REVIEW |
The
North West Hunts Club meeting at Tabley brought the curtain down on a very
successful 2004 season in the North Western Area yesterday. The fixture
attracted plenty of runners, so much so that the opening Maiden was divided.
Racegoers basked in glorious sunshine and the crowd estimated at 8,000 plus
were treated to a cracking days racing. Shropshire
rider Richard Burton sent a clear message to his rival Ashley Farrant that
the National riders championship will go down to the wire at the Torrington
Farmers meeting at Umberleigh on June 12th. He rode the winners
of both divisions of the Open Maiden. The fist leg came with a battling
display on All Eyez On Me in the first division. Burton was headed on the
run in by Earl Token but fought back to gain a three parts of a length
success. The winner is owned by Bernard and Carol Edwards from Bromsgrove
and this was their first winner as owners. They bought the horse privately
last season off Dr Phillip Pritchard. It was also a belated seasons success
for trainer Mike Hammond from Worcester, who has 9 horses in his yard at
present. The second leg came aboard the Sheila Crow trained Jupiter George
who never came off the bridle to beat Snitton Salvo by 8 lengths. The winner
was compensation for Nantwich owner Nick Morgan, whose other good horse with
the Crows, Along The Lawn, was killed earlier in the season at Eaton Hall. Burton
was expected to complete a treble in the North West Club Members Race aboard
the Sheila Crow trained Pristeen Spy, who went off the heavily backed 1-2 on
jolly. They looked all over the winner jumping the last but Adam Wadlow
conjured up a run on My Native Knight to win by a length and in half in the
shadow of the post. The winner is trained by the riders mother Annabel at
Bridgenorth and owned by his father Simon, who was delighted after the race,
he said, “He has always had breathing problems and still has that’s why
the plan was to hold him up, because he only has one run and Adam rode him
to perfection.” There was a tremendous
finish to the end of the Ladies Open. Coming to the last fence there were
three horses in a line. Class Of Ninety Two under Sue Sharratt held a narrow
advantage from Dancetillyoudrop and Turia Tellwright with the well backed
jolly Pretoria Dancer rallying in third. In a desperate finish, the spoils
went to Turia Tellwright who got a renewed response from her mount to win by
a length and a half in the shadow of the post from Class Of Ninety Two. This
was the 20-year-old student from Bristol University’s first winner from
just 6 rides. The Clearly Bust gelding is trained by her mother Tiddles at
Malpas, who was a fair rider in her time. Speaking after the race, she said,
”Turia was given the horse by Paul Nicholls who she rides work for one day
a week as a gift. We were originally going to go eventing with him, but
decided to have a season with him pointing and it has turned out to be the
right decision now. I have had a lot of help from the Brookshaws (Steve
& Zena) with training the horse, they have been great.” Turia’s
father Kirkland was on hand to greet his daughters first success and he said
afterwards that the ground was really good at the course and he should know
as he is the clerk of the course at Haydock Park. It
is not very often that you get a 15-year-old former chaser going off as
favourite in a Men’s Open race but that’s exactly what General Wolfe did
yesterday at the Cheshire course. The old boy had no answer to the
7-year-old Supreme Silence who beat him easing down under Nick Kent by 6
lengths, which made the long trip from West Yorkshire worthwhile for the
winning connections. One
of the easiest winners of the day was Border Run in the PPORA Club Members
Race who won in a hack canter by 10 lengths from Springwood White with
Crackrattle a further 4 lengths away. The winner is trained at Tarporley by
Richard Edwards, who is head lad to Alan Bailey and co owner Will Padden is
Baileys amateur rider at the yard. The other co owner is Michelle Mullineaux,
whose father Mick recommended the horse to the trainer. Worleston rider Gary Hanmer regards the Tabley course as his manor. It was therefore fitting that he should win the Getting Out Stakes (Intermediate) on the Paul Jones trained Sharlom. The winner is co owned by the Albrighton Hunt clerk of the course Martin Kemp and by Steve Hammond. Both men are from the same village Burnhill Green, near Albrighton. |