Report from Stevenstone Hunt Point to Point meeting held at Vauterhill Farm on Monday 2nd May 2005
We missed this
meeting last year because of a clash of fixtures but we are glad to be back up
here in lovely weather although a very heavy shower en route here frightened us
a little but all is well here now. I
have walked the course and it is in a surprisingly good state with wet patches
where they have always been and no worse than they have always been so there is
no need for complaints here. Good going
with soft in places.
Five will run in
the 'farmers' race and the clear favourite at the off is FIRST OFFICER (Tim
Dennis) but I fancy best turned out
SANDERSTEAD (Liam Heard) to boost the tin a little but I know no one who would
like better than to win this than Jenny Congdon on her horse jointly owned with her father Andrew - POSSIBLE
PARDON . I now gather she has given up
the ride for her boyfriend Liam Burns to take over but this is only now
possible as his riders permit has only just been authorised. I will change my mind and invest a little on
POSSIBLE PARDON , as does Ruth, and hope that this dedicated Point to Pointing
family can get just reward on their home track. SANDERSTEAD made the pace and a good one but POSSIBLE PARDON and
FIRST OFFICER did not let him get away.
This trio took it along with RED CAP (Sue Young) and SILVER IMAGE (Mark Dennis)
tailing off and leaving them to it.
Over the ditch together but FIRST OFFICER's jumping was a little
scratchy to say the least. Down hill it
was SANDERSTEAD by three lengths followed by POSSIBLE PARDON and FIRST OFFICER
who I saw get a reminder to keep his act going. Half a circuit and still the
same but SANDERSTEAD was seen to jump left and give away a little. Final ditch SANDERSTEAD led but Liam was
rousting up POSSIBLE PARDON now and the race for the line was on between these
two leaving FIRST OFFICER behind.
POSSIBLE PARDON began to slowly pull away and came home to win
handsomely by five lengths from SANDERSTEAD and FIRST OFFICER twelve lengths
back in third. Very exciting and a well
run race in a good time of six minutes forty-three seconds. Well done Liam, first ride for the year but I bet they find you another
one soon.!
The restricted
race with eight runners is going to take a little sorting out. I eventually settled for JOLI CHRISTMAS
(Will White) who looked lovely in the paddock and I searched among the
investors until I found one that would give me a price that would pay an each
way dividend and found one at six and half to one, so settled for that. RIVER
FIELDS (A Glassonbury) went off favourite but CHESTER CHARLIE (Tim Dennis) and
O'ECH (Ian Chanin) were also quite well fancied. I checked with Ruth and she also fancied JOLI CHRISTMAS but did
not take 'each way' as an investment so must be confident of a clear cut
win. MY JESS (M Sweetland) went off to
lead the field at a steady pace with ZORALO who survived a fence blunder
following in second (Darren Edwards did extremely well to remain on top of the
animal instead of alongside or even under him) and then SPINNING SILVER (M
Woodward). At the downhill fence these
three were in a line at it together followed by O'ECH, CHESTER CHARLIE and the
all important JOLI CHRISTMAS. The
leading three were joined by O'ECH rising the hill and the tail enders were now
closing up. All over the ditch with MY
JESS leading. To the fence in front of
the crowd it was O'ECH leading, MY JESS, ZORALO and CHESTER CHARLIE close up
and JOLI CHRISTMAS bringing up the rear.
I took special note as one does (to be truthful I never ever took my
eyes off him!) when it is carrying some of the investment, of the way my charge
was going and I was quite happy although near the rear, was travelling
sweetly. With four to jump it was O'ECH
now leading the field with JOLI CHRISTMAS making up ground and taking up second
position. CHESTER CHARLIE also close
up. Over the ditch it was O'ECH and
three lengths back to CHESTER CHARLIE and JOLI CHRISTMAS. We unfortunately lost MY JESS at the last
and despite great efforts to get this mare back on her feet the effort was
lost. The race to the line was a close
thing with the winner CHESTER CHARLIE
going away to win by four lengths from
O'ECH and JOLI CHRISTMAS a length back
in third. I picked up a little but
there was silence from the zips on the bag!
A mixed open with
only two runners is a great disappointment for the organisers but that is how
it goes sometimes so it was not much of a race between best turned out PROVINCE (Will White) and BALLYSICYOS (Guy
Weatherley) which the latter won by a distance and added to the season's total
making it five wins in all. The final fence was omitted in this race due to the
area around it having been screwed up a little by the removal of MY JESS
earlier and it would not be used for the remainder of the meeting. I would love to have something really good
to say about Mrs Tim Winzer's PROVINCE
but I am afraid the occasion has not yet come.
Watch this space!
The confined hunts
race mustered up six runners and again the best turned out favourite, 15 year old, STEPASIDEBOY (Guy
Weatherly) obliged closely followed home by HORIZON HILL (Liam Heard) who won
his maiden a couple of days ago at Trebudannon albeit over a shorter distance,
with these two well clear of MAXIMUS (B Wright) in third. The time for this race was the fastest of
the day and while this might not mean much to the older horse it is certainly a
note for the book of the five year old. The bag was considerably heavier after
this race!
The intermediate
threw up quite a shock, not only for the public but for the connections of the
winner as well. CHAPNERS CROSS (Jenny
Congdon) was not expected by anyone to be in the frame at the completion of
this race. The price on the boards was
twenty to one when I took my last look and did not draw an investment from
me. There was a squabble who should go
off favourite with HARNAGE (Caroline Prouse) at first attracting attention,
then Mike Weir's RYDER'S HILL (Vanessa Shaw) came into the reckoning but
eventually JOSANJAMIC (Liam Heard) went off with the honours. It was a good race and run at a generous
pace and coming around the last fence it was going to be between three fast
finishing horses. CAUNDLE CHASE (Will
White) appeared to be slightly to the good from my position but BARTON ROSE
(Ian Chanin) and - yes! the 20 to 1 shot CHAPNERS CROSS was there as well. The noise from the crowd was terrific and as
the three of them passed me with only about ten yards to go I could not sort
them out. The result was announced and
it was that Jenny Congdon had got over the line first by three quarters of a
length from CAUNDLE CHASE and half a
length back in third was BARTON ROSE. A
real good finish! Well done CHAPNERS
CROSS.
Two divisions of
open maiden races were to follow with eleven to run in division one. The two most fancied took the field along at
quite a good pace - THE QUARRY MAN (Jenny Congdon) and SLIPPERY FRIEND (R
Darke). After a circuit the leading pair
remained unchanged and HICKORY (Vanessa Shaw) was now close up in third with CHARLIE
BOB (R Hawker) in fourth. With one complete circuit left to run saw
SLIPPERY FRIEND go on by a couple of lengths but THE QUARRY MAN was still
travelling well in second with CHARLIE BOB now up into third and HICKORY and
COOK O'HAWICK following on together.
With two fences left to jump, the three leaders that have been up there
since the start were racing this one out in good fashion. CHARLIE BOB led them to the last but THE
QUARRY MAN and SLIPPERY FRIEND will not go away. Over the last and the race to the line. Jenny did a good job here and got THE QUARRY MAN away from the
other two and came home to win by four lengths and brought her a double for the
day and father Andrew, a training treble.
Well done! Second was CHARLIE
BOB and third was SLIPPERY FRIEND.
Finally came the
second division and ten went to post.
It was more hoped than expected that OH SO NAUGHTY from Andrew Congdon's
stable with Sue Young up could really give them a four timer so it went off as
favourite. This unfortunately was not
to be as the partnership tipped up and blew their chances away. The race was soon spread out in true maiden
fashion and instead of any of the fancied horses making the race for home it
was Richard Darke on VERO BEACH who
came home to win by twenty five lengths (20 to 1) from HIGH ROCKER (Liam Heard)
(10 to 1) who was another twenty five lengths to the good of FINBAR (Lucy
Gardner).
That concluded a
lovely day at the races, good company, good weather and not too much out of the
tin and only five days this week before the next meeting, is it the D and S at
Holnicote or Modbury Harriers at Flete Park? I ask myself. Decisions decisions!!! Well one thing is for
sure, it will be Axe Vale at Stafford Cross on Sunday. BE THERE!!
To those in Spain
who should be in Wadebridge! I knew you would miss it!
Fred and Ruth