Report
from
Due to
other unforeseen circumstances we will not be at the Taunton Vale Harriers
meeting at Kingston St Mary today so I thought I would catch up on yesterdays
meeting of the East Devon where there were eleven races to contend with and
Oliver! The course was in good condition
with a few wet patches but nothing to worry about and we were really
entertained with competitive racing. The
weather was great but the very poor conditions that had passed over had
certainly left their mark as was evident when some friends parked alongside and
I noticed their car roof was 'thatched' but I was assured that it was from
their neighbour who had lost their thatched roof overnight in the strong
winds. None of that here now!
Having parked in the exact spot I was instructed to, I was
ready for the day which started with a four runner Farmers race and the clear
favourite, Mr Trump's MCSOLO (I Chanin) should have no trouble in winning this,
but I was looking for which one would follow him home so that I could invest
some of my borrowed tin money on the forecast.
I chose R Alford's OH VLO (G Weatherley) to do the job but this was the
wrong choice and my day started as it finished at the last meeting we were at-
losing. The distance between first and
second was twenty five lengths but it was the Milne's best turned out PADDY JOHNO
(M Milne) who took second place honours and not OH VLO as I wished, with FIRST
THOUGHT (R Darke) back six lengths in third.
Only three finished so how wrong did I get that one and I do hope this
does not continue!
Next to come was three divisions of 5, 6, & 7
years old Open maiden races and after a serious study of the thirteen runners
in division one, thirteen runners in division two and nine runners in division
three I decided my investments would be of a minimum and in fact I did not
invest at all as there were a lot of 'unknowns' in this lot and there will be
plenty of time later for a bet. In division
one I lost count after eight for the pulled
up and fell brigade and the
uneasy favourite, G B Club's NO SIGNAL (R Woollacott) was one of these. With one circuit to go it was Mr D Williams's
RYMAN (D Cook) travelling sweetly and leading the field from Seymour Farm
Partnership's LORD BROOKLYN (M Green), Mrs S Brown's WEYCROFT LAD (C Dailly)
and family Legg's HARRY'S LANE. RYMAN
continued to go well but still has difficulty in staying the distance and when
the pace hotted up it was HARRY'S LANE that took them home after Axe Valley
Racing Club's MASTER MARK (Miss R Green) fell at the penultimate, to win by ten
lengths from RYMAN with LORD BROOKLYN fifteen lengths back in third.
The second division was more competitive and at one
time there was no clear favourite on the boards and I counted six runners
hovering around three to one and four to one; at the off I am not sure who had
the privilege of being called the most fancied.
The bag holder looked to The Cidermakers
Partnership's MIDNIGHT QUEEN (J Tudor) to reward her and it was this one that
took the field along for quite a while and was joined by the Tizzard's COOMBE
HILL who Charlotte was looking confident about and the Ralph's REFLECTOR (A
Ralph) who was also there; these three made a line of three on the way
round. Rachel Green on L Squires, J
George and R Meterell-Torri's EXPRESS LEADER thought
it was about time for her to get into it and did so with three more fences to
jump. A very exciting finish concluded
this race with the two young ladies, Rachel and Charlotte fighting it out with
COOMBE HILL getting the better of the duel by one and half lengths from EXPRESS
LEADER and my young lady getting a little for the bag as her choice, MIDNIGHT
QUEEN came in third some twenty lengths back.
Whoops! Whisper now as I found out she had not invested each way and
will not collect!
Only nine for the final division of the Open maidens
for younger horses but even so it is very difficult to choose a winner. M Pidsley's SIR OSCAR (N Harris) was selected
as favourite but The Cafepolo Partnership's KINGS BITTER (J Tudor) and Mrs A Goodwin's
CARRIE ON (R Green) were well fancied by some, but as they were both NRF (No
recent form NH or P to P) I don't know why!
A repair job had been done to fences which suffered previously and were
now all in place and off they went. A
steady pace and all over the first open ditch and down the back they went with
Mrs L Syckelmoore and Mrs J Reed's SUMMER LIRIC (R
Bliss) taking them along where he has been since flag fall, followed by SIR
OSCAR and Bryn Wright's NOBILE. With one
circuit to go and now only six lengths between first and last Neil was asking
SIR OSCAR for a little more effort (if that is what a smack down the neck with
a riding crop means!) as they went on down to the final open ditch; pace
increasing. Will Biddick took this
opportunity to close up from the rear on M Bicknell's LITTLE GRACE and joined
the leaders. NOBILE fell and the four in with a chance set off for the line. It was KINGS BITTER and SIR OSCAR who made a
good race of it and James Tudor got home on KINGS BITTER to win by two and half
lengths from Neil Harris on SIR OSCAR with Rachel Green on CARRIE ON ten
lengths back in third. The fastest time was achieved by Charlotte Tizzard on
COOMBE HILL so winning the L G Cotterell Challenge
Cup. Nothing for tin
or bag but losses have been kept to a minimum as yet.
The Men's Open race with fourteen going to post. Here we
have Exmoor Partners's SOUTHWESTERN (Neil Harris) back from making a blunder on
his last outing, but if it hasn't frightened him at all this will be his prep
surely for a
Now comes a twelve runner Intermediate race and I am
feeling much better now that the tin is healthy again. I am choosing a 12 to 1 shot to carry my
investment this time and the each way price will suit, but a win will be even
better. My choice is Arnie
Sendell's SLEAZY (I Chanin) and Ian will be looking
to make this his double for the afternoon so far and so will I! The clear favourite at the off is A
Warrington and N Crook's DRYBROOK BEDOUIN (N Wilmington) and is carrying a lot
of investors money as his price is only even money. Another one fancied is Charlie Rush's
BALLYBROWN who was to be ridden by Will Biddick but because he was being
attended by a nurse for a cut lip after ARCTIC SKY tipped him off, he lost the
ride to Richard Darke, but this one will go off second favourite. Never mind Will, I have it on good authority
that the rounded chin is all the fashion - this
week! Off they go! J Cobden's SENOR CID (J Reed) leads the field
and bringing up the rear some twenty five lengths back is the Symes's WHIZZAR
(R Woollacott). We lost ARCTIC SHOT (Joe
Buck) on the first circuit. SENOR CID
was soon joined by P Bryant's OFF BROADWAY (J Tudor) and they took the field
along. Soon the favourite, DRYBROOK
BEDOUIN was making up ground as was SLEAZY.
In the home straight for the final time we were soon to loose S King's
SHEPHERDS HUT (J Derham) who brought down the
favourite, DRYBROOK BEDOUIN and Mr Wilmington was not a happy chappy, but not injured.
On they went down the hill with the leaders all clearing the open ditch
except J Russell's CASTLE CAZZA (R Green) who refused. Across the bottom stretch the site was
beautiful to my eyes as SLEAZY and OFF BROADWAY cleared well away from the
remainder and made it a race just for the two of them and I would pick up as
long as SLEAZY stood up! This was a good
race to the line and James Tudor got the better of Ian Channin
by three quarters of a length with the third horse, BALLYBROWN twenty five
lengths back. I would have had a really
good win but for the three quarters of a length, but ANYTHING for the tin at
the moment is good news. The bag handler
was on the favourite and was disappointed, to say the least, when it was
brought down but I don't think she used the same adjectives to express her
disappointment as the jockey did!!
A four runner Ladies open race followed but although
only four runners it was very competitive.
I chose C Dupont's BROWN COCKLE (R Green) to
carry my investment and managed to get on at a decent price whereas latecomers
would have to put up with evens or less. (I got 6 to 4) To challenge this one was V Greenaway's EL
HOMBRE DEL RIO (C Tizzard), P Nicholls and R Williams's PEROUSE (Chloe Roddick)
and Lucy Gardner on her BAK TO BILL.
Again it was an exciting finish and the judge settled the event by
granting BROWN COCKLE the winner by three quarters of a length from PEROUSE and
EL HOMBRE DEL RIO was six lengths back in third. More for the tin and, would you believe, the
bag as well! Smiles
all around.
Two divisions of Restricted
races followed. I will be rushing
through from now on as there are another four races but it does not mean they
were less exciting, but I don't want you to get to bored with me saying that I
won some more for the tin! The clear
favourite in the first division was D Ralph's NIVER BAI (A Ralph) who won his
maiden by 20 lengths or more at Larkhill so there is no doubt about that one
and sure enough he won like his price dictated, with the jointly owned SO LONG
(N Harris) from the Scott's stable up at Exmoor following him home seven
lengths back and Will Biddick on The House Family's WINNING CONNECTION three
lengths back in third but I managed to get an each price on the latter so was
off to collect a little more for the tin.
In division two
G Brown's THROWAROUND (L Gardner) was sent off favourite but while I was
watching the boards to see how the market was behaving I noticed that D Dupont's BRAEROY (I Chanin) was taking a lot of money and
his price dropped considerably. As this
owner has had one winner today (Brown Cockle) and the jockey has also had a
winner I will follow the throng and get my investment on BRAEROY. The other one fancied is The Nyland Partnership's SILVER MONARCH (R Bliss) who has
already been placed this year. Off they
went and it was not long before Mrs M Truman's DE LUAIN GORM (W White) had got
to the front and pressed on to lead the field and then to progress to being
some twenty odd lengths in front. At
times this was even more! This one was
so far in front on the second circuit that the bookies came away from their
stands and started shouting odds about this one winning, from the car
park. Even money was taken by several
punters as they watched Will press on in front.
Three left to jump and out in front DE LUAIN GORM seemed to be holding
on to his lead from the following group led now by BRAEROY and SILVER MONARCH. Into the home straight and this front runner
surely had it in the bag and at 16 to one there were a few cheering him
home. He was tired and then came
disaster, he fell! It was not only the
car park bookies that were smiling but the tin holder was laughing his head off
as his choice came home to win by two lengths - first BRAEROY (I Chanin),
second SILVER MONARCH and a distance back in third was K & J Heard's
MURPHY'S MAN (C Allen). Open up the tin
and make room, in fact, squash it down!
Finally two divisions of Open maiden races for 8 years
old saw nine runners in each division go to post. As Miss Alner (Trainer) has had a nice winner
in BRAEROY I am hoping she can do the same with T Whitley's TOP VIEW (J Derham) and I just managed to get a little on at a sensible
price. Mrs Partridge's best turned out MINTED (R Woollacott)
needed the run on return and should do better this time but probably not so
good as my choice! Off they go! It wasn't long before we lost the first one,
the The Hi Ho Friends's
FREE FROM MAGEE (Jane Reed) fell at the second so this one still hasn't got a
figure in his form line but plenty of letters, not so - one letter only - but
repeated quite often! K Price's IN THE
EAST (L Price) led the field around the first circuit and was first over the
ditch followed by Exeter Racecourse Group's WHAT A MOOSE (I Chanin) and these
two with the latter pulling for his head and the former getting in very close
at his fences were about eight lengths clear of the following group led by TOP
VIEW. These positions had not changed at
the final open ditch although WHAT A MOOSE would liked to have gone home and
tried to go into the horse box section, but was put back on track and kept up
to his work. MINTED was a clear
fourth. M Sweetland pulled up his grey
ABBEY SHADOW. Along the bottom and IN
THE EAST got caught out at the fence and was down. The pace hotted up and soon it was TOP VIEW
up in front followed by WHAT A MOOSE and these two went to the line in that
order with just four lengths separating them with MINTED fifteen lengths back
in third. Yes more for the tin! This is such fun! (this
week).
The second division saw Paul Tylor's
MR WOODROW (L Gardner) go off favourite at even money (later 6 to 4) but I chose
a horse that has been placed a couple of times this year and is the best turned out and looking lovely and
that is R Nicholls and V White's AMBER DAWN (J Barnes) and as the tin is lucky
today I will invest a little more than normal and got a decent price of three
to one. Not big enough for each way but
all on to win to send me home via The Royal Hotel for dinner as opposed to The
Burger King again! Lucy had MR WOODROW
up in front for the best part of the first circuit and was joined by
Whew! Just time now to thank Mr Oliver Carter (I also
wished him Happy Birthday as the gentleman is 90 this year) and the remainder
of the East Devon Hunt Committee for a long but a great day's racing and very
profitable. All debts paid and plenty to
spare for next week. The Dart Vale and
Haldon Harriers will be our hosts at Buckfastleigh on Sunday 9th
March 2008. I have heard a whisper that
the cotton wool is being taken off Bengal Bullet so who knows, we may yet have
the pleasure of seeing
this one run again so you had better - BE THERE!
Fred and Ruth