Report from the Axe Vale Harriers P to P meeting on Sunday 29^th April 2007 at Stafford Cross, Nr Seaton.

 

We like the pony racing and besides being a competitive sport for the younger ones, it helps them decide if it is what they may wish to take up as an amateur or professional occupation and it gets mum, dad and two lots of grand parents out of bed early on a Sunday morning which I am sure they all enjoy.  We arrived early to get a good park for the car and to appreciate meeting some of the supporters of the children involved.

 

Now I must start by saying that although there are two pony races followed by an eight race card which will include two divisions of Restricted races this report will be scarce of facts due to the poor visibility and layout of this course.  It is long, flat and good viewing is in short supply to say the least.  Normally we can get good clear information from the commentator but although we had one of the best on duty it was very difficult for him to portray the scene due to poor visibility and the fact that when a group of horses are galloping towards or away from the commentary position they look as one when the colours are very hard to distinguish.  The start is as far away from the majority of the spectators as is possible and cannot be seen from a good percentage of the 'viewing' area.  All one can do is to get near A SPOT and see the runners go by which is very exciting but it is also nice to see when horses are making up ground, losing ground, jumping well or not, or at least to be told they are doing such things.  One cannot expect a grand stand or landscaping to provide better view but what can easily be provided is a "Mounsey Hill Arrangement".  When the Dulverton Farmers hold their meet at Mounsey Hill they use more than one field and the whole course cannot be viewed from any one position so they have a commentator in one area and a second commentator in the other area.  We are all used to the dulcet tone of commentator number one saying 'Over to you Alfie' and commentator number two carries on when the leaders are in view.  He then follows them through his area and hands back to commentator number one when most have left his vision.  It works extremely well and spectators have a good knowledge of what is happening and where.  Only on one occasion a problem arose.  It was a two horse race and the situation came up where one was under the peruse of commentator number one and the other in a different field and under the peruse of number.  It was eventually sorted when one fell.

 

The first pony race for 13.2hh and under for riders aged 9 to 15 was contested by four runners and Harry Derham (12) on G WHIZZ made no mistake in coming home to win easily from Chloe Grove (12) on best turned out SUMMERTIME BLAZE and third was Hannah Welch (9) on WISH UPON A STAR.  I wonder if the pony is older than Hannah.  They all raced extremely well and deserved the credit afforded to them.

 

The second pony race, a complete circuit, was decided very early when after a start mix up and ponies were recovered, Jack Barber went off and soon had best turned out  MISS BRADY up front and he never looked back and won easily from Daisy Whitfield on ARNIE with Nicola Woodley third on LITTLE EQUUS.  Little tongues going like magpies and I am sure they all enjoyed it and most vowed to do better next time.

 

The first race on the card was the 'Members' race with just two taking part.  A very odds on, M Holmes's best turned out ORINOCO'S FLIGHT (M Woodward) was taking on P Phillips's MARDEREIL (J Barnes).  For the duration of the race or at least until the second from home ORINOCO'S FLIGHT led by at least three lengths but when 'Tigger' Barnes asked MARDEREIL for a greater effort he got it and came over the last and on to the line to win by six lengths.  With odds of one to four ON for the favourite, a great deal of money was lost on this one and those that took the 5 to 2 on MARDEREIL started their day off very well indeed.

 

Twelve to post for the Confined race.  I chose THE FLYER (S Gaisford) to represent me in this race and very quickly wished I never had as he quickly took up his running position in the rear, he stayed there, jumped poorly (at least at the fence by me!) and refused to jump at all at one fence.  I should have been on the one who paid me at the Seavington meeting, young Miss Carey Buckler on RIVER REINE who came home four lengths to the good of Mrs Fletcher's WHITES TOUCH (M Miller) with Charlotte Tizzard on C Fox's ESPRESSO FORTE five lengths back in third. 

 

The Mixed Open saw six go to post with G Lever's GONE TO LUNCH (N Harris) going off as the odds on favourite but I was prepared to take the second favourite (2 to 1 against), Mary McCarthy's TOI EXPRESS with the very much in-form jockey young Nick Schofield in the saddle as my means of  putting a bit in the tin.  I checked with the bag carrier and she had also gone for that one in the hope that the bottom of the bag will at least have something in it.  The Snook's COOLERS QUEST (Rilly Goschen) was also fancied (5 to 2) but the remainder were very much bigger prices.  Off they go!  I was very pleased to see our choice in the lead as the field went down the back straight but it was going down here we lost WEST PACES (R Lee) and COOLERS QUEST leaving only four.  As they passed the judge with a circuit to run it was still our choice taking the field along and young Nick looked extremely confident.  Coming up the winning strait DIAMOND MONROE (W Biddick) closed up on GONE TO LUNCH but it was TOI EXPRESS that kept up the gallop to the line and crossed it to win by ten lengths with GONE TO LUNCH in second place and DIAMOND MONROE two lengths back in third.

 

I hadn't seen Mr David Pengelley at the P to P meetings lately as he has been travelling in different directions to us, so it was nice to meet him here again with his wife Pam and they introduced the fact that their six year old out of Fly the Wind DENNIS THE LEGEND would be racing in this Intermediate race and he assured me it had a very good chance of pulling this one off.  Now that was a solid tip but as he didn't yet know the opposition I wondered whether he might have been kidding me a little.  No he wasn't.  The opposition was good, T Chadney's WILLY THE SLIP (I Chanin) has won his last two races, D Renney's PASERELLA has form with a couple of seconds and a win and Greyhound Friends's MAGNEMITE (W White) may surprise.  Off they go with DENNIS THE LEGEND carrying a little from the tin.  On coming into view from behind the tented village on the first circuit it was R Weaver's ANOTHER BIT (Rilly Goschen) that took the field down the back straight closely followed by MAGNEMITE, CARAT (R Woollacott) and PASERELLA.  The view to the commentator was such as they came up the home straight and faced the first one he reported that it looked as though most of the field has cleared it safely.  The positions hadn't changed much at the final open ditch except DENNIS THE LEGEND was sharing third spot with MAGNEMITE.  M.O'Connor's MINELLA LODGE (R Bliss) was improving on the outside.  MAGNEMITE, CARAT and ANOTHER BIT took the field down the back strait for the final time.  Around the turn at the bottom and past the starting area it was hard to define which of the three were leading.  Coming away from the penultimate it was now MINELLA LODGE who has taken it up from DENNIS THE LEGEND and ANOTHER BIT.   A good race to the line, and it was difficult to define the winner, but we were so happy when it was announced that it was DENNIS THE LEGEND who had got it by a length from MINELLA LODGE with ANOTHER BIT nine lengths back in third place. I spoke to Pam after she received all the silverware/presents/polo mints and she was very surprised at the result because on passing her near the winning post it did not look as though Dennis had got up.  Well done and thank you for the tip!  Incidentally David tell Helen it was the fastest time of the day, she'll like that bit!  The bag handler was very pleased as well and the bag is looking much fatter now.

 

The Novice Riders race for Members of the CA  saw four go to post with the outstanding mare H Messer-Bennetts's SEA SNIPE being ridden by Nick Schofield the odds on favourite who will be challenged for sure by R Buckler's in-form  PHAR CITY with the confident novice Carey Buckler in the saddle.  The Matthews's POLAR FLIGHT (S Matthews) and C Matthews's best turned out HARBRIDGE (M Heuff) make up the quartet.  PHAR CITY did the work and led the field followed by SEA SNIPE, then HARBRIDGE and POLAR FLIGHT.  The two main protagonists gradually pulled away from the other two.  PHAR CITY led into the home strait and with two fences left to jump, the pace increased and it wasn't until the last fence and the race to the line that SEA SNIPE was asked the question and answered it in fine style and made it to the winning line by three and a half lengths from PHAR CITY with HARBRIDGE twenty lengths back in third place.  This winner is really in top form and surely must now be coming to the end of her P to P season.  Maybe a little race at Stratford!!  Well done!  This also notched up a treble for Nick Schofield which must now be bringing him close to the top of the jockeys table.  That is some achievement!

 

Two divisions of Restricted races followed with seven in division one and six in division two.  It was lovely to see the welcome that the Jeffords (trainer) gave Neil Harris and Mr Pidsley's BRENDAN'S SURPRISE when they crossed the line five lengths ahead of Alice Mills on Ms Gordon and Ms Dodd's ROSETTA who was just a length ahead of J Young's DURSEY ISLAND (M Miller).  I thought I was the only one who jumped up and down as well as shouted.  I picked up a little for the tin on this one as I took advantage of the fact that Les parked next to us this morning and this was surely a good omen.  Ruth had chosen MISS MORFIRE (Lucy Gardner) to help the bag out but unfortunately, although attempting to go down early, this one chose not to let Lucy go down carefully and dumped her unceremoniously on the green stuff.  They caught the offender and Lucy got up again but brought up the rear throughout the race.  In the second division I chose the slightly odds on favourite SIMON'S SEAT (R Woollacott) to add to the tin and to keep the bottom covered at least.  It was a very good choice as this one came home to win by twenty lengths from Jenny Congdon on the syndicated APPLEPIE LADY who was two lengths to the good of S Spottiswooode's PLANTAGANET (Will White).

 

Finally the Maiden race had an entry of eleven and the odds-on favourite was C Heard and G Wilson's RIVER HEIGHTS with Nick Schofield in the saddle.  This will be Nick's fourth winner if it comes off.  Andrew Congdon's OH SO NAUGHTY (J Congdon) has had a couple of seconds so is now due a win and best turned out

T Dunsford's MERCUREY (M Miller) has been knocking on the door but it is definitely RIVER HEIGHTS who has been most consistent.  Off they go!  It was a good race at a good pace and Ian Popham was unlucky not to get M O'Connor's ANDARE A BALLARE up in time but Nick Schofield sewed it up with RIVER HEIGHTS making it over the line just two lengths to the good of ANDARE A BALLARE with OH SO NAUGHTY five lengths back in third.

 

That concluded a long day's racing in beautiful weather and well done again to Nick Schofield for logging up four winners.  Next week we will be off to the Devon and Somerset Staghounds meeting at Holnicote (Saturday 5^th May) followed by the Stevenstone meeting at Vauterhill (Monday 7^th May).  We will be on a few days holiday after these meetings so there may be a delay with the reports BUT not the results.  These courses at Vauterhill and Holnicote are being prepared in case the rain stays away but here in Cornwall at the moment it is raining quite heavenly (and heavily) so I will send it all Northwards and you just make sure that you - BE THERE!

 

Fred and Ruth