North Staffs
Sandon
Easter Saturday 22nd March 2008
by Arthur Shone

The North Staffs Hunt have attracted 135 entries for their fixture at Sandon, Nr Stone on Easter Saturday March 22 nd 2008, which is exactly the same number of entries they had in 2006.

Racing comes under starters orders at 1.00pm and is set to conclude at 5.00pm. After racing the North Staffs Hunt will be staging two pony races, one for ponies up to 13.2 hands and the other for ponies 14.2 hands. It is worth reflecting that the greatest ever jockey of the 19 th century Fred Archer, rode his first ever winner in a pony race on Maid Of Trent in 1868 at Bangor on Dee, aged 10.

Clerk of the course Mark Allman lists the going as Good on Monday March 17th 2008.

Admission to this popular Staffordshire course is £25 per car, regardless of the number of passengers with single occupancy charged at £15.

The North Staffs Hunt, stage the feature race in the North Western Area, which is the Scally Muire Ladies Open, worth a monkey in prize money. Heading the 21 entries is the Paul Jones trained Christy Beamish, who has won two races between the flags this season when trained by Sue Taylor and a hunter chase at Haydock when trained by her partner Paul Jones. The Jolly Jake gelding was a leading fancy for last Fridays Foxhunters at the Cheltenham Festival, but fell in the race. Jones reports that his charge has come out the race really well, he said, “I don’t really think that Cheltenham suited him as he is much better going right handed. He did a very good piece of work yesterday morning. The plan to run him in the Scally Muire Ladies Open at Sandon, before going to the Punchestown Festival.”