October's a busy month as we hurtle toward the end of our season, and contrary to usual practice, ground conditions are less favourable than mid-summer, at a time of year when Jumps trainers are looking to get a first run into their autumn and winter horses.

This is the reality of jump racing from the Midlands southward currently, where fixtures at nearby Warwick, Ludlow and in the South-West have been deferred or transferred to other courses. The gossip-mill that is Racing is debating the future of Summer Jumping when we should all appreciate that weather patterns are cyclical. This time next year, we'll have endured a dreadful summer and be cursing the infidelity of the British weather.

The conditions are nevertheless allowing some of the lesser known stables to appear in the Winners' rankings. There will always be horses that appreciate top-of-ground conditions, and this is their chance to shine.

A good example of this is the 9 runner Jodie Standing's Point-to-Point Winners Handicap Chase, a 2m 6f event and a messy affair run in a slow time, in which the Adam Wedge-ridden Melton Mossy came out best, a 3/4l winner.

Hunted round the first circuit, Wedge took closer order turning in for the first time, such that he was able to avoid the fall of Lemoos Legend who fell at the 11th, and disrupted the pattern of the two O'Neill runners, Imperial Bede and Mr Rafiki.

Multiple Point-to-Point winner Premier Fantasy went on a length down from Another Folly, but the field bunched with two to jump, Two To Tango and Melton Mossy fighting it out, before Wedge sent on the Welsh raider to win by 3/4l for Catherine Williams. Williams of course is nobly picking up the pieces after husband Evan was sentenced to a jail term back in April. Lord knows, she is overdue a change of fortune.

Wedge has ground to make up on his peers, having only returned to race-riding after injury last month. Two winners from 10 rides speaks of a growing momentum, both having been supplied by Vale of Glamorgan handler Catherine.

Given the current price of diesel, an easier winner altogether was Pescatorius for Tanworth-in-Arden trainer Rob Summers, his first of a sparse summer for jumps runners. In another handicap chase, this time 3f shorter, the seven year old beat 3 rivals under the guidance of James Best.

This was a welcome tonic for Best, who is booked to ride Green Dessert in Sunday's Velka Pardubicka, a race that has also attracted Final Orders, Gavin Cromwell tilting at a second Velka on the bounce after Stumptown produced the first ever Irish success 12 months ago in 135 runnings of the famous Czech race.

Henrietta Knight is enjoying her own Indian Summer after taking out a professional licence again in 2023 after an 11 year break precipitated by the death of husband Terry Biddlecombe. The 80 year old has a refreshing enthusiasm for the sport, ably assisted by Brendan Powell Snr, no slouch himself.

Not typically an advocate of the summer sport, she has been hitting the sweet spot nevertheless. Her 21 runners have produced six winners, novice hurdler Red Metal among them, resulting in a 29% strike rate. By the look of his 3 1/4l success over Prince Vinny in the Paul Ferguson's Jumpers To Follow Novices', he can defy a penalty and strike again shortly. Powell Jnr was in the plate. Knight thinks plenty of him.

Another horse to follow in these conditions is Emerald Time, who had breath to spare in the shorter of our two handicap hurdles, over 2m3f. Ryan Hatch, formerly training at Winchcombe, is now one of a growing band of trainers in Naunton, and Stratford has been a lucky course to date. Toby McCain-Mitchell burnished his own credentials for a berth in the top rank with this 52nd career success.

The mid-week meetings are often a place to identify emerging talent - human and equine. Away from the spotlight, character traits and riding talent are on display as horses and riders promote their own reputations to the trade.

Four conditional riders faced the starter in one such contest, the first of the two handicap hurdles, this restricted to conditionals, over 2m6f. I fear it told us little, as 7 year old favourite No More Bolero wasn't under pressure to deliver his fourth career success over the smaller obstacles, and a second of the summer in the Quinnbet sponsored boys race. The 2 1/4l margin might have been twice that.

The same margin reflected the dominance of the concluding bumper winner, Gypsy Sky, Kielan Woods not troubled to beat Persian Art and deny Hen Knight a double, this time for David Killahena and Graeme McPherson.