Report
from Tiverton Staghounds Point to Point held on Sunday 8th June 2003
at Bratton Down.
Its is exactly 100 hundred miles from our front door, the left hand one, to the winning line at Bratton Down and whilst travelling that distance I wondered what the people of this area of the beautiful Exmoor must have done in the past to have upset the powers that control the weather. We journeyed in beautiful sunshine to park first in line, (even before Mr Pengelly and his family), in weather which now ventured on being equal to the arctic for temperature, the North Sea for wind and showers that would put a monsoon deluge in Hong Kong to shame - but walk the course I did, clad in full attire usually saved for the first P to P at Larkhill in January (the month on the calendar shows - JUNE!) and came back full of knowledge that the course would race good. In excellent condition for this final meeting here this season.
Incidentally whilst walking the course and at times seeking shelter from the deluge I came across another able bodied Exmoor resident armed with a bundle of blue rope in any shape other than an orderly one and looking desperately for a 'short end'. Well it just goes to show that it is not only the car park attendants at Hunnyicot that swear at little bits of blue string, the disease is prevalent at Bratton as well!
It is always handy when racing that you face the correct way at the start, unfortunately this was not the case for the well backed favourite in the first race. Of the four that went to post it was the favourite Mr S Sampson's (no relation!) best turned out ALLER COOMBE (M Heuff) that decided to take his time in facing the correct way and the starter by then had dropped the white flag. I must emphasise - I was not at the start. I was watching through binoculars plus my bifocals with wind blowing my wet weather canvas sombrero frequently over my eyes and a JR tugging violently at my left leg so I could have been mistaken but it was obvious when passing the judge with a circuit to go that ALLER COOMBE was almost a fence in arrears. Mr Grant's HARNAGE (Caroline Prouse) led the field followed closely by D Richards and N Dickenson's ANOTHER BULA (M Shears) and then L Guilfoyle's UNCLE JAMES. This situation remained unaltered very little until the final circuit when my concern HARNAGE began to dominate and went to the final open ditch with a lead - onto the 17 and whoops! Caroline on the floor - so that's my money down the drain and the tin will be deprived of a top up. The bag had already been deprived of anything as Ruth had invested in ALLER COOMBE and although the race is not yet over it is clear that she will not be picking up. Finally it was UCNLE JAMES to the line to win by ten lengths with ALLER COOMBE managing second place as ANOTHER BULA was going to finish but at a very slow pace and a distance back in third. The favourite could go again at Torrington and I would expect her to do well but this was a glorious chance missed.
Next we come to the Intermediate race with 13 going to post. Through the same amount of attire I did witness a false start so the optician and/or the binoculars have got it about right. Eventually off! The arena showed that Polly Gundry on the jointly owned WHAT A MOVER was going to be the winner and was odds on at four to five. There was no clear second favourite and the next price available was five to one against. I saw three horses at this price at one time including the best turned out V Greenway's POLKA (C Tizzard) but being as I took rather a lot from the tin last time (and lost it!) I had better leave this one alone as there are some good ones in it and they may give the favourite a fright! On passing the judge on the first circuit it was Mrs Harris's BARTON BANDIT (S Walsh) who led the field followed by Will Biddick on the family's TOUCHING DOWN and Mary McCarthy on her NIMBUS STRATUS up alongside. There were some fallers in this race and in doing so others got interfered with and more than a couple pulled up but over the last ditch it was The Happy Team Partnership's HAPPY TEAM (Les Jefford) that led the remaining field with Polly on the favourite close up and NIMBUS STRATUS, ONMYWAY HOME (T Cave) and TOUCHING DOWN all in with a chance if good enough. It was not until the run in for the line that Polly really got the better of Les on the very consistent, HAPPY TEAM, and she went on to win by five lengths. A good run by NIMBUS STRATUS saw Mary taking third place and a very good run by Will Biddick on TOUCHING DOWN saw him safely home challenging for fourth place. This is a trio of wins for the owners of WHAT A MOVER and has been a good reward for their patience.
The mixed open is another race with classy contents. Seven will go to post and the best turned out Roma cook's HASTEN BAK has a very consistent form and should go well as should the Phardante gelding SIR DANTE (F Hutsby) down from the North Cotswold country and then there is Charlotte Tizzard on R Bullock's CHEROKEE RUN who has done really well this season and was it not the Young's BELITLIR (Sue) who ran on so well at Trebuddanon BUT they all have to beat Charlie Rush's KESTICK with Tabitha Cave up. Favourite at four to six ON! Second favourite SIR DANTE at eleven to four and the remainder much bigger. Passing the judge on the first circuit it was SIR DANTE setting the pace and it was a lovely sight to see in front of me, the handler of this gelding as she could not bear to watch the race, shaking like a leaf, fingers crossed and I don't mean just one of them but handfuls of fingers crossed. She was as white as a sheet as the commentator announced survival of SIR DANTE at every fence. She just shook with either delight, fear, or just being - thankful. What a sight! Her charge led for most of the race until Tabitha thought it time to bring KESTICK into it and slowly but surely overtook the field to be in second place racing towards the open ditch for the final time. At the ditch SIR DANTE was two lengths up on closing KESTICK with the Pudd's COOL WAGER (M Miller) back in third. Onto the seventeenth and KESTICK was upsides SIR DANTE or very nearly or could have been just a head to the good BUT the commentator announced that one had fallen. It was at this point that I was sure that the young lady in charge of SIR DANTE had definitely had her mortgage on this horse as she turned several different colours in a flash and would have sank to one knee if it were not for a gentleman near by who immediately clasped his arms around her and saved her from the ignominy of covering herself with what sheep and other farmyard animals pass as unwanted food and roses and other flowers, delight in eating. He announced that it was KESTICK that had fallen and she regained her crossed fingers and legs position to sweat out the remainder of the race. Opposition to her charge was now greatly reduced and came home a clear winner by fifteen lengths with CHEROKKE RUN in second and COOL WAGER in third. Much celebration and cheering by the winning connections and the white knuckles were seen to regain their usual colour and one leg moved in front of the other in a more normal fashion and a run off to the winning horse and jockey was carried out without mishap. The fastest time of the day. Well done!
The Confined Hunts race saw eight go to post and in this field will be Oliver Carter's VAGUE IDEA with Tabitha up again. I watched this one pull through the field at Mounsey the other day and then duck out at the last when in with a winning chance. I will raid the tin for this one and managed to get three to one. On it goes! The favourite is G Lever's PORLOCK HILL with his usual pilot up - Neil Harris. K and J Heard's BILL ME UP with Colin up is also taking some money but the remainder are big prices. Off they go and guess what - slow away is VAGUE IDEA! The outsiders, TALE BRIDGE, ARDBEI and BELLS WOOD lead the field off on the first circuit with the 'whipper in' being VAGUE IDEA. Passing the judge it was BELLS WOOD followed by PARK END and BILL ME UP who were setting the pace. On the second time round it was BILL ME UP followed by BELLS WOOD and now getting into it - VAGUE IDEA with PARK END and PORLOCK HILL still in touch if good enough. At the final ditch it was still BILL ME UP followed by VAGUE IDEA and PORLOCK HILL and BELLS WOOD. I have not resorted to crossed fingers yet - well certainly not visually! Soon, two from home, it was VAGUE IDEA who began to challenge for the lead and well was his challenge. He came good and held together by Tabitha over the last and the long run in to suit, the winning distance was twelve lengths with BILL ME UP in second and a good run from TALE BRIDGE (A Bush) in third. I don't need a JCB to carry my winnings from the arena to the THE tin but it is a considerable amount. None for the bag - it is a very slim neat bag at the moment.
Onto the Restricted where twelve will go to post and a very clear favourite is soon established in Polly Gundry on J Daniell's HOTTENTOT and a couple of others J McCullough and J Salter's GAMI (Les Jefford) and best turned out M White's HIGHWAY OAK (N Mitchell) are thought to be the ones that will follow Polly home. Away they go - no they don't, try again - away they go and yes they do this time! Mr Lurcock took his MEZZO PRINCESS off at a good pace or was it the other way round but by the time they passed the judge for the first time it was INDIANA JOHN (Sarah Gaisford) up front followed by PORTERS LODGE, LINGERING FOG and MEZZO PRINCESS. Tabitha Cave on WINSLEY SPIRIT soon pulled up. All over the ditch and through the starting area and Sarah still had INDIANA JOHN going well, followed by PORTERS LODGE (J Young) and HIGHWAY OAK (N Mitchell). The next time they came to the judge it was still INDIANA JOHN who was keeping up a pace but unfortunately on the down hill run and before the ditch Sarah was unseated leaving E Treneer's ITWORKED (A Glassonbury) in front and now HOTTENTOT was beginning to close up. The rest is history as the favourite cruised away from the field and came home fifteen lengths clear of ITWORKED and HIGHWAY OAK was seven lengths back in third place. MEZZO PRINCESS was fourth.
Two divisions of Open Maiden races followed and another false start. Very fortunate for the tin I chose Lucy Gardner to top it up a little so I invested at three to one on her KRYSTAL TIP and being the sweet jockey she is - she duly obliged. I had to shout a little near the end as Geoff Barfoot-Saunt on P Davies's IRON BUCK had run a very good race but had to be content with second on this occasion by no more than one and half lengths. Richard Woollacott also had a good race on the Dalgren's ALL SEWN UP but could not match the pace of the leading two and was twenty lengths back in third.
The final race saw 13 going to post and most punters didn't have any idea whatsoever of who was going to be in the first three. Mrs Dufosee's five year old mare STALBRIDGE ROSE with Polly up took quite a bit of money but I think with the form of what you request a baby to do before you place a clean nappy on it - pee pee , I will not be investing. Good money for the Jones's DARCY JONES with Ollie Jackson up is also fancied and late money came for the Froud's VITINSEL and I believe this one eventually went off favourite. I saw Jimmy Frost in the paddock and I believe he was saddling up M Treneer's TABERNACLE to be ridden by the up and coming novice who works for Mr Frost, Andrew Glassonbury but he is not fancied to win as the price of twenty to one is available about him It went in to 14 to one so obviously some had a go at him! Mrs Jeffries's GERRY WATSON (F Hutsby) and R Grant's MORCHARD MILL (M Woodward) went off in front and created a considerable gap between them and the following pack. The situation was made a little easier as the open ditch was by-passed in this race and on passing the judge for the second time it was still GERRY WATSON and MORCHARD MILL still out in front and TABERNACLE was up there in third place. We lost GERRY WATSON going down hill for the final time and the race was left to MORCHARD MILL and TABERNACLE. I had great difficulty in hearing the commentary for the final part of this race as a certain gentleman near me had a few quid on TABERNACLE at 16 to one and he was shouting him home from way down the final straight. First by six lengths was TABERNACLE followed by MORCHARD MILL and then VITINSEL. My ears have recovered but I think I am owed at least an orange juice for putting up with noise. Well done Basil!
That was a super days racing and the tin has done quite well but the bag has not been opened apart from withdrawals. The gallon of whisky was not won by Ruth, nor the bottle or the half bottle - sad I call it!
Next week it is the final for the season at Umberleigh and I want you all to be there to enjoy, rain or shine, what will be a great day out. BE THERE!
Fred and Ruth
