SEABOROUGH handler Richard Barber has won the national and inaugural Wessex Area Trainer for yards housing 10 plus horses titles.

Barber regained his place as leading trainer after being pipped at the post last year by Stuart Penny.

Leading gentleman rider is Cornishman Will Biddick, who was also crowned national champion at the Torrington Farmers’ meeting at Umberleigh, Devon.

Biddick rode 38 winners this season, 26 of which were on Wessex courses, and many provided by Barber.

Barber employee Martin McIntyre completed a hat-trick of wins for the Seaborough yard by taking the national and Wessex Area novice rider titles.

The Wessex Point-to-Point Area’s six main awards, sponsored this season for the first time by Spillers Horsefeeds, was presented at the Summer Party at the George Albert Hotel, near Evershot, between Yeovil and Dorchester.

Emily MacMahon wins the leading lady rider contest for the first time, thanks to her prolific partnership with Master Medic, whose five Wessex Area wins gained the leading owner award for New York-based Jim Chro-miak (racing as The Pell-Mell Partners).

Master Medic’s Okeford Fitzpaine trainer Sally Alner wins the inaugural area trainer’s title (fewer than 10 horses).

Wessex also achieved further success on the national stage with Champagne Rosie.

Trained at Sutton Montis by first season handler Charlotte Davis, John Meaden’s seven-year-old was the runaway winner of the National Leading Novice Mare Award.

McIntyre also triumphed in the two Badbury Rings/Milborne St Andrew awards – the Dick & Sue Woodhouse Memorial Challenge Cup, jointly with last sea- son’s winner Louis Muspratt, and the Eric Dymott Novice Riders’ Trophy, where Muspratt finished just one point behind in sec- ond.

Other memorial awards include the John Dufosee Trophy for the most successful owner-rider in Wessex, won by Lucy Gould (Special Occasion) and the Angie Burrough Trophy for the best rider at her three favourite meetings, won by Josh Guerriero.

Welcome new sponsors for 2013 were estate agents Greenslade Taylor Hunt, who provided an award for the most successful horse on courses in the west of the area.

The winner was Lucy Gould’s Special Occasion.

At Larkhill, Master Medic gained further glory as leading horse in the Larkhill Specialist awards.

Only three points separated the top three for the leading owner-trainer title, which was won by Tom Lacey, followed by El Tanner and Edward Magor. Likewise, Felix Wheeler took the leading owner-rider award, closely followed by Caroline Dennis and David Renney.

Wessex Point-to-Point Championships 2013

ROLL OF HONOUR

LEADING (LARGER STRING) TRAINER

1 Richard Barber (30) – 150pts 2 Ed Walker (24) – 82pts 3 Kayley Jones (31) – 70pts

LEADING (SMALLER STRING) TRAINER

1 Sally Alner (4) – 52pts 2 Charlotte Tizzard (3) – 39pts 3 Keith Cumings (9) – 35pts

LEADING OWNER

1 The Pell-Mell Partners (Master Medic) – 50pts 2 Lucy Gould (Special Occasion) – 39pts 3 The Mendip Partnership (Mendip Express) – 38pts

LEADING GENTLEMAN RIDER

1 Will Biddick – 238pts 2 Jack Barber – 86pts 3 Robbie Henderson – 84pts

LEADING LADY RIDER

1 Emily MacMahon – 64pts 2 Vicky Wade – 40pts 3 Suzy Berry – 36pts

LEADING NOVICE RIDER

1 Martin McIntyre – 70pts 2 Ciaran Gethings – 38pts 3 Louis Muspratt – 36pts