Report
from Tiverton Foxhounds Point to Point meeting held at
We encountered a little fog on the way up to
Six runners in the 'Farmers' race and with a couple of
exceptions, some class is prominent. The
best turned out K Sanderson's
HOLLANDIA (D Pick) is available at fifty to one although I have been informed
by the lady who always turns up without a pencil/pen, borrows one from me and
nearly always returns it, that if this one is still standing coming up to the
final three fences on rising ground, it will win as it has a good finishing
speed. The other complete outsider (25
to 1) is Mrs Green's ANY JUSTICE (Danny Cook) who has yet to get a figure as opposed to a letter in his form book and is not
expected to be concerned in the finish.
Off they go to conquer the eighteen fences on ground that officially
races as Good to Soft - Soft in places.
The
The mixed open saw a good field of sixteen go to post
and this is going to be a difficult race to find the winner or even placed
horses. Invest wisely I told myself and
after much perusing of the race card I got it down to three before finally
settling for an investment on C Dupont's BROWN COCKLE
(Rachel Green). G Foot's ASKERS JACK
owes me a little and the time is coming when he will repay but I don't think it
will be today. Likewise Mrs Dunne's BEWLEYS GUEST who will come on for this
run. N Sutton's UNLEASH (N Schofield)
who ran a good race at the end of last year and Mrs Murphy's WENDYS DYNAMO
(Mark Munrowd) who is running really well this season come into my equation,
but I think they will be behind BROWN COCKLE today. Off they go!
Some a little unsettled at first but by the time they reach the judge on
the first circuit all seems to be going well and a steady pace is being
achieved. Approaching fence five
With ten runners to post in the Intermediate it could
be our turn now as we consoled one another, as we do when losing. This time I will be investing in The Wee
Willy Winkles's CANDLELIGHT VALLEY (Will Biddick) who
has had a run this season and did it well (2nd) but challenging him
for favouritism is S Trump's MCSOLO (I Chanin) who carries form but did not
race in 2007, and Three Shires Partnership MR GOOFY (J Mahot)
who also has winning form. A slow pace from the off saw MCSOLO taking the field
along for a while but as the pace quickened a little the group had bunched up
and passing the judge there was only about five lengths between first and
last. Down the far side and to the first
of the open ditches saw Jeremy Mahot take MR GOOFY to
the front and he was now kicking on and Starre Gorse
Partner's BALLOUGHTON (Miss J Hughes) soon joined him for company and they went
about five lengths to the good of Mrs Hill and
Two divisions of PPORA Club Members' race follow with
eleven in division one and ten in division two.
A sure winner in the first one in the shape of that lovely thing Mr P
Miles's LADY MYFANWY with Rhys Flint onboard.
This little mare that is in the race card as eight years old in fact is
seven years old and to add to that she was a late foal (born ten past two on
July 2nd!) so she really is a youngster and will go off the odds on
favourite to win this division. I need to
replenish the tin very quickly so I will look for a longer priced outsider to
back each way in the hope of bettering the odds I would have got on 'the
lady'. As I have no chance now of
changing my name I will go for Donald Summersgill's
FREDERICK FOREVER (Becky Barnett) and at odds which will give me a few quid if
any of the first three places he fills.
Off they go and the first two across the bottom and to race up the hill
are MISTER CLUB ROYAL and J Stallard riding her own best turned out veteran STEELE
MILL. LADY MYFANWY is travelling nicely
in the centre of the pack with my choice just a little in front of her. Miss Stenning on her
QUIZZLING is riding a come back from the rear group but I feel the back is too
far back to get into the frame in this race.
This continued to be a very good race with the Horton's YOU DO THE MATH
(J Horton) running well as was Mr Bryne on his TOP
STRATEGY with LADY MYFANWY anchored just at the back of the leading group and
travelling well. Heading to the final
open ditch, push became shove for some of them and the
pressure was on. Fallen - MISTER CLUB
ROYAL, so WILD OATS (B Clarke) takes over the lead with TOP STRATEGY
challenging and here comes LADY MYFANWY to make it three. The race up the last three was terrific with
Rhys Flint having to be a little serious on the favourite as TOP STRATEGY and
WILD OATS would not go away. Up to the
last and over it and a good race to the line and LADY MYFANWY took it by one
length from TOP STRATEGY and a further six lengths back was WILD OATS in third. FREDERICK FOREVER was - oh! It doesn't really
matter as the tin gets nothing but to Donald and Becky it does - he was
FOURTH! (or was
it fifth?)
Division two was another disaster for Sam Allwood as
SAORSIE didn't like him either and he was given no chance, so a walk back again
but one who did have a lovely ride and was acclaimed as the best ride of the
day was Sam Mathews on the 25 to one shot HARBRIDGE. With very little form other than to say he
had taken part in two match races and won two otherwise well beaten. I had chosen The Basil Brush Club's
VISIBILITY (Jenny Carr) to put perhaps just a little in the tin, not much, just
a little as it desperately needs it. The
favourite at the off was the Pritchard's WINDY SPIRIT with J Roberts's KINGSTON
BANKER (S Parish) a close second favourite.
A little late money for BUZYBAKSON from the Hawkins stable brought his
price down a little but VISIBILITY was only five to one so an each way wager
was out of the question so I settled for a win.
It was a good pace and when they squared up to meet the rising ground
and towards us for the first time it was young Mr Henderson on the families DUN
LOCHA CASTLE who was setting this pace closely followed I might add by non
other than VISIBILITY. Up and past they
go out onto the final circuit and Jenny Carr kicked my choice on here and went
some twelve lengths into the lead followed by WINDY SPIRIT and then a line of
three. On they go as I dared to move to
open the boot of the car to make sure the tin was still safe as I haven't had
need to open it lately other than to withdraw from the fast diminishing
funds. Over the ditch and Jenny was
flying. When they passed me earlier it
was Sam Allwood who was impressively bringing HARBRIDGE slowly from last to a
very good position for his final run down the back straight and it was him now that was closing on WINDY
SPIRIT who was quite a few lengths back from MY
leader. Coming round the bend to
face the uphill and three plain fences Jenny had VISIBILITY some six lengths to
the good followed by WINDY SPIRIT and then HARBRIDGE who appeared to be going
the best. I was about to lose again as
Sam Mathews took hold of this race and did the driving in fine style to bring
his charge home to win by two lengths from David Pritchard and Jenny Carr. Close the tin as nothing to collect as the
judge announced - first HARBRIDGE, second WINDY SPIRIT and third
VISIBILITY. When will this improve?
Two divisions of Restricted
races now with fifteen in division one and eleven in division two. In division one it was J McCullough's
SULAWACEE (R Green) who continued his winning form from BFL maiden, albeit he has
pulled up at Larkhill since and came home to just beat the bag handler's
investment carrier MANMOON (
In division two I settled to invest on a horse with
good form, acts on good and it is stated that 'improvement is likely'. Why o' why couldn't
the improvement be today. After running
a very good race, most of it up front, Mrs Griffiths's
VALUSO (D Jones) could not finish in the frame.
Three from home saw a good race ruined when D Mead's TOM CANNON (
One division of fourteen runners and two of eleven. Surely one will save the day! The course is now becoming more difficult and
horses have been finishing tired so these maidens will probably be more
unpredictable than usual. I have just
sold three pens and two pencils, returned my whisky draw tickets and asked for
the money back as I didn't win and two slices of the bag handlers boiled fruit
cake brought in another 75p so between us we will be able to invest on two out
of the three races. The bag handler will
invest on the first division and she has gone for Richard Woollacott to bring home
A Ford's HEATHFIELD FLYER in first place but what do we see - a very poor start
from this one and was soon pulled up!
The favourite jockey of the bag handler went on to win this race by two
and half lengths after an extremely good ride on Kit James's THOOR BALLYEE at a
good price of seven to one. Second was
Rhys Hughes on W M McKeown's best turned out WELL MICK and third was P Nicholls's MAN OF THE
MOMENT (R Lee). Now it is my turn to
choose one and I am going for the Hobbs's NOEUD VERT (K Hobbs) who is the
favourite but I can afford two pencils and a slice of cake with the hope of
winning twice as much as I invest. That
is quite a joke! By the time the only two successful horses finished, the
remainder were roaming the countryside minus anyone or in some cases, any
thing, to steer them back to their boxes.
There were jockeys resting on their bums right around the course and I
am pleased to say that the only thing that was hurt was their pride. First home by one and three quarter lengths
was Isabel Tompsett on her CRESSWELL TORIA who rode a
super finish to get the better of the only horse left standing with a man or
woman on its back, Mrs Atkinson and Mrs Mitchell's DECLANS CHOICE (D
Drake). Finally the lady who borrowed my
pencil at the beginning of the meeting and told me how good HOLLANDIA was, came
back for a laugh when I told her that I didn't invest on her recommended horse
and we were not having a good day and the tin and bag were empty. Guess what!
She bought the pencil, paid in cash and we can now both wager
on the final race. All on The Supremely
Royal Family's SUPREME ROYAL with Sam Allwood in the plate and with form like 'second in a Larkhill maiden and staying on -
improving' we are surely going to pick
up a little. Not so! Nick Williams was here to ride P Dando's MIDNIGHT HAZE, 'an Unraced NH or Point to
Point' candidate and it won this race in
fine style coming home seven lengths to the good of Tigga
Barnes on A Harris's LANSDOWNE PARK who was just a length to the good of Rhys
Hughes on M McMahon's VICEROY CLOSE.
I have never seen our containers in such poor state -
empty! Not one winner between us for the
entire day and there were over 100 runners.
How can one enjoy themselves in such a state - WE DO! It is only loaned and we have had a wonderful
day with great company and super weather and it is down hill to Newquay so we
can free wheel for most of the way. One
thing is for sure and that is we will be at The Royal Cornwall Showground next
weekend for the North Cornwall P to P and then on to BFL on Sunday, early for
the Pony racing and the Mid Devon Hunt P to P. BE THERE!
Sorry for the delay with this report but we had to
push the Jimny the last few miles!!!
Fred and Ruth