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Duncombe Park has a way of making February feel like the start of something. The great sweep of the parkland, the house standing sentinel above the course, and the steady hum of Yorkshire voices gathering for the Helmsley Races all combine into that unmistakable point‑to‑point mood: part tradition, part family outing, part sporting theatre. It's a meeting where seasoned campaigners and fresh-faced novices share the same turf, and where the stories are often as compelling as the results.
Among today's runners, few arrive with a richer backstory than Albert's Back. Once a familiar sight under Rules, the now twelve‑year‑old gelding built a reputation as a tough, talented hurdler, collecting five victories and earning a loyal following along the way. He bowed out of professional racing in 2024, the sort of retirement that usually signals the end of a chapter rather than the beginning of another.
But Yorkshire racing has its own rhythms, and Albert’s Back has found a new home within them. Now trained by Stephanie Easterby, he returns to competitive action in the point‑to‑point sphere, staying within the extended Easterby racing family that has shaped so much of the region's sporting heritage. There's something fitting about that continuity: a good horse, still willing, still sound, stepping into a gentler but no less spirited arena.
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