the whole family is welcome. Of course gambling takes place with 20 to 30 bookmakers coming along but it is more about picnics out of the back of the car and having fun than being seen in the correct outfit.

“It is a great day out and we have quite an excitement in the area where everyone is looking forward to it ,” says Willie

There is no grandstand but there is plenty of space for every one of the 5000 spectators to get a good view.

Typically each racing meet involves seven or eight races of up to 18 horses in each race. If more than 18 enter a race the field has to be split and another race run.

All but one of the races is run over three-miles which means two half times round the course and 20 fences and a big screen keeps the excitement at fever pitch when the horses are tearing down the back straight.

The atmosphere is best summed by Willie, “It is small version of the grand national and you know the kind of excitement that can create – your horse might be leading but it falls and although your horse may be ten twenty lengths behind it still has a chance of winning which is the buzz of national hunt racing,”