DULVERTON WEST
BRATTON DOWN NEAR BARNSTAPLE Saturday 21st May 2005
by Lee Glanville
Good young racehorses with a
great future ahead of them were on show at the Dulverton West point
to point, but they had to deal with the worst May weather that
Exmoor could throw at them. Thunder and lightning before racing
then rain and hail turned jockeys' colours brown with kicked back
mud by the end of the card.
Sue Wilcocks, who owned and
trained Comedy Gayle to many successes, was back in the winners'
enclosure with Pipersland, an eight-year-old by Lir which flew
round under Leslie Jefford to take the second division of the
maiden. Pipersland pulled up in his only previous point to point
this season, but had a bit of form under rules which gave him the
experience he needed to speed away up the final hill from the
Monique Pike-trained Castle Cazza (Polly Gundry). The latter is a
half sister to Area Weatherbys/Chase Young Horse Award winner Bally
Blue, who had kept Pipersland company for much of the way.
The first division saw
Charliebob, a six year old mare by Nomadic Way, make the trip down
from the Beaufort country pay off for rider/trainer Richard Hawker.
Jefford was second, for the third time this season on Alfie Ford's
17 hands high Heathfield Flyer, a five-year old son of Karinga Bay
who is still growing.
Mike Trickey had a first time
out winner of the third division in Elegant Eskimo, a six year old
Elegant Monarch mare, ridden by Dominic Alers-Hankey.
The Restricted saw a ding dong
battle between two other five year olds - top NH owner David
Johnson's Getoutwhileyoucan, ridden by Guy Weatherley and Axminster
Carpets' supremo Simon Dutfield's Freedom Bay ( Emma Tory) a winner
last time out of the Axe Vale members' race, trained by his wife
Nerys near Axminster. It was Weatherley's 14th area win of the
season.
Richard Barber sent out the
winner of the Mixed Open race, Caspers Case (Nick Williams) who,
this season, seems to either win or fall. Sarah Gaisford, a much
under-used jockey, took second on Sea Snipe, and Roger Oliver's
Mister Club Royal was third and there was a classy field behind
them.
Caroline Prouse rode her first
winner of the season when her family's Shobrooke Mill won the
Confined hunts, beating Guy Weatherley on the favourite, evergreen
15-year-old Stepasideboy.
Ian Chanin is having a great
season and took the Novice Riders PPORA race on the Gordon
Chambers-trained Mystic Warrior - the horses' third area win of the
season.
Biltons Nap recorded his third
win of the season for trainer Sally Alner, ridden by Daryl Jacob to
take the Intermediate and Ryan Bliss got the meeting under way with
a win in the members' on Bessie Bunter.
With the muddy ground having to
be put back following racing, it was a dose of reality for
secretary Claire Wright and her father Mike who had been chatting
to the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Charles and Camilla at
the Devon County Show on Thursday. "It was a good day. Our Devon
heifer ended up reserve female champion and then, next thing I
know, father is bending Prince Charles's ear about TB! They asked
how we had got on. Camilla was very down to earth, " Claire
said.
Results
Members: 1, Bessie Bunter, R
Bliss; 2, Callitwatulike, W White; 3, Happy Team, Miss O Jackson.
Four ran, 5l, 15l, 6.48.
Mixed Open: 1, Caspers Case, N
Williams; 2, Sea Snipe, Miss S Gaisford; 3, Mister Club Royal, R
Woollacott; Nine ran, 6l, 6l, 6.17.
Open Maiden Div one: 1,
Charliebob, R Hawker; 2, Heathfield Flyer, L Jefford; 3, Cattle
Class, P Mason. 11 ran, 3l, 4l, 6.35.
Division Two: 1, Pipersland, L
Jefford; 2, Castle Cazza, Miss P Gundry; 3, Grande Bretagne, Miss C
Prouse. Nine ran, 10l, 3/4l, 6.35.
Division Three: 1, Elegant
Eskimo, D Alers Hankey; 2, Bluebell Hill, T Dennis; 3, General
Short, R Woollacott. Nine ran, 8l, 12l, 6.31.
Intermediate: 1, Bilton's Nap, D
Jacob; 2, Burley Don Carlos, D Alers Hankey; 3, El Nombre, N
Williams. 12 ran, 25l, 3/4l, 6.28.
PPORA members, Nov Riders: 1,
Mystic Warrior, I Chanin; 2, Saint Romble, Miss K Hobbs; 3,
Starpath, G Tumelty. Nine ran, 5l, 12l, 6.28.
Confined Hunts: 1, Shobrooke
Mill, Miss C Prouse; 2, Stepasideboy, G Weatherley; 3, Derosa, W
White. Five ran, 5l, 6l, 6.27.
Restricted: 1,
Getoutwhileyoucan, G Weatherley; 2, Freedom Bay, Miss E Tory; 3,
O'Ech, D Alers Hankey. 13 ran, 1 1/4l, 15l, 6.31.
|