Report from West Somerset Hunt and Minehead
Harriers Point to Point at Holnicote on Saturday 21st February
2004
Whew! Was is cold at Holnicote today? Very very cold and with an East wind blowing
it took a long time for the temperature to rise above freezing. We came up yesterday as we wanted to visit
the local auction at Holsworthy en route.
Bought a few things then onto Cloutsham to spend the night with Kathy,
David and guests and enjoyed a super evening meal and wonderful hospitality as
always. Unfortunately both Ruth and I
were upset at what the National Trust is doing at Cloutsham. A beautiful house with lovely wood panelling
and a lovely wood encased bay window overlooking Dunkery. Guess what!
They are 'restoring'!! Some of the older wood needs replacing and they
are doing it with cheap MDF! (For the
non diy enthusiasts, this is Medium Density Fibre - not quite chipboard but very
near it!) I ask you why replace lovely
old oak window sills with cheap and nasty looking MDF? I will get in touch with the National Trust
and attempt to find out why this policy is in force and why the appropriate wood could not be used!
Onto the racing!
Seven races on the card and they kick off with the Farmers' with four
entries. The Doggerells CAUNDLE CHASE
(W White) is fancied and taking some of the interest but the Pudd's COOL WAGER
(D Edwards) will go off favourite and odds on.
The other two, Colin Stevens's ARIANN SOUND (R McCarthy) and M Stevens
SPARKLE (D Ravenscroft), are much bigger prices. I chose SPARKLE as local man, Jacko, said he would win as he is
fit from hunting. ARIANN SOUND got as
far as the first open ditch and decided he had had enough and unseated. SPARKLE went off with a dash but settled
reasonably by the time he passed the judge
but then waited until he got to the fence in front of the lorry park and
decided - 'this lump on my back is not for me' and Mr Davenport was ejected. SPARKLE back to the box, incapacitating one
Ambulance man en route. I suppose Jacko
will say he is not used to seeing Ambulance men when out hunting. Well he has seen one quite close up
now. The two main protagonists raced on
well, bye-passing the open ditch they raced past the judge together with a
circuit to go. Again they bye-passed
the open ditch and raced towards the line with two to jump. Unfortunately CAUNDLE CHASE hit the
penultimate and lost his position and handed the race to COOL WAGER to win by
twenty lengths.
Division one of
the confined maiden race followed with ten going to post. Two of the jockeys here are in the same Army
outfit and we were to see a good finish being ridden out by these two. Alex Michael on the jointly owned INACH ROAD
came home just a length to the good of Jamie Snowden on P Goode's CHALLIS
CHOICE. I was on neither but I love a
tight finish and was quite prepared to cheer them both on. Other jockeys might just take note. The loser of this little battle lost no time
in shaking the hand of the victor before leaving the paddock. I don't want them to make this a habit when
in other battles for the Queen's Army but for the paddock - good stuff! Ten lengths back in third was B Wright's
EXECUTE (J Young). My money was on R
Westacott's GENERAL SHORT (R Woolacott) but on this occasion, the general was
TOO short. Nothing for the tin or bag as yet but not a lot out either. I
believe Hugh Thomas was injured after falling from his ELEGANT MAID in this
race. We wish him all the best and get back soon!
Fourteen in
division two and I made my mind up early who was going to carry my
investment. T Hawking and P Quinn's best
turned out FAR TOO CROWDED (N Williams) will be carrying a substantial
amount from the tin. He has very little
form (if any!) but looks very well and trained by Richard Barber I am sure he
would not be here just to show off how well he looks. The favourite was the local horse - The Exmoor Partners TOON
SOCIETY but I am not going to ask for information from any of his owners
because it might amount to be of the same value as that given about SPARKLE
earlier - useless! The Knox's FIVE
MINUTES (T Cave), D Underhill's POLLYCOME BACK (R Woolacott) and the syndicated
WHICH MOSCOW (D McKenna) were also fancied but it was the locally owned TOON
SOCIETY that went off favourite. It was
a good race. FIVE MINUTES led over the
ditch for the first time with H Bray's ROWLEY RASCAL (M Sweetland) close up and
then came TOON SOCIETY. In the middle
of the following pack was Sarah Gordon's ROSETTA (Lucy Gardner), (not to be
confused with Pat Shaw's ROSETA who will be running tomorrow) who was
travelling well as was my interest with the commentator pleasing me by stating
that he had closed up to third place.
With a circuit to run there was a leading group consisting of TOON
SOCIETY, WHICH MOSCOW, FIVE MINUTES and FAR TOO CROWDED. Along the bottom straight and the lovely
words continued - making ground and closing on the outside is FAR TOO
CROWDED. TOON SOCIETY being challenged
by FAR TOO CROWDED. Turning for home,
still there but making ground up on the outside is Lucy on ROSETTA. Final ditch
the field was led by FAR TOO CROWDED.
Penultimate FAR TOO CROWDED followed closely by ROSETTA. Over safely from ABU DANCER and TOON
SOCIETY. The final fence and now I was
really shouting and I continued to do so all the way to the line but Lucy did
it and beat me by one and half lengths with the local horse back in third,
eight lengths back. Lucy assures me
that someone came up and told her he had backed her horse at 50 to one with a
tenner, I never saw a fifty to one but twenty and twenty five to one was
available in plenty of places. Nothing
for the tin but it was a good race and I nearly won.
On now to the
ladies open race with five runners. Axe
Valley Racing will be running their RIMPTON BOY (R Green) who will no doubt go
to post as the favourite to win but opposition will definitely come from R
Westacott's SIR WILLIAM (T Cave) and the best turned out, the Atkinson's
CHEROKEE BOY (Catherine), George Edwards's HOPE VALUE (Gemma Edwards) and one
from Wales LONGSTONE BOY (Jodie Ann Hughes).
Well it was no surprise to see Rachel Green riding in a waiting position
on RIMPTON BOY and slowly closed down LONGSTONE BOY and SIR WILLIAM who had run
up in the van for most of the race.
Coming to the last two plain fences RIMPTON BOY was closing on the inside
and then when I thought he was about to come through, the lovely grey decided
to go through the wing of the second last.
Race for him over and then it was LONGSTONE BOY who carried whip waving
Jodie Ann Hughes over the line to record a good win with SIR WILLIAM seven
lengths back in second and CHEROKEE BOY way back in third. This was not the plan and the tin suffered -
again! The bag is not doing much
better! (diplomatic aren't I?)
The favourite in
the five runner Men's open is clearly Mrs A Malde's POLAR CHAMP (A Farrant) who
has already won two open' races this season BUT H Geddes's TALES OF BOUNTY (N
Williams) has also been in the winners enclosure and picked up a good second as
well so it is not a forgone conclusion - is it ever! P Clarke's FRIAR WADDON (C Heard) is fancied by some as is B
Dixon's NEARLY NOBLE (R Woolacott). The
outsider of the field is Robin Shute's SEPTEMBER HARVEST who soon shows why he
is the outsider. A good race with a
sensible pace for this fast ground.
Finally it was settled with POLAR CHAMP getting the better of TALES OF
BOUNTY by just two lengths with a tired FRIAR WADDON back in third place. A
little for the bag on this occasion but precious little for the tin but I really
do appreciate seeing good horses fight out a battle.
The
intermediate novices race saw six go to
post with a clear favourite in V Greenway's POLKA (R McCarthy) who will
probably start odds on. This is
possibly based on the fact that his form is mostly figures instead of letters. Not really, they all have a good chance and
odds on is not a deserved price. Off
they go! Vicky Price was thought to be
enjoying herself but M Scudamore's EVOLUTION LAD decided otherwise and
unceremoniously got rid of her at the first ditch. Mr Pyman's OPAL LOU was
leading the field at a good pace and looked full of running. Rob Skinner was also enjoying himself on his
WINNING LEADER until the eight year old decided that the fences were too high
and almost deposited him but body juggling kept him in the saddle. The open
ditch was passed on the second circuit as Vicky was taking up too much
room. OPAL LOU led on for the final
circuit. The favourite made a good
effort but there was no way he was going to catch the long time leader and OPAL
LOU went on to win by eight lengths from POLKA with THE GREY SHADOW some twenty
lengths back in third.
Finally came a ten
runner restricted and this was the one - out tin, throw away the lid (not too
far!) and take the contents to the investment area. Mr S Stacey and Mrs J Dawe's MRS PEGGOTY (D Edwards) has been very
consistant this term and I will take the biggest price I can get and place the
tin contents on this mare at an each way price. I found one gentleman who said - eight to one MRS PEGGOTY - and
that will do me. The favourite is P
Maltby's LORD OF THE MIST (Nick Williams) and Mr Maundrell riding his RHYTHM
KING is also taking some investment
money and then there is Ruth's choice - Mrs M Dixon's best turned out ELLOFAMONKEY (R Woolacott). A pity my fingers are so cold I dare not
remove them from my gloves to cross them but I am sure crossed legs will work
fine. They nearly did it! Once again a good race. A few decided to run out and a few jumped
indifferently but MRS PEGGOTY remained up in the front running group. Mrs Kittow's ROSALEE ROYAL (C Heard) ran
well for a while. Martin Sweetland took
A Cottle's MY JESS along at a good pace but when it came to the area that
really matters it is MRS PEGGOTY, LORD OF THE MIST and ELLOFAMONKEY that fight
out the finish. The shouting,
screaming, hollering and the necessary jumping up and down NEARLY did the trick
but LORD OF THE MIST made it to the line one length ahead of MRS PEGGOTY with
ELLOFAMONKEY two lengths back in third.
A real good race and the tin had profited - not a lot - and Ruth had the
third horse home as an each way bet.
Everyone smiling.
Back to Cloutsham
now to upload the results, we will have them on the internet by 4.30pm and that
is a record for us. Will the young lady
in Chile please let me know what time it was when she got them, thank you. Yes we have readers and keen followers that
far away.
We will travelling
home tonight as I have to repair the cuckoo clock before going off to tomorrows
marathon at Great Trethew. BE THERE!
Fred and Ruth