THE pounding of hooves drummed across the Worcestershire countryside as Caught At Dawn flashed up the gallops at Kinnersley on a crisp, clear winter morning.

Trainer Martin Weston looked on and nodded his approval.

It's early days yet, but the 12-year-old bay gelding is on track to take a tilt again at point-to-pointing's most glamorous prize The Lady Dudley Cup, the magnificent silver trophy presented annually to the winner of the Open Race at the Worcestershire Hunt meeting at Chaddesley Corbett.

Martin, a farmer from Offerton, near Worcester Rugby Club's headquarters at Sixways, and his son Tom, who was in the saddle, were local heroes two years ago when Caught At Dawn cruised away from the rest of the field to win the Lady Dudley by five lengths.

Sadly, things didn't go so well in the race in 2005. Although starting odds-on favourite, the horse faded a mile from home and was pulled up.

"I think the effort he put in to finish runner-up in the Foxhunter Chase at Aintree 10 days before seemed to take its toll," said Martin. "However, he did run well later on and there was no lasting problem."

So, refreshed this year after a spell in the hunting field with the Worcestershire Hounds, 2006 could see him adding the impressive centrepiece once more to the Weston sideboard.

Certainly there would be no more popular winner in this most amateur of hazardous equestrian sports, where most people compete for the love of it. The Worcestershire and Herefordshire point-to-point season kicks off today at Chaddesley Corbett with the Harkaway Club fixture and there will be meetings most weeks through to the Albrighton Woodland Hunt races on Bank Holiday Monday, May 29, also at Chaddesley.

In between, the circuit will visit such picturesque countryside as Upper Sapey, the rolling acres of Weston Park, the Cotterill family's magnificent estate at Garnons, near Hereford, and the traditional favourite, the river meadows alongside the Severn at Upton-upon-Severn for the Croome and West Warwickshire's Easter Tuesday fixture.

Virtually all the meetings are organised by hunts and when the Hunting Act came into force 12 months ago, ostensibly banning hunting, there was a real question mark over point-to-pointing's future.

Fortunately for the racing enthusiasts, hunting has found enough ways around the legislation to carry on. So with the infrastructure still in place, a full programme of point-to-point meets has been arranged post-ban.

To qualify to compete in a race, horses must usually have spent six days in the hunting field following hounds that season. After the qualifying period has been completed, the serious work of getting them racing fit begins.

While a proportion of owners prepare their horses at home, some prefer them to go to specialist livery yards that have the time and expertise to turn the runners out with a reasonable chance of success.

At Eastbury, sandwiched between Worcester and Lower Broadheath, Mike Hammond has a yardful, with last season's winner Royal Gunner and former Peter Scudamore trained Old Ginger, among the best bets.

At Birtsmorton, the evergreen Tim Stephenson will combine training and riding a string that includes the x-Jonjo O'Neill horse KingsCourt Lad.

Andy Hobbs, at Hanley Swan, and Nicky Sheppard, at Eastnor, are two other yards to watch.

As well as Caught At Dawn - who made up for last year's Lady Dudley blip by winning a hunter chase at Cheltenham and finishing second in the Summer Grand National at Uttoxeter - Martin Weston will be hoping to get into the frame with Gonna Do, a maiden who started to show form last season.

But if the Lady Dudley Cup comes back to Offerton Farm, they'll have to buy another tin of polish.