Sue Mitchell

This season just passed saw Sue Mitchell collect The Freeland Award for outstanding services to point-to-pointing in the South East. A popular but often overlooked celebrity on our pointing circuit, Sue has attended almost every point-to-point for at least a quarter of a century and probably can count on the fingers of one hand the number of races she has actually seen! Because Sue is one of the gallant band of weighing room officials who keep our sport functioning. She is rarely seen out of her position behind the declarations desk, let alone out of the tent. 

Sue was born in Northamptonshire and hunted her pony with the Fitzwilliam Hunt in an austere post-war Britain when the size of a normal day’s field was a mere half-dozen. She moved to Sussex in 1947 when her father became farm manager to Major Ellis in and around Partridge Green. In 1951 she married Geoff and continued her hunting with the Crawley and Horsham. Geoff rode in point-to-points but after a heavy race fall, which resulted in a five day concussion confinement, Sue decided against joining him as a jockey!

When Sue first started “in the tent” she began by just officiating at Parham for the C&H and apart from the Clerk of the Scales she was alone at her desk, but with an ever increasing number of Jockey Club rules and regulations to conform to, for both owner and jockey, the number of staff has increased.

From a personal point of view I have declared horses to run at various point-to-point courses around the country but our South East team has always been to my mind the most approachable and pleasant to deal with. I know they have to put up with the odd irate owner and often they’re the first port of call for any disgruntled punter who wanders in with a complaint of some sort, but all are dealt with a smile and a helpful comment

Their quiet efficiency ensures that a day’s pointing goes ahead without problems and they deserve our thanks and admiration. Long may they continue…