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Results 2010
The Cheshire Meeting at Albraham.
The Cheshire point to point meeting at Alpraham attracted a very large crowd, a few more runners would not have come amiss, but there were plenty of good competitive races for the crowd to enjoy. The good to firm going had marked effect on the number of runners, but trainer David Easterby was full of praise for the going. He said,
“I was very happy with the ground , they had spiked it and done a good job, I was very happy to run.”
It was a good day for the Easterby family, with David Easterby training three winners and his sister Cherry Coward also trained a winner at the Cheshire. Their father Mick Easterby is a great supporter of racing between the flags and he was at the course to support his children. It was an even better day for the stylish rider Jake Greenall who rode a four timer at the course, the first of his career. His father Lord Daresbury said that it was a belated 18th birthday present for his son, who had his birthday last Tuesday.
Only three runners went to post for the feature on the card, the PPORA Club Members race for the Scally Muire Trophy. There was a dramatic climax to the race with Gunner Jack coming to the last fence under Jake Greenall full of running, half a length away was the riders cousin Jack Greenall aboard Nippy Des Mottes who tipped up at the fence, leaving Gunner Jack to come home unchallenged by 25 lengths from Nosey Gunner. The winner collects the prize money but the trophy goes to the first horse passed the post from the North West area, which was Nosey Gunner ridden and trained by Stuart Ross at Kelsall for owners Peter and Irene Danby.
Jake Greenall won with Hunt Ball in the Open Maiden readily by 7 lengths from Moscow Knight under Stuart Ross. The winner is trained by Yorkshire trainer David Easterby for co-owners Lord Daresbury and Tom Bannister. Easterby said afterwards that his charge was better suited to the fast ground today as it had been soft in his last two runs.
Jake Greenall had to work a bit harder to complete the third leg aboard My Old Piano in the Men’s Open, the Dr Masini gelding had to pull out all the stops to repel the fast finishing Le Seychellois under Joe Proctor by three parts of a length. The winner is owned solely by Tom Bannister, who said that he had a soft spot for the horse as the horse had been his first ever winner under rules at Leicester when trained by Mick Easterby.
There was a cracking finish to the Restricted which saw Jake Greenall complete his first ever four timer in the plate, he set out to make all on the Cherry Coward trained Noble Ben, the combination were all out at the line to hold the fast finishing Enter Paradise by a neck under Tom Greenall. The runner up, who is trained by Sheila Crow for owner Richard French would probably have won if he had not made a mistake at the last fence. The winner is owned by Dominic Curran, the former secretary of the Wynnstay Hunt, who lives at Ellesmere in Shropshire. Curran said afterwards that the winner had hunted hard all season and that he had improved a lot from last year.
Only two runners went to post for the Ladies Open, but it turned into a good race between Sue Sharratt on Redskin Raider and The General Lee with Lorna Brooke in the plate. Victory went to the latter by two and a half lengths after a good duel. The winner is trained at Morville by Phillip Rowley for Kidderminster owners Jim and Judith Squires. Rowley thinks a lot of the winner, he said, ”He was bought off Nick Shutts two years ago, he has improved from last season and we will probably look for a hunter chase for him next.”
Cholmondley trainer Sian McCain owner Derek Malam and rider Josh Hamer carried on where they left off the day before at Bangor when winning the hunter chase on the card with Ice Tea. The combination won a thrilling Members race with Vicario, who found more on the run in to repel the sustained challenge of Jake Greenall aboard Premier Kadam by a length. McCain was elated when I spoke to her afterwards, she said,
“He will now go to the Bangor Final where he will join his stable mate Ice Tea in the race. The beauty of having them both in the Bangor Final is that if the ground became soft then Vicario would run as Ice Tea needs faster ground. If its good ground on the day at Bangor then they will both run.”
Josh Hamer completed a double on the course aboard Alltolose in the two and a half Maiden, the Alderbrook gelding showed a decent turn of foot to deny Jake Greenall a five timer on Outback Bob by three lengths. The winner is trained by Russell Teague at Pontrobert in Mid Wales and owned by Maurice and Aisla Jones who bought the winner as a foal in Ireland.
Report prepared by: Arthur Shone.
North Shropshire Meeting at Eyton on Severn.
The bumper crowd at Eyton on Severn were treated to a really good days racing, and with the two and a half mile Maiden divided they had an extra race to watch, making eight races in total on the day. There were large fields plenty of runners, it is what you would call a proper race meeting. The course looked in excellent condition, it was a credit to the clerk of the course John Beddoes, with many owners trainers and riders describing the ground as perfect.
The feature race on the card was the Men’s Open, which went to the Sian McCain trained Ice Tea under Richard Burton, the combination took up the running five out and pulled three lengths clear of the Phillip Rowley trained Billyvodden in the well known colours of Juliet Minton. The winner is owned by the flamboyant entrepreneur Derek Malam , who purchased the horse in the summer with a view to having a runner in the Bangor Final. Cholmondley trainer Sian McCain was very bullish about her charges chances in that race. Speaking after the race, she said,
“Bangor Final here we come, he will improve a lot from that race. Providing it does not come up soft at Bangor then nothing will beat us in the Bangor Final, at the end of the day he is a class horse.”
Burton went on to complete a double on the card on the Caroline Robinson trained Shales Big Wood in the second division of the two and a half mile Maiden, the combination came home unchallenged by 20 lengths from Ten Ace with Skoobiddle a further 6 lengths back in third. The son of Karinga Bay is co owned by Roy Swinburne and Louise Powis from Pattingham, who pick up the trophy as their race was a second faster than the first division at 5m 11s. Speaking after the race Robinson said,
”I love the family of this horse as I train his half brother Shales Ay Jay. He has come on a lot from his last race at Bangor. He pleased me today with his jumping, saying that he always jumps well at home. I will run him next in a Restricted and hopefully he will progress further.”
The first division of the two and a half mile Maiden went to Chan Bahlum, who was given a very confident ride by Lorna Brooke, who set off to make every yard and did so by 14 lengths from Tara Rose with John Flook in the plate. The winner is trained at Pennybont on the Welsh borders by the riders mother Lady Sue Brooke who bought the horse two seasons ago from Patrick Millington.
Another horse and rider to make every yard was Lord Bellamy in the Restricted , the gelding won easing down by 25 lengths under Mark Wilesmith from Golden Harvey with Quick Bay a further two lengths back in third. The disappointment of the race was the heavily gambled on Rash Call from the Sheila Crow yard, who was beaten when falling at the second last fence. The winner is trained at Dymock by the riders father Martin Wilesmith, who said afterwards that the plan had been to stretch the opposition and he added that it worked a treat.
There was a cracking finish to the Ladies Open, and on the run to the last fence there were virtually three horses in a line, but in a driving finish the spoils went to Sue Sharratt aboard Scotmail Too who found a good turn of foot on the run in to beat Petit Lord under Angela Rucker by a couple of lengths, Murphys Million under Immy Robinson was a further length back in third. It was a good performance by the winner, who was second two days previously at Sandon and she did well as the horse was nearly taken off the course by the loose horse. This was a notable landmark for the rider as it was her 60th career winner, she now qualifies for the veteran riders title in the area, but she is still very hard to beat in the area ladies championship, a great competitor who is a great credit to our sport. Sharratt trainers the winner at Eccleshall and co owns the horse with Di Cope who is the entries secretary of the North Staff Hunt, and her mother Dorothy Cope.
The opening Members race was won in good style by the Phil Jones trained Lord Louis who won with plenty in hand under Will Kinsey, beating his brother in law Richard Burton by 10 lengths on Go For Bust. The Sir Harry Lewis gelding is owned by Bridget Everall, the wife of the former North West point to point area chairman Roger Everall. Welshpool trainer Phil Jones said afterwards that his charge had come on from the Bangor race, where he was second and added that the Bangor Final would be his aim this season.
Nomadic Dreamer trained at Morville by Philip Rowley was a very impressive winner of the Confined under Liam Payter, the combination pulled clear from the third last fence to win easing down by 7 lengths from the staying on Glidewell, the jolly History Master under Richard Burton was a further 3 lengths back in third. The winner is co-owned by Ann Tolhurst and Juliet Minton. The winner was bought two years ago in Ireland by the co-owners husband David Minton, a well known bloodstock agent for 15,000 euros. Minton said afterwards that the winner was progressive and added that he may run in a hunter chase at Exeter next, but his main aim is the Intermediate Final at Cheltenham in May. The winner is a half brother to Big Fella Thanks.
They say that everything comes to he who waits, well in the case of owner Don Constable that wait has been thirty years of trying to have a winner at his local course. He finally achieved his goal in the Open Maiden when Witness This carried his colours to victory easily under Dave Mansell from the long time leader Gem Mill. The winner is trained by Zoey Hammond, it has been a good weekend for Constable as he had a winner with My Flora at Sandon two days before.
North Staffs Meeting at Sandon, nr Stone.
It was good to be racing at the Staffordshire course after all the rain beforehand and given the unfavourable weather forecast, thankfully further wet conditions did not materialise, but the previous rain had got into the ground making for testing conditions on the day. As a result it was a case of spot the runner. Only twenty five runners went to post to contest seven races, eight of those went in the Open Maiden, which was the largest field of the day.
The card was dominated by Shropshire horses with Hadnall trainer Sheila Crow taking the trainers honours with a double and Richard Burton completing a treble.
Mad Victor recorded his fourth success of the season with another impressive performance under Claire Allen to win the Ladies Open easily by 7 lengths from Sue Sharratt aboard Scotmail Too. The winner is trained at Wolverhampton by Sue Taylor and under rules by her partner Paul Jones. Speaking after the race Jones said,
” He did it well today as he would not have liked the tacky ground, on good ground he is a much better horse than this. The Bangor Final is a strong possibility for him this season.”
The winner is owned by a syndicate headed by David Hughes from Albrighton, the trainer also has a share in the horse.
When asked about his 2008 Liverpool Foxhunter winner Christy Beamish who will be attempting to win the race for the second time this week at Liverpool, Jones said,
“He schooled brilliantly this morning under Claire Allen, she had a job to pull him up. It is a case of all systems go, there might be a few younger horses in the race this year with form, but I would not swop Christy Beamish’s chance with any other horse in the race.”
Owner Richard French has been trying to have a winner at his local course for years, and he finally achieved his ambition after the bloodless success of Enter Paradise in the Open Maiden under Richard Burton. The Moscow Flyer gelding galloped his rivals into the ground winning by 10 lengths from Claire Allen aboard Young Brave. Maddy Lewis from the Gordy Edwards yard ran on well in third with Jamie Jenkinson in the plate. French who has moved to Scholar Green, Nr Congleton recently from Eccleshall, has had many winners over the years with Hadnall trainer Sheila Crow. He was elated afterwards, and he said,
”It is a bit special for me as I have been trying to have a winner at my local course for years, and he did not just win he blew them away. He is obviously much better than I thought and Richard(Burton) was impressed with him.”
Hadnall trainer Sheila Crow thinks very highly of the winner, speaking afterwards she said,
“I went over to see him in Ireland and liked him as soon as I saw him and he had a pedigree that I liked. He has always looked to have plenty of ability in his work at home. He will improve a lot from this race and on better ground. He should win a couple more point to points, and hopefully he will run in the John Corbett Cup at Stratford. That gives you an idea of how much I think of him.”
It could be something of a lucky omen for French but his horse should have carried number 6 in the race, but he ran with number 9 , which resulted in the owner being fined £50, as French likes a tilt at the ring the fine was probably like a pebble in an ocean
Sheila Crow and Richard Burton completed a double with My Flora in the Restricted, the combination in the well known colours of Don Edwards where never extended to beat the only other finisher Another Late Night by 12 lengths. Sheila Crow said afterwards that the mare was a decent sort from the same family as Clever Folly, she added that her charge would go on any ground.
The opening Members race was turned into a procession by Malmo Boy, who provided 24 year old Anna Adams with her first ever winner between the flags. The Roselier gelding never broke sweat in defeating the odds on jolly Redskin Raider by 20 lengths. The winner is trained by the riders mother Nikki Adams at Stoke on Tern , Nr Market Drayton, she purchased the horse two years ago from trainer Heather Dalton. The winning rider was made redundant last week from Black Horse Finance, part of the Lloyds banking group. She now plans to spend her time travelling.
Only three runners went to post for the two mile five furlong Maiden race, which went to the David Mansell ridden Blinding Lights, the combination made every yard to win by 8 lengths from Fairymount. The son of Snurge is trained at Aberley by Zoey Hammond, who bought the horse in Ireland for Market Drayton owner Don Constable, who purchased the horse to sell on, but Blinding Lights failed to make a bid at the Ascot Sales.
Only two runners went to post for the Men’s Open, which was a poor turn out. Ballyvoge under Richard Burton set out to make every yard from flag fall and succeeded in doing so by a length and a half from Noble Persian with Myles Seston in the plate. This was Burtie’s 17th winner of the season.The winner is owned and trained at Marchweil, Nr Wrexham by show jumper Robert Bevis, who was recording his second winner of the season after his charges earlier success at Bangor last month.
Speaking after the race, he said,
“I wasn’t too bothered about the ground today as he had won on soft ground under rules when he was trained by Nicky Richards. He has improved a lot from Bangor and the plan is to run him there in May in the Bangor Final.”
There was yet another match for the novice riders race between Camilla Churton on Flashy Boy and Joe Proctor on Tinarana Lord from the Gary Hanmer yard. The race ceased to be a contest when Camilla Churton pulled up Flashy Boy after the seventh fence after the saddle slipped, which left Tinarana Lord to finish alone. The winner who is trained at Nantwich by Gary Hanmer for his mother Gwyneth, was providing the Cheshire trainer with his first winner of the season.
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