REVIEW
EAST DEVON
BISHOPS COURT, OTTERY ST MARY
SATURDAY 28 FEBRUARY 2004

by Lee Glanville

A marathon day at Bishops Court saw 146 horses contest 12 races, with three horses balloted out of the later maiden races to avoid further divisions and beat the dusk deadline.

There were doubles for riders Ashley Farrant, Godfrey Maundrell (who also owned and trained his winners), Nick Williams and Jamie Snowden, trainer David Pipe; and a treble for Dorset trainer Richard Barber.

The much anticipated duel in the men’s open between Oneminutetofive and Right To Reply fizzled out when the latter unshipped his jockey four fences from home, when many thought he was going the betterr. Eventual second Mouseski  (Nick Williams) ran well but was never in a position to challenge Farrant on the winner.

There was a close race for the 13 runner ladies’ open which saw Ease the Pressure (Rachel Green) just get home ahead of Emma Tory on Wink and Whisper. This was the first of the Barber treble, the others being Combat Drinker, winner of the Maiden Division Two part one under Nick Williams, and Lord Anner, also ridden by Williams, to take Division Three of the maiden. Barber was close to having  a great day - he and Williams took second  in three other races.

One of those was in the confined which saw a terrific front running performance from Roger Oliver’s blinkered Ronan’s Choice (Richard Darke).”He just kept on finding more every time someone came up to  challenge,” Darke said. By coincidence, best turned out judge for the day, Kathy Stuart, had originally bought the horse from the sales to go national hunt racing, selling him on when he didn’t make the grade.

Jamie Snowden experienced the highs and the lows of racing. He rode a double on James Drummond’s Out the Black, trained by Caroline Keevil, in the Intermediate and  Gill Greenwood’s Wayward Spree, in Division Two part two of the maiden, but lost his own horse Withycombe, also trained by Philip Greenwood,  which collapsed and died from a heart attack after finishing third in the Restricted Division Two.

Another owner , trainer and jockey to undergo the same rollercoaster ride was Brian Kilpatrick, David Pipe and Ashley Farrant, who having won the men’s open, lost Heliotrope in the last race of the day.

Results: Members: 1, Vivid Imagination, A Farrant; 2, Norlandic, L Jefford; 3, Lazy Lemon, Lt C Llewellin. Five ran, 28l, 15l, 6.12.

Men’s Open: 1, Oneminutetofive, A Farrant; 2, Mouseski, N Williams; 3, Cool Wager, D Edwards. 10 ran, 20l, 20l, 6.05.

Confined Hunts: 1, Ronan’s Choice, R Darke; 2, Caspers Case, N Williams; 3, Sir D’Orton, Miss C Tizzard. 11 ran, 4l, 5l, 6.09.

Intermediate: 1, Out The Black, J Snowden; 2, By My Side, A Charles Jones; 3, Bak on Board, Miss L Gardner. 14 ran, 6l, 8l, 6.08.

Ladies’ Open: 1, Ease The Pressure, Miss R Green; 2, Wink and Whisper, Miss E Tory; 3, Beadnell Bay, Miss A Goschen. 13 ran, 1l, 2l, 6.09.

Restricted Division One: 1, Sea Snipe, Miss T Cave; 2, Sutton Courtenay, T Davey; 3, State Medlar, R Woollacott. 15 ran, 4l, 1l, 6.17.

Division Two: 1, Rhythm King, G Maundrell; 2, I Am Said I, A Farrant; 3, Withycombe, J Snowden. 12 ran, 1l, dist, 6.18. 

Maiden Division one: 1, Headwrecker, G Maundrell; 2, Wild Chimes, N Williams; 3, Nearly a Mildred, Miss A Goschen. 14 ran, 2l, 15l, 6.24. 

Division Two part one: 1, Combat Drinker, N Williams; 2, Flo Keen, J Snowden; 3, Hayling Star, M Sweetland. Nine ran, dist, dist, 6.33.

Part two: 1, Wayward Spree, J Snowden; 2, Four of a Kind, R Darke; 3, Off The Hook, I Hambley. Nine ran, 10l, 4l, 6.32.

Maiden Division Three: 1, Lord Anner, N Williams; 2, Zakley, C Heard; 3, Smokey Joe, C Heywood. 17 ran, 25l, 1l, 6.20.

Division Four: 1, Maybe A Double, R Bliss; 2, Virginos Bambino, A Charles Jones; 3, Rio Pops, Miss A Goschen. 17 ran, dist, 20l, 6.20