Report
from West Somerset Vale Hunt Point to Point at Cothelstone on Sunday 13th
April 2003.
We have come up trumps again with our overnight stop which we selected from Stay on a Farm 2003. We wanted to be near the motorway, on a farm, near one of our selected point to point courses and, of course, in friendly company with good accommodation and food. We found ALL this under one roof at Mary Read's Pyrland Farm, Cheddon Road, Taunton. A real super place to stay and where you can find real home made produce. Ruth assures me that the gooseberry jam which she found on 'Mary's Table' in the lovely farm shop is the finest she has ever tasted. A nice piece of home bred lamb is going to be on my table at the weekend and the home made pork sausages will NOT be going into the deep freeze. It was ironic that whilst in conversation with Mary we mentioned another good farm we often stay at further up the M5 - would you believe it? It turned out to be Mary's mum - Susan Bell at Brookhayes Farm at Cossington, small world! Incidentally, Mr Read also lives at Pyrland farm but he was busy milking the 120 odd cows, masses of young stock, managing 45 acres of potatoes for the local fish and chip shops and the other few jobs that crop up sometimes on a farm. Young Jade saw her first calf being born (or about to be!) but preferred the three young rabbits as play things! From Junction 25, M5, follow signs to Hestercombe Gardens. On to Cheddon Road, second farm on the left.
Onto the course at Cothestone bright and early. It is threatening to rain but didn't, as Jade and I walked the course. This will race as 'Good' going and with a fair covering of grass I think all will agree that you couldn't ask for better with the current dry weather conditions.
Being early and with a younger member to entertain, I spent longer than usual in the lorry park watching the fuss and attention to detail that is required in producing a pointer for the first race. Even more frustrating for the trainer/groom when the owners turn up - just enough to make up the judging committee for the best rhubarb tart in the local WI, all six of them in Mesdames Lindley, Lewes, Chelton, Little, White and Bucknall. I must admit they did not interfere and the groom and trainer went about their tasks in a very professional manner. Frequently they called upon Peter to 'wake - up' as he was certainly enjoying all the fuss and did look as though he was dropping off! Well let me assure you - drop off he didn't! The jointly owned URBAN HUNTER (J Buck) was the favourite in the first race and although only three entries, he went on to win by one and half lengths from Mrs Atyeo's SUBA LIN (D Luff) with the Smith's BRIGHT FLASH (D Kenny) a distance away in third place. 'Peter' got back his sleepy attitude again as he sauntered out of the parade ring and back to his box to be fussed again by even more ladies. Well done Peter!
My little tin had a bit put into it and Ruth's bag also had an addition. This could be our lucky day.
Race two was the restricted race and was sponsored by Tincknell Mitsubishi and ten went to post. Favouritism flip flopped between the jointly owned THUNDER THIGHS (N Wilmington) and The Not So Blonde Partnership's SOCUTE (J Barnes) at the skimpy odds of two to one. Apart from Mrs Kenney-Herbert's CHOC, the remainder were very outsider prices. I thought I would make my fortune early today and chose Mrs Abbot's INFORAPOP (N Mitchell) to bring the tin full to overflowing at the generous odds of fourteen to one. Good trainer in J Dufosee, good jockey in Nick Mitchell and it's a great shame a bit of it did not rub off on INFORAPOP. Not in the first four today so now he owes me!! The only consolation is that neither of the favoured ones won but it went to Mr Milton and Mrs V Rowe's best turned out GUTSY DALTON which brought more success to the Young's yard as this one was very well ridden by R Young and trained by Mrs Young. Ten lengths back in second was SOCUTE and a further three lengths back was R Britten-Long's SIR MARK BRUNEL (D Phelan). That has brought things back to normal and the feeling of riches around has faded a little.
The Unity Farm Holiday Centre Ladies' and Men's 12 stone Open Race has eleven to go to post with a bit of quality in this one. We will see the very good but somewhat unreliable G Lever's PORLOCK HILL (N Harris) and the popular QUICKSWOOD who has been ridden by Liam Heard but to be ridden now by Colin Heard as I think his future lies in Hunter 'Chasing. David Pipe's KINGSBRIDGE (T Eades) is also very consistant but finds winning hard. If the Tizzard's MILLYHENRY is on song he could also be in the shake-up. Mrs Taplin's LINK COPPER (D Edwards) is due a win but then I am due many but it might be today or it might not be. As expected, this race brought out the fastest time of the day. I chose KINGSBRIDGE, Ruth and Jade chose QUICKSWOOD. My concern took them along for a while. Mr Ward-Thomas's SHANAVOHER (D Phelan) who qualified with the East Anglian Bloodhounds was an unfortunate faller when looking to make an effort to improve from fourth place. PORLOCK HILL was getting a tow in second place from my KINGSBRIDGE for some of the time with Miss M Burrough's PARK END (M Sweetland) was threatening a little. Over the second ditch it was KINGSBRIDGE, PORLOCK HILL, PARK END then a gap of eight lengths to QUICKSWOOD and MILLYHENRY. LINK COPPER pulled up! Out into the country for the final time and PORLOCK HILL decided it was time to go for home and this he did quickly achieving a five length lead over my concern and these two were drawing away from the remainder. QUICKSWOOD then decided to close on my concern and did the annoying thing of overtaking and going well past and now started to set his sights on PORLOCK HILL but that's all he did get chance to do!. The race for the line by PORLOCK HILL never gave QUICKSWOOD a chance to get anywhere near him and Neil Harris took his charge on to win by 10 lengths with KINGSBRIDGE fifteen lengths back in third, a position he owes to PARK END who fell at the last. Lost a bit more and the rest of the family did no better! Words like -buck-up- were being mumbled around the back of the car when a little more was being taken from the now decidedly shaky looking tin.
Six will run in The Dixon Walsh Novice Riders Intermediate race. Close investing between three runners was on the boards with O Stephens's best turned out ST HELIER (R Stephens) vying with Andrew Congdon's WILD BAVARD (L Burns) and Miss Baverstock's KNOCK STAR (Simon Partridge) and then into the arena came M Holland and H Davies's MAC FIVE (J White) taking some more money. At the off I think it was WILD BAVARD who was favourite but I expect others think different. I invested quite heavily which meant there was precious little left in the tin, on MAC FIVE. I lost it all! The obvious came to me AFTER I had wagered! Why did they bring ST HELIER all the way from Wales to run here. This bay mare looked the part and won the best turned out but it took my informants a helluva long time to interpret the phoned instructions from Wales because it was in a funny language. To me I don't think I would have confused ST HELIER with MAC FIVE no matter what language it was in. First past the post was ST HELIER with KNOCK STAR five lengths back in second and WILD BAVARD a further twenty lengths back in third. It is trying to rain now, maybe there could be a massive thunder storm and the remainder of the day would be cancelled as I think that is the only way I am going to go home with any earnings at all!
There are nine to go to post in The Dodson & Horrell Ltd PPORA Club Members' Race with again jointly favoured horses in The Exmoor Partners's ZATOPEK (L Heard) and C Sclater's SHOCK'S PRIDE (Alex Charles-Jones). The remainder were at very fancy prices and if successful then the investor would reap big benefits. My tin doesn't allow me very much at the moment so a modest investment on Miss Tripp's MISTER RF (C Salway) at nine to one is my choice. This horse won his restricted at Blackmore Vale quite easily and here he could do the same. Oh! Dear a very poor start -some had a test jump over the first, some ran on to the second, a few didn't do very much at all but eventually they were all recalled and off they went together. Enough about this race, none of those I have mentioned were there or thereabouts at the finish. Perhaps SHOCK'S PRIDE was the best of them as he managed third, three lengths behind Mrs F Bishop's best turned out GLADIATORIAL who was himself some seven lengths behind Colin Heard on the jointly owned, Polly Curling trained, HYLTERS CHANCE. This situation is now serious with a capital 'S'.
The Dick Reynolds Wessex P to P Bookmaker Open Maiden Race Division One Part One. Yes the first division is split and we have eight runners. One could say that that gives me an extra chance to put something in the tin but it could also bring about the situation whereby I will have to go crawling to Ruth and even Jade, to borrow some investment material as the tin is now decidedly lower than any plimsoll line on any ship I have ever commanded. Tabitha Cave on her TINDER-BOX are clear favourites and she gave this horse, as usual, a peach of a ride and even if he did come home with his little bandage having slipped down his leg, it didn't interfere with him getting ten lengths over the line before any other horse. His trainer will probably get a few instructions from other members of the family on how to place bandages so they cannot slip. Well done Mrs Cave and well done Tabitha, your patience has been rewarded. Second horse home was G Foot's STRAND ON THE GREEN (N Mitchell) and a couple of lengths behind him was Mrs Evans's FABLES GREEN (D Dennis). Here comes the point where a winner is a real necessity and to get investment material I will have to make a lot of promises. Darling, now there is an extra race would you like to stay at the farm again tonight to save you driving home. We could have a meal in that lovely pub again? The look told me that the thought of - what does he require now and how much! We came to an agreement as we always do! We will stay another night and go home on Monday, we will eat in that lovely pub again and I will take out a second mortgage when we get home if needed and I will have no trouble in winning the next two races. Deal done!
Part Two of Division One. Nine runners. I chose a five to one shot and plonked the lot on! A very clammy hand folded the computer slip neatly and secured it with a safety pin to the inside of the second waistcoat pocket. I need a very safe place for this one. . Rebecca Holmes has turned out their GO BOY to win the best turned out prize and although he will ridden with four pounds overweight we are all convinced that this is the one to beat as his form is reasonably solid this season. Lucy (Gardner) is not riding G Brown's LEE ANNA as no doubt the fall from HASTEN BAK has left her a bit sore but Darren Edwards is no slouch in the plate. I have gone through the card with a fine tooth comb and have settled for Mrs Scott's DEROSA to carry the wealth of the Sampson's. Jockey Robbie McCarthy is mentioned in a very quick prayer and is requested to ride this horse like he has never ridden before and to cross the line having jumped every jump and to do it in front of all other animals in the fastest time possible. It is very difficult to watch any other horse when so much rests on the behaviour of one but in this race it was not too difficult as the leaders did make it easy. They decided it would be nice to worry the life out of yours truly and stick very close together. I will go straight to the final fifty yards where I was standing to watch three horses pass me in line abreast. A W Berry's RARE STONE (T Berry), C Vigar's KING OF SWING and my DEROSA. The result was eventually made in my favour and the distance between first and second was adjudged to be three quarters of a length with half a length between KING OF SWING and the third horse RARE STONE. My turn at last to use that lovely phrase -"I told you he'd win easily!" Now this is different - off to collect a nice little sum, cancel the request for a second mortgage BUT I will still have to stay another night at the farm but that will be no trouble.
The last race coming up! Has my luck changed enough to make a full investment or just a little touch, well I will have a look at the card again. Decision made - it's a full investment which is necessary as the contents of the bag have not been replenished by much today and its Easter next weekend! ALL ON Nick Mitchell to achieve his 100th winner. He has had a couple of goes already this afternoon with no luck but I think he can achieve it now. I am not worried about the favourite the Eighteen Red Lions Partnership's RIVER DANTE (O Jackson), nor the Chanin's FIVE MINUTES or G Harris's MISS BIDDY, I am placing it all on G Foot's ASKERS JACK and relying on Nick to get the improvement necessary from this bay seven year old to win this. He has been second in a two and half mile maiden and it was mentioned then that he required three miles. This was a lovely way to finish the day. The name of ASKERS JACK was soon on the lips of the commentator and believe me - it seldom moved from there! As he passed me ( I stood about twenty five yards from the finishing line) for the first time he was joint leader and on the bit. As he passed me for the second time he was leading by a little and still on the bit! As he went out into the country for the final time he increased his lead and was sent on and never looked back. Cheered all the way- possibly to the annoyance of one or two others who had not invested in him - by me, as he went on to win in clear cut fashion by seven lengths from MISS BIDDY and a further one and a half lengths to the good of RIVER DANTE. I again was in a position to ask all miserable looking friends "Didn't you have that sure thing?" Well done Nick Mitchell and I don't care if it was your 100th winner, I would have cheered you anyway! I must now go and find my cap as it was last seen travelling very high and a long way through the air BUT I will catch that man who took my investment before he decides to go home early. I am not really in a hurry because we are staying an extra night and dining out with good food and fine wine. Surprising what a couple of winners can do!
Thank you WSV for a lovely day out, the rain stayed away and the tin is FULL!
All of you have a great Easter weekend and we will see you at the Eggesford meeting at Lifton and then the Four Burrow meeting at Trebudannon. BE THERE!
My mother taught me&BEHAVIOUR MODIFICATION
"Stop acting like your father"
Fred and Ruth and Jade
