Weekend Round-up
2nd & 3rd February 2008
by Peter Mansell
photos by Graham Fisher

WEST MIDLAND STABLES WIN SIX RACES AT CHADDESLEY WITH DOUBLES FOR ANDY HOBBS AND FERGAL O’BRIEN

Despite starting at 11-30 a.m. the Harkaway Club only just managed to squeeze 144 horses into Sunday afternoon’s marathon 10-race card, with the meeting finally finishing in failing light at 4-45 p.m. on a bitterly cold but thankful dry day at Chaddesley Corbett.

The West Midlands is renowned for the condition of its courses and quality of its racing and if the remaining 12 meetings in the area match the Harkaway Club standards then we are all in for a real treat.

After several false dawns Andy Hobbs finally got off the mark with a double after Premium First’s win in the Ladies and Olivier’s success in Division I of the 8-year-old and upward Maiden.

Fergal O’Brien was another trainer to hit the bullseye twice with Marblehead winning Division II of the Restricted while his stablemate Fergals Find took the Intermediate.

Marblehead and Mark Wall scored a pillar to post victory in the Restricted Div2 from Royal Niece on a mixed day for connections

Mrs P Duncan’s Fergal’s Find completed a double for trainer Fergal O’Brien in the Intermediate

Claire Allen has done very well to remain in contention for the Ladies Championship after upheavals in Dick Baimbridge’s stable left him with just three horses.

She maintained her position in the Title race after Innocent Rebel’s Wadebridge success but needed to pull out all the stops on Premium First before landing a very competitive Harkaway Ladies Open.

The winner was always at the forefront of affairs before starting to assert his superiority over Redskin Raider on the uphill run to the 15 th. They were still in the lead turning for home, which was where Angela Rucker chose to launch Pirate Flagships assault on the prize.

Premium First and Claire Allen (right) took a thrilling Ladies Open from Pirate Flagship (pale blue)

Miss Allen’s mount held a clear lead at the penultimate but a mistake at this obstacle and another at the last gave his rival cause for optimism and Claire needed to use all her experience to keep the winner in front.

Pirate Flagship began to eat into the leaders advantage on the flat and the two runners were locked together as they flashed past the judge with Clive Hitching’s runner gaining the verdict runner by a short head.

As Andy Hobbs wife Rachel said afterwards “Its like buses you wait a long time for one to come along and then you get two at once” following Olivier’s popular success in Division I of the 8-year-old and upwards Maiden.

Stan Warner and his co-owner Kate Foster-Smith were full of praise for Dr Svend E Kold and his staff at the Willesley Equine Clinic in Tetbury for getting Olivier back onto the track.

The horse has not been on a racecourse since his fall at Cottenham in January 2006. It was subsequently discovered that the 10-year-old had several fused vertebrae in his back but the veterinary skills of Kold coupled with Andy Hobb’s ability as a trainer meant that Warner’s gelding started favourite for this contest despite all the obvious disadvantages.

Olivier and Adrian Wintle provided trainer Andy Hobbs with a double in the older horses Maiden Div1

The horse jumped brilliantly throughout and was given a confident ride by Adrian Wintle who brought the winner with a well-timed run to snatch the lead as they turned into the home straight.

Mr Roche T got to within 2-lengths at the penultimate where Olivier was less than footperfect but he was soon back on an even keel and able to put daylight between himself and the runner up on the flat.

O’Brien’s double was initiated by Marblehead in Division II of the Restricted. Adopting his familiar front running tactics Mark Wall was able to maintain a 2-length advantage for most of the second circuit.

Adrian Wintle and Royal Niece (who had won under their 9lb penalty at Barbury!) looked a major danger at the third from home but Mark Wall conjured a race winning leap from the leader at the penultimate and Marblehead ran on in determined fashion to score by two and a half lengths.

Fergals Find provided O’Brien with his second winner of the afternoon after an impressive victory in the Intermediate. The 9-year-old has had his fair share of problems in the past and recent problems with his blood has been resolved by changing his feed so after all these troubles this win was particularly pleasing for the Naunton trainer.

O’Brien was especially pleased for connections who had lost the useful Clishmacliver at Leicester earlier in the week but he pronounced that everything had fallen in Fergals Find favour on this occasion “a strong pace, good ground and a positive ride”.

Held up for most of the trip Ran Morgan began to push his mount into contention as they raced up the hill towards the home straight.

Classic Shot still held a narrow advantage at the third from home but had no answer when Fergals Find swept by on the run to the penultimate obstacle. Duel winner Worship the Stars responded well in a driving finish but the leader maintained his advantage all the way up in the run in.

Eleven runners faced the starter in a top class Mens Open for which Something Small started a very hot favourite, but at the finish Sam Waley Cohen’s mount was comprehensively outpointed by Mister Banjo.

An impressive winner of his only run last year, the Clifton-on-Teme qualified 12-year-old took the lead off Hope Sound at the far end of the course and using enterprising tactics Burton’s mount shot into a 5-length lead.

Something Small was sent in pursuit but it was immediately obvious that the winner had gone beyond recall and the favourite was unable to make any inroads into the leaders advantage down the home straight.

The classy Mister Banjo and Richard Burton landed the Mens Open...
...to the delight of owner Jack Sherwood

Both horses were dismounted returning to the winners enclosure, with Something Small looking lame before he was sent straight back to the horsebox, while it is unclear whether Mister Banjo was dismounted as a precaution or whether he was slightly sore after all his exertions.

Lolo Trail crowned a fine afternoon for local stables by claiming victory in Division II of the 5-6-7 year old Maiden under David Mansell. This was the second success for Suckley trainer Karen O’Neill following Cross the Highman’s victory at Dunthrop earlier in the season.

The winner had finished well behind Jaunty Journey at Barbury but that horse had advertised the form by finishing third in a Division of the Restricted earlier in the afternoon, and Lolo Trail was never in danger of defeat after striking the front with three fences to jump.

Dave Mansell was successful on Lolo trail in the younger horses Maiden Div1

Jakari provided 19-year-old George Scott with his first winner following that horse’s success in the opening Members Race. Lough Ennel looked a big danger coming up the hill, but he ruined his chances by making a mistake at a vital time and losing four lengths in the process and he was unable to recover the deficit during the final half-mile.

Lough Ennel’s trainer Nicky Sheppard is making slow but steady progress recovering from her broken pelvis and was on hand to witness the horses pleasing performance.

Mr Cee got a winner on the scoreboard for the Welsh Border Area after his victory in Division I of the Restricted. Caroline Walker’s Herefordshire trained gelding was prominent throughout this contest and had established a 5-length lead on the downhill run to the third from home.

Nick Oliver did it his way as Mr Cee took the Restricted Div1 from Emmet Hotel and Jaunty Journey

The runner up Emmet Hotel looked well beaten at this point but began to make significant inroads into the leaders advantage on the flat but was still a length down as they raced past the judge.

Phillip York’s journey up from the Staff College country was rewarded after For Your Benefits success in Division I of the younger Maiden. The mare showed the benefit of her seasonal debut behind Sir Harry Cool at Cottenham with a 5-length victory over Equivocate.

Dicks Baimbridge’s mare was showing form far in advance of anything that had been seen prior to this race and it appears that the Berkeley trainer may well have another further winner on his hands. She looked dangerous until her effort petered out between the final two fences.

Equivocate (Claire Allen) finished second in the younger horses Maiden Div2

Yeabut and Lagosta were inseparable as they raced towards the final obstacle in the concluding Maiden with no quarter being asked or given by their respective pilots Ryan Mahon and Rachel Reynolds.

Both horses met the fence on a perfect stride but Yeabut stumbled momentarily a few yards after the fence and this allowed Lagosta to claim a narrow advantage, which was maintained all the way to the line. This was a first training success from Bromfield based Steve Graham.

Miss Allen’s endeavours over the weekend were put into the shade after Polly Gundry had ridden the winner of four successive races at Black Forest Lodge on Sunday afternoon.

The first was provided by Lord Attica who scored an easy win in the Intermediate in the colours of Sandra Booked. The horse is trained by her son in law Bradley Clarke from stables at Chipping Sodbury in the heart of the Beaufort country.

Sylvia Francome is also based in that area and Francly Flora took a Division of the Maiden after proving too strong for her rivals on the run in.

Miss Gundry’ other two winners were provided by Dr Cerullo and Rockwithacaveman.

Miss Gundry now leads the Ladies Championship with 9 winners. Miss Allen has 7 successes to her credit, while Rachel Green trails them in third with 5 victories.

Our runners had mixed fortunes at the Cambridgeshire with Enfield Chase meeting at Horseheath on Saturday afternoon.

The Kim Smyly trained and David Maxwell ridden Pingaro De La Vire had been travelling like a winner when unseating his rider at Idford Arch earlier in the season. He would have been expected to improve on that performance so his third place in the Maiden behind The Pipers Son and Where’s My Baby was slightly disappointing.

William and Angela Rucker’s Ballylusky started a short price favourite for the Mens Open but was beaten for the second time this season behind the improving The Hookie Bookie while Gentle Rivage and Mark Wall were another 3-lengths away in third place.

There was compensation for the Rucker’s after Unmistakably Ladies race victory. A previous winner of the Dudley Cup, the 11-year-old now carries the colours of the Ruckers and Angela mother Pat Tollitt.

Bypassing a run at Chaddesley on Sunday, the horse made the long journey over to Cambridgeshire from his Himbleton stables to be confronted by another local combination in Madge Carroll who had travelled over from her Enville stables near Kidderminster.

Mrs Rucker is riding better than ever this year and showing his undoubted class Unmistakably had 3-lengths in hand over his rival at the post and should be able to build on this performance during the coming weeks.

Claire Allen has travelled far and wide in search of winners this season and that policy continues to pay off when she landed her sixth winner at Saturdays North Cornwall fixture at Wadebridge.

Sea Snipe was beaten 10-lengths by Tsars Twist in the Members while Cool Friend finished runner up in Division II of the Maiden. In between those successes she scored an easy win on Innocent Rebel who had 12-lengths to spare over Lets Fly at the finish of the Ladies Open.

By the tenth race only a few of the bookies were able to shed any light on things