FITZWILLIAM (MILTON), COTTENHAM, SUNDAY MARCH 14

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Lotta Presents came close to breaking the course record as he just got the better of a thrilling tussle with Goscar Rock in a superb Connolly’s Red Mills Intermediate Race at the Fitwilliam Point-To-Point at Cottenham on Sunday.

Trained at Coolinge, just outside Newmarket, by John Feguson and ridden by James Owen, from Timworth, near Bury St Edmunds, Lotta Presents was the hot favourite but still trailed the front-running Goscar Rock by over a length jumping the second last fence.

Lotta Presents (black) and Goscar Rock (green and orange) do battle

Owen forced his mount alongside his rival jumping the final obstacle and needed all his strength to get the son of Presenting home by a neck in a time that was a single second outside the best ever recorded.

Owen was adamant that his charge would be an even better horse on a stiffer track, while Ferguson said: “It’s nice to come out on top in a close finish as we were on the wrong side of one earlier in the season. He’s now qualified for the Red Mills final (at Cheltenham on May 5) which gives us an option.”

Mambo Ruler is a horse to look out for in the coming years after he made an impressive debut in the young horse Maiden. Trained by his owner-breeder, George Cooper, at Raydon, between Colchester and Ipswich, the Zaha gelding survived a terrible blunder at the last to defeat Red In Bed, who is trained at Great Wratting by jockey Matt Smith, by two lengths.

Mambo Ruler (red and black) gets ready to pounce

“I told you he was good after his brother (Foulstons Ruler) won at Higham last week,” enthused Cooper, who had helped his charge contract from 14-1 to a closing price of 6-1 in the betting market. “He is still a five-year-old in a three-year-old’s body - he will be an Open horse one day.”

Castleconner Lad, who had made the frame in all nine of his previous British starts without managing a win, finally got off the mark under trainer Andrew Pennock in the older horse Maiden, beating the Newmarket-trained Jonlahy by six lengths.

Castleconner Lad (green and yellow quarters) disputes the lead

Pennock lives at Monks Eleigh, near Lavenham, and his wife, Ruth, said afterwards: “Castleconner Lad really deserved that. He’s the kindest, most genuine horse you could ever find and I ride him all the time at home.”

Castleconner Lad carried the colours of Robert Clifton-Brown, from Great Bradley, near Haverhill, who has owned pointers for some 40 years. And he was cheered on by Robert’s son, Geoffrey, the Conservative MP for the Cotswolds.

The rest of the card was dominated by Buckinghamshire trainer, Alan Hill, who followed up a double at his local course of Kingston Blount on Saturday with a treble here. “Not so long ago I would have been chuffed with five winners in a season, let alone in one weekend,” Hill quipped afterwards.

The victory that gave him the most pleasure came when Bell Rock took the Ladies’ Open under his 17-year-old daughter, Gaby.

Left to right - Bell Rock, Leatherback, Scotmaill Too

Start Royal will surely be seen in a hunter chase next after making it five wins in a row in effortless style in the Men’s Open.

Start Royal leads

And Mad Jack Duncan was the third Hill scorer in the Restricted Race.

Mad Jack Duncan (yellow cap)

The Hunt Race saw the Northants raider Bobbies Ryde, winner of this race in 2008, take revenge on his 2009 conqueror, Wicked Nice Fella.

Right to left - Bobbies Ryde, Boscall Hill, Wicked Nice Fella

Finally, a big ‘well done’ is due to jockey Tony Williams, from Newmarket, and his wife Becky. They organised a charity leg wax of Williams and nine of his mates from the weighing room which took place after racing and raised an estimated £2,000 for the Injured Jockeys Fund.

Bureside Mint (camouflage) en route to winning Pony Race 1

Mighty Fine (mauve and white) lands the other Pony Race

ENDS