Cotswold at Andoversford
9th April 2008
by Peter Mansell
photos by Graham Fisher

O’BRIEN, WALL AND MASON ALL DOUBLE UP AT ANDOVERSFORD

 Forced to postpone Sunday’s meeting following an overnight snowstorm, the decision to rearrange the Cotswold Point-to-Point within three days of its original date was something of a gamble.

It is always a worry that these meetings will fail to attract the same number of runners and racegoers and it must have been a logistical nightmare getting everything in place in such a short timescale.

Midweek fixtures used to be very well supported in the past and judging by the turnout (both equine and human) for Wednesday’s meeting at Andoversford there is still an appetite for this type of event. The bold policy paid off, which must have been a relief for all concerned.

Mark Wall and Fergal O’Brien consolidated their positions at the top of the Riders and Trainers Championship and they will be very difficult to peg back over the remaining eight meetings.

Despite doubles for trainers Fergal O’Brien and Peter Mason the highlight of the meeting was the brave front running performance produced by Itsalf in the Mens Open.

Itsalf and Mark Wall (blue/green) take the Mens Open from Fergal’s Find and Caught At Dawn

The 10-year-old has been a wonderful servant to owner David Morgan (Mine Host at the Golden Hart at Nettleton Bottom) and Naunton trainer Marcella Bayliss for whom this was a first success of the season. Mark Wall deserves a lot of credit for this success because he drove Itsalf to the front from the start and maintained a strong pace throughout.

Given the topography of the course, races at Andoversford do not really begin to develop until the runners have negotiated the 17 th fence at the bottom of the hill, and Julie Houldey’s runner Bowdens Lane was moving ominously behind the leaders when he fell at this obstacle.

Even at 14 years of age Caught at Dawn had consistently outjumped his rivals in this contest, but when Mark Wall asked his mount for another effort at the penultimate Caught at Dawn lacked the pace to go with the leader who turned into the home straight with a narrow advantage.

Ran Morgan and Fergals Find had made significant progress from the bottom of the hill and they threw down the gauntlet between the final two fences. They were making ground all the way up the run in but the winner had sufficient reserves to see off this challenge.

This success provided Wall with the second leg of a double which had been initiated earlier in the evening by Hambaphambili’s facile win in the Confined.

Hambaphambili and Mark Wall take the Confined

Once again forcing tactics had proved successful with the favourite in a prominent position throughout before starting to assert his superiority as they climbed towards the penultimate. They had little difficulty maintaining their 10-length advantage over stable companion Touch Closer as they passed the judge.

This was the second success of the season for Hambaphambili’s Ford based owners Barry and Jenny Barnes. It is understood that the name is of Swahili origin and means “Go forth – don’t give up” - He certainly didn’t!

The horse ‘s trainer Fergal O’Brien had taken the Members, the opening event on the card with Paul and Karen Drinkwater’s Gulabill who was steered to victory by their 17-year-old son Sam who is gaining invaluable experience at Nigel Twiston Davies yard.

Gulabill and Sam Drinkwater put in a big leap on their way to winning the Members

Marie McGuinness brought Croix de Guerre up from her yard at Spaxton, near Bridgewater the land the Ladies Open under Katherine Hobbs, but the 8-year-old was harried throughout the final circuit by Claire Hart and Oh So Lively.

Katharine Hobbs drives Croix De Guerre home in the Ladies Open

The rest of the programme belonged to trainer Peter Mason and owner Norman Thomas who are both based in the V.W.H. country. The former at Ablington and the latter at Cricklade.

Milesian King (Intermediate) and Freedomofthecity (Maiden) were both purchased on the same day at Ascot last year and provided the winning connections with their first doubles.

Milesian King and Peter Mason (right) just get the better of Marblehead in the Intermediate

Both horses won using identical tactics tracking every move made by the leaders until pouncing on their tiring rivals approaching the final obstacle and outspeeding their challengers on the run to the post.

Peter Mason gets Freedomofthecity home ahead of Marado to record a double in the Open Maiden