Report from The Dartmoor Hunt and Modbury
Harriers' Point to Point held at Flete Park Ermington on Saturday 17th
April 2004. First meeting: The Dartmoor
Hunt
Lovely to be back
in the parkland setting of Flete Park and all ready for the first of the two meetings
here. I see they have enlarged the area
for cricket but have not encroached on the course for racing so all is
well. There is more grass here this
year than I have witnessed before, a real good covering and I expect the
committee are pleased about some late rain and now the going will race as good
to firm.
The 'farmers' race
will start the proceedings and will go off with four runners and a clear
favourite is established in Gregg Johnson's IMPATIENT LADY (Andrew Glassonbury)
but the price is too skinny so the tin will not be opened yet. Mike Weir's best
turned out HICKORY (Richard Darke)
is also looking the part but carries no recent form and then there is a NRF in
the field in the shape of the Frost's STEPONTHEBANDIT (Derek McKenna) who could
spring a surprise and the very consistent Mary McCarthy on their LINGERING FOG
who is taking a fair amount of money in the arena and will go off second
favourite. The steady pace was set for
the first circuit by Mary who took the field out into the country on the final
lap. Unfortunately HICKORY made a
mistake and unseated Richard at the fence in front of the pavilion so we will
not know how good he really is but Mike Weir will no doubt sort that little lot
out. LINGERING FOG was jumping really
well and gaining over the fences but IMPATIENT LADY ceased to be impatient and
crept up on the leader but Mary was having none of that and kept up the pace
down the hill and met the rising ground still leading and it was two very
determined riders who jumped the final fence and young Mr Glassonbury got the
better of Mary (in racing terms!) and crossed the line two and half lengths to
the good. They were the only finishers
as Derek had pulled up on STEPONTHEBANDIT before the final fence.
A few more runners
in the Restricted race and very difficult to sort out a winner here. Two or three have won their maidens this
season and some of the others have competed really well. The Wood's BLACK A BROOK (Les Jefford) is
looking like the favourite with Rebecca Welch's GUNNER'S MISTAKE (L Heard) and
the Elliot's MYSTIC WARRIOR (T Cave) close second favourites. Seven to one bar these! BARON RIDGE took the field along at a
generous pace for quite some time
during which Les pulled BLACK A BROOK up and dismounted to lead him back as he
was not at all happy with the way she was travelling. Coming down the hill it was still BARON RIDGE with the inside
berth who had the lead over Tabitha Cave on MYSTIC WARRIOR and the remainder
followed with Mrs Heard's BUDGHILL(Colin Heard) bringing up the rear. With a complete circuit to run it was MYSTIC
WARRIOR who led the field behind the trees.
E Treneer's TABERNACLE and R Skinner's WINNING LEADER were still travelling
well and BARON RIDGE was also still there. With two to jump WINNING LEADER lost
a lot of ground rounding the turn at the top of the hill and MYSTIC WARRIOR was
now being pushed along on the inside by Tabitha Cave and Richard was after her
with BARON RIDGE. TABERNACLE was pulled
up before the second last. MYSTIC
WARRIOR popped the final fence and went on to cross the line eight lengths to
the good of BARON RIDGE with WINNING LEADER twenty lengths back in third
place. No investment that time so
nothing for the tin yet and as GUNNER'S MISTAKE was pulled up, the bag didn't
profit either!
Next came the four
mile Men's Open race with six runners going to post. The argument at the investing arena was between Guy Weatherly
riding P Finn's CANTERBURY JACK and Les Jefford riding Susan and Tim Winzer's
PROVINCE. Are we going to see Susan
complete her last furlong dash again; are we going to see Tim jump even higher
than at Great Trethew without the aid of a trampoline or are we going to see
Guy Weatherly in the number one spot along with the P Finn/David Pipe
connections picking up the champagne and The Lord Mildmay Memorial Challenge
Cup. John Weldhen's DARK CHALLENGER
(Alex Charles Jones) is also fancied by some after his good Lamerton run. The Nearly Gold Partnership's NEARLY GOLD (N
McDermott) has not found his form this year yet but may surprise. PROVINCE goes off favourite BUT only
just! I am on CANTERBURY JACK - Why? I
really don't know! A fair gallop was set
for a four mile race. There's no
beating about the bush PROVINCE ran this race extremely well. He got in close a couple of times but
nothing very serious and took this field around and was too good for any who
thought about challenging. Tim did
change colour a little when CANTERBURY JACK made a move but PROVINCE knew what
he had to do and Les got him to do it when wanted. Out into the country for the final time the field was led by
PROVINCE. Finally coming down the hill
with an eight length lead , over the last two and the only one who was going to
beat this one home was Sue with Tim not very far behind. First PROVINCE by four lengths from DARK
CHALLENGER with CANTERBURY JACK in third place. Well Done!
The Ladies Open
will see five go to post. The best
turned out Mary McCarthy's SANDY DUFF is the clear favourite at even money
with Polly Gundry on Richard Kelvin Hughes's SAILORS FOLLY a clear second
favourite. Rilly Goschen on H Goody's
FRANK BYRNE is taking some of the investors money but DEFENDTHEREALM (A Mills)
and the jointly owned HAPPY TEAM (Ollie
Jackson) are not. I don't think there
is a better sight than to see this lovely chestnut gelding, SANDY DUFF, racing
around the local point to point courses.
Both jockey and horse now seem to be working so well together that many
more wins must be on the cards. He won
this by twelve lengths and was not pushed to do it BUT another young lady who
did have a lovely ride around this picturesque arena was young Miss Alice Mills
on her DEFENDTHEREALM. They came into
second place behind Mary and a further fifteen lengths back in third was Rilly
on FRANK BYRNE who managed to come out of a late tussle with SAILORS FOLLY, the
better.
Nothing for the
tin yet BUT whilst I was at the winners enclosure congratulating Mary on her
well deserved win, the announcer made it public that the ticket that Ruth
bought for me in 'The Walking Stick Raffle' is the winning one and we are off
to the maker of walking sticks to pick up my prize. I am now the proud owner of a hand made stick specially built for
me from grown ash, with a water buffalo band and a red dear grasp. About as much use to me now as rubber lips
to a woodpecker but it may come in handy in later years. There were five thousand four hundred and
twenty three entries and mine was the
lucky one! That is luck and I now hope
it rubs off on the tin. Jack Russells
beware - I now have a stick!!
Guy Weatherly
might have dipped out in the four miler but he had no intention of returning
home without a win and to this end he came home six lengths clear on D
Williams's MIDNIGHT COUP in the confined race and in doing so turned over the odds on favourite Richard Kelvin
Hughes's LITTLE NATIVE (Polly Gundry) and emptied my tin a little in the
process. Six went to post and the best
turned out R Brassey's VIC'S BRUSH (Will White) was the second favourite
with the remainder being six to one or more. Off they go! R Skinner's FERN
LEADER soon got fed up carrying a jockey and unseated Laura Woodward on the
first circuit. Derek McKenna had Mrs Turner's SILVER MAN, with some persuasion,
going well but LITTLE NATIVE did not look at home here. The Chanin's BARTON
ROSE giving Ian (Chanin) his first ever race ride, was going extremely well and may be in the winners enclosure in the not
too distant future. At the final ditch
it was MIDNIGHT COUP jumping up alongside SILVER MAN with VIC'S BRUSH following
three lengths back and then LITTLE NATIVE.
Down the hill and up to the final two fences it was MIDNIGHT COUP who
came home six lengths to the good of fast finishing BARTON ROSE, who was
previously announced as being a little detached but made up ground late and in
third, SILVER MAN another seven lengths back.
Finally and our
last chance to fill both tin and bag. The Confined Maiden race will see nine go
to post and again a clear favourite in the Frost's WINNIE THE POOH with Sarah Gaisford up is on the boards at
two to one. I snap at this with my
investment as this one has run well in his last two races and should have no
problem in picking this lot off - so say I!
The bag is also open for an investment on Alex Charles-Jones riding the
Miles Apart Partnership's ABSEAL and the price Ruth obtained from generous Mike
Bolitho is thirteen to two. After
telling her that she had very little chance to win this bet I suddenly saw that
it was really a good bet taken each way as this horse ran well at East Cornwall. We will see!! The tongue strap on The Ansell's OFF THE HOOK might be the answer
to this one as it also has consistant form and might see off WINNIE THE POOH
and others. Liam Heard is on the
Foale's FEELS LIKE RAIN who hasn't achieved much yet but could be a surprise
both for owners and investors as his price is ten to one or more! Off they go! I spent a good deal of this race looking anywhere but at
Ruth. WINNIE THE POOH did not stay the
distance and was beaten into third place by FEELS LIKE RAIN and - in first place by three lengths after
a really good finish was - Yes! Alex Charles-Jones on ABSEAL. Well done Ruth!
We left before
collecting as we wished to be on the road for the journey to near Bradford on
Avon where I know Christine and Dave (Rawlings) at Springfields Great Ashley
will have a hospitable welcome for us and enable us to upload the results and
to have a good nights rest and then off to the Tedworth meet tomorrow at
Barbury Castle. I am sure Mr Bolitho
will let Ruth collect next time!
See you at Barbury
Castle -BE THERE!
Fred and Ruth