Pete Lammas takes a look at the history of the Lady Dudley Cup, the feature race on the Worcestershire Hunt card, which takes place at Chaddesley Corbett on Saturday, April 20.

A press report back in 1897 mentioned a new feature at the Worcestershire Hunt's point-to-point meet, a race open to horses hunted with any recognised pack of hounds in the United Kingdom.

The report in The Advertiser/Messenger's sister paper, The Berrow's Worcester Journal, said the prize for the meet at Crowle, near Droitwich, was a large silver cup presented by Lady Dudley.

But back then, some of the niceties associated with the race today, were absent. Part of three-mile course, which was not railed in, was over ploughed land and many of the 25 obstacles were natural hedges and ditches.

Originally point-to-point was a hunt's thank you gesture to farmers for giving them access to their land. At the turn of the century the races were jolly, hugely social affairs which appealed to the local aristocracy and brought out the great and the good in their droves.

In reports from The Messenger of the day the winning owner would repeatedly fill the Dudley Cup with champagne as it was passed round his friends to toast his good fortune.

Of the many well-known names associated with the Dudley Cup, Harold Rushton, who lived at Phepson Manor near Droitwich and his fine hunter O'Dell, are legendary.

His daughter Pat (Tollit) would later make her mark racing "between the flags" when she entered the record books as the most successful lady rider of all time.

Another hunt stalwart was JR Hugh Sumner, who lived at Rashwood and at Battlefield House Park Gate. He also had the pleasure of winning the cup.

In 1938 and the following year the BBC considered the race sufficiently important to broadcast it on the radio.

In 1946 the race moved to Chaddesley Corbett, on the opposite side of the road to the present course, but in 1951 it moved again, this time to Upton-on-Severn.

There it remained until 1970 when it returned to its present venue at Chaddesley.

In 1977 the present Lady Dudley, film star Maureen Swanson, presented the cup to the owner of a horse called Double Thriller, which had travelled from the West Country to take part in the race.

It was ridden by 17-year-old Joe Tizzard. Two years later, when Joe had turned professional and the horse was in training with top handler Paul Nichols, the two were reunited at Aintree - in the Grand National no less.

Starting at 7-1 second favourite they could not repeat their Chaddesley success.

Sadly the pair only got as far as the first fence before parting company.