Report from Axe
Vale Harriers Point to Point meeting on Sunday 7th May 2006 at Stafford Cross.
Extensive
watering produced remarkably good going for the Axe Vale meeting. A leading
National Hunt trainer described the ground at Stafford Cross as 'much better than
Worcester',
where he had raced the night before, write Granville Taylor.
Investor
Relations followed up his recent Upcott Cross Ladies' victory by winning the
Mixed Open in the fastest time of the day. Taunton hunter chase winner Highway Oak was
sent off favourite, and after making the early running
was in trouble some way out, eventually finishing fourth. Investor Relations
shook off the attentions of Saint Romble (Kathering Hobbs) in the home straight, stretching clear to
win by eight lengths. Winning rider Tabitha
Cave said that she had
never sat on the horse before, and had come in for the ride to replace his
former winning jockey Tanya Newman, who had announced her retirement from race
riding after the Upcott Cross race. Investor Relations is owned by Mike Tozer and trained at Woolminstone,
near Crewkerne by Tanya's sister Chloe.
The Hobbs family occupied the
winner's enclosure after the Novice Riders' race. This time it was the turn of
sixteen year old Diana Hobbs who steered Wave Rock home to win by a length from
the strong finishing Just Sally with Atavistic a neck away in third. Ex-chaser
Wave Rock was giving his young rider her third winner in her first season of
race riding. Now studying for 'A' levels at King's College, Taunton, Diana gets
on well with Wave Rock, having ridden him on the gallops at home since she was
ten years old.
No Way A Lady may be small, but she is very game and came home
unchallenged to win the Restricted in the hands of Darren Edwards at 25-1. The
race changed shape at the twelfth fence when Dursey Island crashed out through the wing and
the favourite Brown Cockle was hampered and pulled up. Polly Gundry's mount Betterware Boy was also
pulled up before the next, and quickly dismounted. Pacemaker Sanderstead weakened on the final bend, and when her
closest rival Polly Come Back took a heavy fall two out, it was all plain
sailing for No Way A Lady. The home bred mare is
jointly owned by mother and daughter Carol and Kelli Lawrence, and trained by
Carol at Burrington near Umberleigh.
There
was a much closer finish to the Maiden, with front running Gunville
just lasting home from the fast finishing Simon's Seat. Owned by Frances
Bishop, Gunville was ridden by her 22 year old son
Tom, who completes his final year at Exeter
University this summer.
Sliema also attempted to make all the
running in the Intermediate, but was reeled in by Millards
Lad crossing the last. The winner is proving to be a very smart recruit to
pointing this year, and is now unbeaten in three outings. Millards
Lad is owned by Terry Evans and trained at Dunster by
Aaron Bateman. Winning jockey James Tudor now occupies second place behind
Richard Burton in the Men's title race with twenty one winners.
Jamie
Snowden is also enjoying a successful season and took his tally of pointing
winners to fifteen (plus ten under rules) when Rachel Fear's Up To The Minute just overcame Redberry
Holly to win the Hunt race. Beadnell Bay
almost made it a double for Snowden in the Confined, but could not withstand
the late flourish of Dick Westacott's good old servant Sir William. Winning
rider Richard Woollacott said afterwards that his mount, 'did not jump as well
as usual, but just kept going'.
