Weekend Round-up
12th & 13th January 2008
by Peter Mansell
photos by Graham Fisher

WINNERS ON BOTH DAYS OF P.P.O.R.C. MEETING BUT SOME WERE MORE POPULAR THAN OTHERS

The first day of the Point-to-Point Owners and Riders Club fixture at Barbury Racecourse was held in brilliant sunshine, which was in sharp contrast to some of the snow covered countryside prevalent on the journey to the course.

The chalky subsoil had taken everything the elements could throw at it during the preceding 24 hours with the official going described as soft, but “tacky” and “holding” were other adjectives used to assess the courses condition, and this could have been one of the reasons for some surprise results in the first two races.

The West Midlands finished the day with a couple of winners, but they came from two unexpected sources and that was self evident when View Hollo provided his supporters with a 50-1 win in Division I of the Connollys Red Mills Intermediate.

The Tweseldown Maiden winner Milton Du Tresor was a warm favourite for this contest but never seemed happy on the ground and was beaten as they raced along the back straight for the final time.

View Hollo had taken up the running a few fences earlier and gave his rivals a jumping lesson during the last mile. He was headed briefly by Candlelight Valley between the last two fences but managed to get his head in front again after the final obstacle and clung onto that narrow advantage on the run to the line.

View Hollo and Ran Morgan sprang a surprise in the Intermediate Div1

“That was a welcome tonic, because we lost Stage Friendly who broke his pelvis on the gallops earlier in the week” said Naunton trainer Emma Baker after the success of her mother Jane’s 10-year-old gelding.

Jockey Ran Morgan was convinced that the horses jumping had won the day “We were gaining 2-lengths at every fence and that is very difficult to peg back in these conditions”.

Our second winner of the day was provided by Jaunty Journey in Division I of the 2-1/2 mile Maiden in a time that was considerably quicker than the second half of this race.

Jaunty Journey was described by the commentator Martin Harris “as running with the choke out” during the first circuit of this contest, so everybody was expecting the Fergal O’Brien trained 5-year-old to pay for his endeavours later in the race.

Mark Wall quickened the pace as they raced down the back straight for the last time and was left with a clear advantage when the favourite Coombe Hill made an error at the fourth from home.

Jaunty Journey had the race in safe keeping from this point and a 7-length advantage at the penultimate had been increased to 12-lengths as the winner passed the judge.

Jaunty Journey and Mark Wall return following an impressive win in the 2.5 mile Maiden Div1

The 5-year-old carries the colours of Sue Collett but as trainer Fergal O’Brien explained afterwards “Jim (Collett) had been watching both horses run in Bumpers and we actually went to Doncaster Sales to buy his half-sister (Jaunty Flight) but she made too much, so we got this one instead”.

The Naunton stable was recording its first win of the season “We had four third places last week, so have been hitting the goal posts, but now we have finally scored a goal” said Fergal after this victory.

Mark Wilesmith and Buckingham Bill led into the home straight in Division II of the Connollys Red Mills race but could not withstand the late thrust of Holly Walk to whom he was conceding 7lbs.

Future Sovereign was returning after a long absence in this race but the Andy Hobbs trained and Clive Hitchings owned gelding was finally pulled up at the 13 th after several errors.

Immediate analysis of Premium Firsts run in the Conditions was probably one of disappointment but bearing in mind this was the horses first run for 18 months and on conditions that we were far from ideal, the run could be better than first appeared.

These early season meetings are proving frustrating for some stables and that proved the case with the Kim Smyly trained Iphar in Division II of the 2 ½ mile Maiden.

The 7-year-old was ridden with more restraint than had been the case at Tweseldown before he was sent up to the leading group at the 9 th. The pace quickened along the back straight but Iphar was holding his own and had yet to be asked a serious question when he made a slight mistake at the fourth from home which ejected David Maxwell from the saddle. This left Kinsford Cowboy to come home and claim a comfortable victory.

Titantic Quarter and Mark Wall carried the Maxwell colours in the concluding race, Division II of the Restricted and this partnership made their presence felt throughout this contest but were unable to withstand the late surge of the favourite Worship the Stars who was following up his Dunthrop win.

Sunday’s meeting was held in conditions that were in complete contrast to the first day, with the day starting in strong winds and rain before conditions eventually improved.

Anthony Ward Thomas had two runners in the first race, Division I of the Novice Riders, but unfortunately for him he chose to partner Kim Smyly’s North Cotswold qualified Willie the Kid, while victory went to his other horse Splash and Dash who gained a half length victory over Hornbill.

Connections were hoping that Bonnie Zoe would provide owner David Maxwell with some compensation for his exploits the previous afternoon and the 6-year-old had given an exemplary round of jumping in Division II of the Mares Maiden.

She was about 25-lengths clear as they passed the judge for the first time, but unfortunately made a mistake at the 11 th, which severed the partnership with Maxwell.

This race was eventually won by Adrian Wintle on Royal Niece who scored a 7-length victory over his wife Hannah on One of the Lads although this partnership had to overcome a Stewards Enquiry after Wintle had weighed in 9lbs over his allotted weight, for which he was fined £50.

Adrian Wintle and Royal Niece (left) returns with wife Hannah aboard second One For The Lads before controversy at the scales

Given the right guidance Twenty Degrees proved last year that he is a very difficult horse to beat, but as Julian Pritchard found out at this meeting in 2007 the horse has not got to hit the front too soon.

Polly Gundry proved an able deputy when Pritchard suffered his career ending injury last May, but even owner Mike Hawker “thought that she had hit the front too soon” when the gelding jumped past the opposition at the 16th.

Ladies Open winners Polly Gundry and Twenty Degrees

As Polly explained afterwards “I was trying to keep him in a good rhythm” and eventually she was left with no alternative after Happy Shoppers effort had petered out at the penultimate. Clear at the last, Twenty Degrees extended his advantage on the flat.

“He won’t get beaten when things go right and he has a lead” said Alison Dare of her Sherston trained gelding after the race, while Hunter Chases are likely to feature on the horses future agenda according to the horses owner Mike Hawker.

When owners Peter and Liza Hall purchased a new property at North Nibley, they wanted their horses close at hand which meant that both Cottage River and Why Connie were eventually transferred from Dick Baimbridge’s stable at Berkeley.

This manoeuvre seemed to coincide with the retirement of some of Dick’s horses and other movements have left Baimbridge with very little ammunition for the coming season.

“I just had to put the finishing touches, because Dick had done much of the preparatory work before the horses move in November,” said Houldey after Cottage River’s success in Division II of the Horses and Geldings Maiden.

The 8-year-old who was purchased by his current connections from Martin Oliver, who has been the source of numerous Point-to-Point winners over the years.

David Mansell steered a wide course throughout on Cottage River but their 3-length lead at the 13 th had been significantly reduced as Silent Gunner and Yeabut joined the leader at the 16 th.

Silent Gunner was the first to crack, but Ryan Mahon looked to have produced Yeabut with a winning run when jumping the last in unison with Mansell’s mount. Both jockeys asked for maximum effort on the run in with Cottage River proving just the stronger in the last 50 yards.

A smiling Dave Mansell returns on Open Maiden Div 2 winner Cottage River

Mark Wall had a good weekend and in last weeks edition of the Racing Post Weekender he had given readers a pointer to his chances when he nominated Harry Teal as the horse he was most looking forward to riding this weekend.

That analysis proved spot on with the 6-year-old leading from the 12 th and overcoming major blunders at the 16 th and the last to claim an easy victory.

“I thought that if we went short, he would end up on his nose, so we went for it and he’s a big enough horse to get away with it” explained Wall afterwards of their disagreement with the 16th, while John Crew thoughts on the last fence mistake “was that he had been in front a long time”.

The horse is trained by Betty Crew at Ewen in the V.W.H. country and he has done a lot of show jumping, dressage and hunting in preparation for this race. Asked where the horse had come from Mr Crew said “we brought him as a 3-year-old at Doncaster in August 2005, because we couldn’t afford a 4-year-old!”