Report from Barbury Castle PPORA Point to Point two day meeting 14^th and 15^th January 2006 Day One

 

Its great to be back in business Point to Pointing again and we are now looking forward to a good and prosperous season.  Here at Barbury Castle the 'one day' price has gone up but if you come for the two days the overall price is about average.  The course is perfect, the jumps as always are great and the going is 'good'.  Due to recent and continuing rain the tractors are having to pull a few of the larger lorries in and the 'going' in the car parks and around the bookies will be muddy to say the least, but it is only January so we must expect a little inconvenience.  The 'tin' and 'bag' have been feathered with a little deposit but only enough to get us started so winners will have to come reasonably quick otherwise there will be concern all-round.

 

A six race card is on hand but by the number of entries I would expect to be told very shortly that some of the races will be split. We are staying over night at our excellent B & B (see 'links' for the email address) so we are not too fussed how many races there are so long as we have enough winners to support our investment requirements.  So off we go with our first race for the 2006 season.

 

The PPORA Club Members Intermediate Race will be split.  Eleven in division one and twelve in division two.  Just as we thought! Well I am going to have to very  brief otherwise with more races to be split and possibly the same with tomorrow's card this will be very drawn out and we do not want that.

 

Eventually the Conditions Race was split, the 5,6 and 7 years old Maiden Race was split and the Restricted Race was split giving a nine race card in total.  Whilst there were a lot runners, finishers were in short supply and field was stretched out very early in most races but there were not many fallers.  Only three finished was the call of the day and the majority of these were very tired horses.

 

Top jockey of the day was Richard Burton who pulled off a hat trick, firstly in the young horse maiden race over 2m 4f with the jointly owned GO CLASSIC who gallantly held on to win by half a length from the Roy Swinburne's much touted LATZOD'ALM (W Hill) and third placed owner ridden David Maxwell's WILLIE THE KID.  His second winner came in division one of the Restricted Race on board the family owned CLASSIC SHOT who came home four lengths to the good of Sir Michael Connell's HILLTOP HARRY (J Newbold) with Mrs Holloway's GREET YOU WELL (M Wall) ten lengths back in third and he took the final race of the day onboard the syndicate owned PRESIDENT HILL by six lengths from the jointly owned HOME BY MIDNIGHT (T Ellis) with B Willcox's GENERAL O'KEEFE (J Barnes) a distance away in third.

 

The sad thing about these well ridden races were that the bag and tin did not reap a penny but a little had been deposited (in the tin anyway!) from the very good ride of Julian Pritchard in the Intermediate Race Division Two on board C Htiching's PREMIUM FIRST who came home a good length from James Drummond's HEEZ A DREAMER (D Allers-Hankey) with Emma Chugg's TOROSAY (H Fowler) a long way back in third.  First and second in this race definitely have a good future and will be winning again very soon.  TOROSAY did not like the holding nature of this ground.  (He didn't tell me this but by his action it looked obvious!)  Emma will not have to wait long either.

 

Sharon Carter brought her ABBEY DAYS home in a thrilling finish in the Division One of the Intermediate to beat The Clock House Racing Club's LORD ATTICA (E Walker) by one and a quarter lengths with GOLDEN COIN (W Hill) eight lengths back in third.  These three made a good race of it from fence thirteen and any one of them could take it from turning out from the back with two to jump.  GOLDEN COIN faded first to let the other two fight it out and this is exactly what they did.  ABBEY DAYS took the last in front and held on from there.  Nothing for bag and less for tin - not a good start!

 

Cleverly held up and ridden IRILUT took the Mixed Open Race just as he had done last week at Tweseldown. The Robert Waley-Cohen owned good pointer ridden by Sam Waley-Cohen was held up throughout until effort was required which was then produced and he came home to win by two and half lengths from Mrs L Suenson-Taylor's KERSTINO TWO (D Allers-Hankey) with the Borradaille's COBRECES (J Snowden) six lengths away in third.  The promising DRAGONS DREAM (fourth) from last season kept Rachel Green at the buckle end several times during this race but will no doubt come on for the race, but the impressive looking KERSTINO TWO is the one to follow who was beaten by a race fit  horse on the day (Ruth's choice) and COBRECES (my choice) also ran well and should be in the money soon. 

 

Twelve run in the PPORA Club Members Conditions Race Division One and a very exciting finish was to be the outcome.  The Burton's POT SHOT probably went off favourite along with Mr Insley's BRER BEAR (George Walker) but at the half way mark it was  BAK ON BOARD (C Tizzard) who led the field closely followed by BLAZE ON (P York) and CRACKING DAWN (M Miller) with neither of the favourites in the first half dozen at this stage.  At fence eleven POT SHOT went right and didn't help his chances and from here on in appeared to be labouring.  Over the final ditch it was three in line, ROYAL TIR (M Holdsworth), BAK ON BOARD and HARRY HARESTONE (D Turner).  Six lengths back was BREAR BEAR in fifth place and was at least eight lengths clear of the remainder.  Coming to the last it was left to CRACKING DAWN and BRER BEAR to fight it out as the remainder had quickly weakened.  Landing over the last in unison the race to the line was a good one with CRACKING DAWN just getting there by half a length.  HARRY HARESTONE, the only other finisher was a distance back in third.

 

The Division Two of the Conditions Race saw eleven go to post and it was very difficult to choose from amongst them who was likely to boost both tin and bag.  Several were available at two to one so the amount of a likely boost was not going to be by a tremendous amount.  I settled for W Westacott's POLLIGANA (R Woollacott) and Ruth did the same but although he led for quite some time he was pulled up after the twelfth as he showed a great dislike for this type of going.  So again there was nothing for either tin or bag. At four out it was left to KNIGHTON COMBE (J Snowden), BANKIT (J Jarrett), MAJESTIC (A Wadlow) and SPUDDLERS DREAM (R Green) to fight it out.  These four were still at it three from home.  CATCH THE BUS (S Morris) was in fifth place and trying very hard to get on terms but making little headway. MAJESTIC was first to rise two from home with SPUDDLERS DREAM close up and these two would fight out the finish.  SPUDDLERS DREAM answered Rachel's urging and pulled away to win by two and half lengths from MAJESTIC with KNIGHTON COMBE five lengths back in third place.

 

With seventeen runners the young horse division two over two miles four furlongs was another well stretched out affair.  D Manning's KILDARE MINOR (O Greenall) went off the clear favourite and ran a very good race but was no match for Mrs J Mann's KILLARNEY PRINCE (P Mann) who went off like a bullet from the start and was eight lengths to the good by the fourth fence and increasing his lead.  He was well in front at Tweseldown last week but blundered and fell five out but maybe he has learnt from that.  At one stage during this race there must have been a hundred yards between the leader and the tail end.  KILLARNEY PRINCE made a blunder or two and finished very tired but was still ten lengths to the good of the second horse, the favourite, KILDARE MINOR and there was a distance between second and third D Smith's RUN TO SPACE (G Barfoot-Saunt).

 

This has been a very poor day for tin and the bag has been opened but only to withdraw and no deposits were made.  Tomorrow can only be an improvement.  We really need to buck up and get into the hang of things very quickly.  Until tomorrow - Happy New Year to ALL our readers and please continue to keep in touch and let us know how YOU get on.

 

Fred and Ruth