Report from the Eggesford Hunt Point to Point
meeting held at Jays Farm Lifton on Saturday 16th April 2005.
The early start
and the prospect of nine races made us get underway early and although there
was plenty of traffic buzzing about the main road plus road repairs and speed
restrictions we managed, although not first, to get a good viewing position on
the edge of the track. I noticed that when there is a separate place for
invalid or incapacitated viewers near the finishing line, the first 100 or so cars
that arrive are always carrying people with such incapacities but I do agree
that supporters who make the effort to arrive early should be able to pick the
best spots. Heavy in a few places which
necessitated the removal of one fence but the majority of the course would race
good to soft with a nice grass covering.
There is room in
both tin and bag for a little top up, not much, just a little so that we go to
the next meeting with a little in hand.
The first race,
the Hunt race, see five go to post with Mary McCarthy on her lovely SANDY DUFF
being made the favourite to win this and I am going for the winner without
this favourite and hope that
PROCEDURE (L Heard) will bring me home a little return. Lots of followers are asking why Mary is running such a good horse
in the hunt race, well I expect she thinks she has a better prospect of beating
these than probably having to challenge Mandy on her KARADIN in the ladies open
so who can blame her! I just get great
delight out of seeing such a lovely horse in action. Early in this race CANADA
(R Ross) passed a marker on the wrong side whilst searching for better
ground and was out of the competition in this one. Mary came home a distance
clear of Caroline (Prouse) on best turned out SHOBROOKE MILL with Tom
O'Brien on SQUADDIE five lengths back in third. PROCEDURE was fourth so I collected nothing. I saw Mary staggering under arms full of
silver cups after the presentation plus a lovely box of wine with a good
vintage year so she was well chuffed!
Four go down for
the ladies open race and again there is an odds on favourite with no chance
this time to get on without the favourite so I will leave this one alone as
regards investing and just take a watching brief. Young Mary Biddick let her FRANKLY FEAR lead the field for the
first circuit and was doing extremely well in the second until the fence right
in front of the crowd, fence eleven, proved too big an obstacle and the stumble
sent Mary tumbling. The remainder of the race turned out as expected and Mandy
Hand brought her KARADIN, the favourite,
home by five lengths with the second position closely fought out between
Rachel Green on FRUIT DEFENDU and Lucy Gardner on GURU RINPOCHE with the former
getting the verdict by a short head.
The receptacles for holding finances are not opened on this occasion.
The confined hunts
race will go off with five runners and the best turned out CANADA who has already had an attempt at
this course will run again in this one as he expended no energy on his previous
attempt in the hunt race. My choice is PETER'S TWO FUN who finished well at the
Lamerton meeting. Others with good
chances are Jenny Congdon on her POSSIBLE PARDON and Richard Woollacott on
FINEWOOD who is trained by his partner Emely Thompson and is fancied enough by
the bag holder for her to invest.
POSSIBLE PARDON led the field for the first circuit at a steady pace and
FINEWOOD brought up the rear. Out into
the country for the final time and Jenny still led the field but her opposition
to this place was now being challenged by the others. At the final open ditch CANADA was fed up and unshipped his
pilot. Going along the bottom straight
my choice got his back legs caught up in a fence and lost his position and was
basically out of it. POSSIBLE PARDON
was going well but FINEWOOD was now being put into the race and the pressure to the leader was on. A good race developed with one of the later
fences being by-passed and FINEWOOD began to go away and leave the long time
leader, POSSIBLE PARDON five lengths back in second place on the line with WISE
REFLECTION (L Jefford) twelve lengths
back in third. Nothing for tin but Oh!
yes! the bag is collecting again. There
are two smiles on the bag's owner face, one because she is about to collect
again and one because I haven't
collected at all. Why do people then
say " 'ave that one did 'ee " - and of course the second statement always is -
" it's easy - I did! " My utterance is
unprintable!
Once again the
intermediate race is carrying some class about it. Eight will go to post with
the favourite being Nick Williams on best turned out SMART CAVALIER who won his restricted at the
Spooners meeting. Odds-on so I will
leave it alone and that way I am sure not to lose anything. The opposition as far as the investment
arena is concerned is Liam Heard on JOSANJAMIC who has been consistant of late
and the grey mare O'ECH who was close to coming home first at Kilworthy but
tripped up. Sarah Gaisford set the pace
on CAREFREE LOVE and brought the field up past the judge and out into the
country with two circuits to go and about eight lengths between first and
last. At the ditch this time we lost
SILVERMAN and I was surprised as this partnership of Mandy and the grey,
although they have previously pulled up, I don't remember them ever parting
company. On go the rest -TH'MOONS A
BALLOON joined CAREFREE LOVE up front and raced at a good pace along the bottom
straight with SMART CAVALIER still travelling well in about fourth place. On the way to complete the second circuit
O'ECH misjudged a fence and came down leaving six to go down to the open ditch
for the final time. All over the ditch
led by Sarah with about four lengths between first and last. NEVERADULLMOMENT took a terrible fall on the
first down the back straight and will not race again. A little later HORIZON HILL hit the deck and threw Colin Heard
down heavily and I believe he suffered a broken collar bone. Father was last seen disappearing home to do
the milking, but now Nick Williams was putting SMART CAVALIER into the race and
was slowly getting the better of CAREFREE LOVE and TH'MOONS A BALLOON. In the race for the line the favourite was
pushed out to win by four lengths from CAREFREE LOVE with JOSANJAMIC getting up
to be third two lengths behind. This
was a slow race, full of incidents but the winner will surely go on from
here.
Nick Williams was
again on the favourite EASTWORTH GRANGE although he was available at five to
four which made him more accessible to me but I chose to go for consistant
CHESTER CHARLIE (Tim Dennis) to win this restricted race which will see eight
go to post. One from the Frost's
stable, WORKING GIRL (Andrew Glassonbury) is also fancied by some. Mark Sweetland took best turned out
ESKIMO GOLD to the fore quite quickly and established a good lead but I was not
sure who was doing what when this partnership went down to the ditch for the
first time. There was definitely a
little of ' I'll go the speed I want '
coming from ESKIMO GOLD but this mare cleared the ditch and went on. EASTWORTH
GRANGE led the following pack. With one
circuit left to travel ESKIMO GOLD was now joined by EASTWORTH GRANGE with
WORKING GIRL travelling well in third followed by my investment carrier,
CHESTER CHARLIE. All over the final open ditch and the race on in earnest. An excellent race was now being run between
three good jockeys and horses. The
favourite, EASTWORTH GRANGE made it to the line by three lengths from Andrew on
WORKING GIRL and no matter how loud I shouted, CHESTER CHARLIE could only make
third place by a short head, the remainder had been pulled up. This win provides Nick Williams with a
double with another ride yet to come. Yes Ruth had that one as well!
The men's open
race has attracted eight runners and the class act has to be POLAR CHAMP (Guy
Weatherly) who has won five out of his last six races. This one will go off odds-on favourite and
should have very little trouble in beating the remainder of the contestants. I have chosen DMOWSKI (Andrew Glassonbury)
as an each way investment and Ruth has chosen TEDDY BOY (Richard Woollacott)
also each way at really good prices.
The pace was a good one and it was the favourite POLAR CHAMP who was
setting it. It was too fast a pace for
my choice and DMOWSKI was pulled up as was THINKERS EFFORT (D Moore). With a circuit left to race it was still
POLAR CHAMP with about a three length lead over SPUDDLERS DREAM (N Williams),
HERE COMES HENRY (Liam Heard) followed
by BRIEF DECLINE (Will Biddick), best turned out YOUNG GENERAL (Tim
Dennis) and finally TEDDY BOY. All over
the final open ditch, round the bend and into the back straight. It was here that we noticed TEDDY BOY being
brought through the field. The third
last and it was still POLAR CHAMP but TEDDY BOY looking very menacing. From here on in the whole situation changed
with TEDDY BOY striding out to go clear of POLAR CHAMP who was now
weakening. TEDDY BOY went to the line
in fine style with HERE COMES HENRY getting up to come in second ten lengths
behind and YOUNG GENERAL a further eight lengths behind in third place. A very
exciting finish in the fastest time of the day. Nowt for tin but I am reminded
so many times that the bag will profit by a considerably amount. The details I don't really wish to here
BUT someone insists that I should. That makes a double for Richard now. Keen competition here today!
Next come three
divisions of open maiden races. Richard
Woollacott on POLLIGANA added another winner to make his total three for the
day but Nick Williams was not to be outdone and also collected another winner
to bring his tally to three also, on FORDHAM GLORY. The other winner was Guy Weatherley on STAND ON ME who came home
five lengths to the good of Richard Darke on SLIPPERY FRIEND. The winner was a little lucky in this one as
at the final fence it was Will Biddick on Sally Alford's WHIZZAAR who was going
the better but as his sister did earlier, Will came to grief in exactly the
same spot and as we all know, one has to jump all the fences to win.
A good days racing
but as we packed for our journey north to the Sunday meeting of the WSV it was
me and the tin who were in a sad state whereas the bag was abundantly
full. Better luck tomorrow - BE THERE!
Fred and Ruth