North Hereford at Whitwick Manor
16th February 2008
by Peter Mansell

ANDY HOBBS SEES DOUBLE AT WHITWICK

After a slow start to the season, things are finally beginning to click into place for Hanley Castle trainer Andy Hobbs. He took two horses to Saturdays North Herefordshire meeting at Whitwick Manor and ended up winning the Confined with Clive Hitchings Saint Reverien and Division I of the Confined Maiden with Ben Ryan.

Adrian Wintle had no time to celebrate Saint Reverien’s success as he had to pack up his kit and dash up the motorway to join Rachel Hobbs who saddled Royal Hector for the Haydock Park Hunter Chase. The long distance double proved elusive with the Hobbs runner pulling up at the 11 th.

Adrian Wintle and Saint Reverien have the Confined in safe keeping as they start to draw clear of Antonine (left) and Master Club Royal (right)
Photo by Pete Mansell

Saint Reverien has loads of ability but the application of a sheepskin noseband and cheekpieces cannot always be relied upon to help him focus on the job in hand. Ignoring the hold up tactics that had proved so successful in the past, connections took the decision to ride him more prominently in this contest.

Confined winner Saint Reverien (Adrian Wintle) was the first leg of a double for trainer Andy Hobbs
Photo by Graham and David Fisher

He closed on the leaders as they ran downhill towards the 14 th and held a narrow lead over Mister Club Royal when they reappeared back into view. A mistake at the second from home could have proved his undoing but he kept pulling out more on the flat and eventually claimed the spoils by two and a half-lengths.

Wintle reported that he had two legs on one side of the saddle after the horse had made a bad mistake at the 4 th, while the trainer said that “Confidence is the key to the horses success and I would not be averse to running the horse again in a similar contest”.

Saint Reverien and Adrian Wintle returning to the winners enclosure
Photo by Pete Mansell

Connections then had a long wait before they could run their second horse Ben Ryan in Division I of the Confined Maiden, but it proved worth it in the end.

The 9-year-old had run well on his seasonal debut at Weston Park and fulfilled the potential he had shown on that occasion with an easy win over 15 opponents. Nick Olivier dismounted the horse on his way back to the winners enclosure, but hopefully there will not be any long term repercussions.

Nick Oliver completes a double for himself and trainer Andy Hobbs aboard Ben Ryan in the Confined Maiden Div1
Photo by Graham and David Fisher

Inch Royal took the field along at a good pace for the majority of this contest, but the Claudia Wilesmith trained 7-year-old began to beat a retreat as they turned back towards home.

Several horses were in with a chance as they rounded the bend into the home straight but Ben Ryan asserted his superiority over Alexander Musical between the final two fences and had the race in safe keeping jumping the last.

Ben Ryan runs in the colours of the Dark Horse Partnership, a combination of owners with other horses in the yard, with the syndicate headed by the trainer’s wife Rachel.

The Ladies Open produced one of the most exciting finishes of the day with four horses vying for victory on the run between the final two fences. A good jump at the last resulted in the Claire Allen ridden Moonoki finishing a length clear of Fantastic Champion, with Magicien another length and a half away in third, while the favourite Why Connie finished a close fourth.

Trainer Ben Tulloch keeps a tight hold on Moonoki after the horses success in the Ladies Open
Photo by Pete Mansell

Ben Tulloch endured an “annus horribilis” in 2007 when his yard just could not shake off the effects of the virus. He now combines the job as Richard Kelvin Hughes Racing Manager with training three horses from Robert and Caroline Hicks yard at Aylworth, near Bourton on the Water.

Moonoki showed a welcome return to form to land a competitive Ladies Open for Claire Allen
Photo by Graham and David Fisher

After his previous problems the young trainer pointed out that as his current stables are on top of a hill there is natural ventilation and the horses are turned out everyday. Moonoki has obviously benefited from this new regime and the 9-year-old is now back to his 2006 form, which saw him win an Open and finish second in a Stratford Hunter Chase.

Lough Ennel must be one of the most consistent horses in training, a fact borne out when the 12-year-old opened his seasonal account with a 4-length win over Shady Anne in the Heygate Gold Cup.

Trainer Nicky Sheppard is still recuperating from a pelvic injury sustained out hunting, so husband Matt was in charge of the horse on this occasion while Nicky accompanied their son Stan to Barbury for the pony racing.

This victory provided the first win of the season for the Eastnor handler, while owner Rae Jones nominated the Mens Open at Howick in two weeks time as the horse’s next objective.

Jockey Liam Payter, owner Rae Jones and Lough Ennel after that horses success in the Mens Open
Photo by Pete Mansell

Emmet Hotel crowned a great couple of days for Alison Dare by taking the Restricted Open under Polly Gundry. The Sherston trainer was still basking in the glory of Twenty Degrees comprehensive win over Foxhunters favourite Thisthatandtother at Fakenham, a victory that brought smiles to the faces of many Point-to-Point purists.

The hazy conditions made it difficult and sometimes impossible to distinguish between colours, but what was clear it was going to take a very good horse to lower Emmet Hotel’s colours once he hit the front at the final open ditch and that proved the case with the Dr Massini 8-year-old sauntering home for an easy 5-length win over Raleagh Choice.

Polly Gundry returns on Emmet Hotel following a comfortable victory in the Restricted
Photo by Graham and David Fisher

Emmet Hotel was purchased by owner Bruce Akerman at Ascot in October 2007and looks a useful addition to the Dare yard.

Polly Gundry had finished in front of Mark Wilesmith in this race and repeated that feat again 30 minutes later after Kiama’s narrow victory over Mrs White in Division I of the Mares Maiden.

Three horses jumped the last almost in unison , but Polly’s mount came away from the final obstacle slightly quicker than her rivals and the mare responded willingly in a driving finish to land the spoils for owners Len and Rose Vickery.

Division II of the Mares Race was delayed for approximately 35 minutes while the Air Ambulance attended Charlie Wadland who suffered a suspected neck injury when Danzie Grove fell at the 11 th in the earlier division of this race.

The Air ambulance lands to pick up Charlie Wadland
Photo by Graham and David Fisher

(Note: - Those fears proved unfounded – latest update – battered and bruised). The delayed start may not have helped the cause of the Dick Baimbridge trained favourite Equivocate because she was trailing in last place by halfway.

Me Julie and Tom Weston took the lead from long time leader Overbury Pearl as they raced towards the 13 th and the 5-year-old mare showed no signs of the steering problems which had blighted her earlier career.

She held a 5-length lead at the third from home and a narrow advantage at the last, but was mugged half way up the run in when the David Mansell ridden and Steve Flook trained No Virtue came to claim the spoils.

Flook put a 12,000 gns reserve on the mare when she went to Doncaster last May, but she was eventually led out unsold at 11,000 gns. She is still for Sale according to the Shobdon based trainer and those figures must give some indication of her potential value.

Problems dealing with both horses and riders delayed proceedings even further and these were compounded when an ambulance got stuck in a gateway as the horses went down to the start in the first half of the Confined Maiden.

The concluding race, Division II of the Confined Maiden actually started at 5 p.m. (almost an hour later than advertised) and this was won in impressive style by King Shaadi from Caroline Walker’s Pembridge yard.

The 8-year-old had finished third to Alfie Sherrin at Larkhill, but there was nothing of the calibre of that opponent in this race and the Nigel Lilley owner gelding draw clear from the penultimate to land an easy success and provide Nick Oliver with his second winner of the afternoon.

On the evidence of his win in the Members Race Mick Murphy must have enhanced his purchase price when he comes up for Sale at Ascot next Tuesday.

The 11-year-old carries the colours of Lucy Goodinson, but the Bromyard trainer was quick to pay a compliment to Camilla Weeks who had done all of the work with the horse when the owner was sidelined with a head injury.

Mick Murphy and the runner up Roller Blade had the race to themselves from half way with the lead alternating between the pair until Mick Murphy drew clear as they turned back to race towards the judge.

Following Noakarade De Verzee’s success last week, his stablemate Bonnie Zoe was expected to follow in his footsteps in the 21/2 mile Maiden at Barbury Castle, but the frustrating run for Kim Smylys Stanton stable continued with yet another placed effort by one of their inmates.

Nun on the Run was the only local winner at Barbury when the Piers Dibben owner and Chris Bevan trained youngster was produced during the final stages to land the Maiden.

Claire Allen is becoming a bit of a specialist at getting horses home in a close finish, because after her narrow success at Whitwick she repeated the feat on Sunday afternoon at Buckfastleigh, when her mount Innocent Rebel beat Goblet of Fire (Chloe Roddick) by a head with Lets Fly (Polly Gundry) a length away in third.