ESSEX AND SUFFOLK, HIGHAM, SATURDAY APRIL 20 Going: Good to Firm
by James Crispe
Report
The powerful stable of Joe Turner, the country's leading Point-To-Point owner for the 2002 season, experienced a day of highs and lows in front of huge, sun-bathed crowd at the Essex & Suffolk meeting at Higham on Saturday.
Turner, whose family handle a sizeable string of pointers at Ampton, near Bury St Edmunds, took his tally to ten wins in the past three weeks with a quickfire double courtesy of Royal Way and Corston Joker.
But thoughts of a Turner field day were shattered as Monyman was comfortably eclipsed in the Ladies' Open Race, Pampered Gale failed miserably to justify odds-on favouritism in the Confined Race and, finally, Schoodic Point planted himself at the start and
refused to race in the Open Maiden.
Corston Joker was very much the star of the show, getting within a few seconds of the course record as he almost broke the six minute barrier in completing his hat-trick in the Men's Open Race. Patiently ridden by Andrew Sansome, he moved through the field to take up the running after the third last and stayed on well to beat Step In Line by five lengths.
Sansome was also aboard Royal Way, who only needed to keep his feet following the early departure of Josh's Choice to land a facile victory in the Restricted Race. The Northamptonshire-based rider has now reached the 17-winner mark for the campaign, just one short of his personal best, and this brace brought him the Major Barney Ward Memorial Trophy as the leading pilot at Higham's four recent meetings.
The best finish of the day came in the Ladies' Open race when Wrekengale's late thrust failed by a head to overhaul the pillar-to-post winner, Strong Medicine. Still showing no signs weariness at the age of 15, Strong Medicine is trained near Edenbridge, on the
Kent-Surrey border, by Heather Silk and was ridden by Jenny Grant.
Neil King, the Whepstead-based trainer of Wrekengale, gained compensation in the following contest when Pangeran proved three lengths too strong for Gatchou Mans. King himself did the steering, crucially managing to conjure a prompt start from the ten-year-old, who has been known to throw away his chance by forfeiting ground at flagfall.
Owned in partnership by Jill McVey and Richard Oliver-Smith, Pangeran will run next in the Huntingdon Confined Series Hunter Chase Final at Huntingdon on May 11.
A spot of laundry made all the difference in the opening Members' Race as the previously ill-starred Endeavour eased to a 15 length defeat of Tarthooth under jockey George Cooper.
Endeavour is trained at Raydon, near Hadleigh, by Cooper and Cherie Cunningham. Cooper reported: "I am superstitious and never wash my colours during the season, but we have had so much bad luck with this horse that we decided to try to wash all the bad luck
away."
The closing Maiden saw a first winner for Kent trainer Caroline Taylor as the Andrew Hickman-ridden Mister Chips beat Run Monty by a length and a half.
The state of the track following the recent dry spell prompted universal praise for clerk of the course Auriol Wilson, who produced a level surface with no jar. Her efforts were rewarded by a big attendance, many of whom arrived in time to see Kate Newman aboard
Marley land the inaugural running of the Children's Invitation Flat Race.
Turner, whose family handle a sizeable string of pointers at Ampton, near Bury St Edmunds, took his tally to ten wins in the past three weeks with a quickfire double courtesy of Royal Way and Corston Joker.
But thoughts of a Turner field day were shattered as Monyman was comfortably eclipsed in the Ladies' Open Race, Pampered Gale failed miserably to justify odds-on favouritism in the Confined Race and, finally, Schoodic Point planted himself at the start and
refused to race in the Open Maiden.
Corston Joker was very much the star of the show, getting within a few seconds of the course record as he almost broke the six minute barrier in completing his hat-trick in the Men's Open Race. Patiently ridden by Andrew Sansome, he moved through the field to take up the running after the third last and stayed on well to beat Step In Line by five lengths.
Sansome was also aboard Royal Way, who only needed to keep his feet following the early departure of Josh's Choice to land a facile victory in the Restricted Race. The Northamptonshire-based rider has now reached the 17-winner mark for the campaign, just one short of his personal best, and this brace brought him the Major Barney Ward Memorial Trophy as the leading pilot at Higham's four recent meetings.
The best finish of the day came in the Ladies' Open race when Wrekengale's late thrust failed by a head to overhaul the pillar-to-post winner, Strong Medicine. Still showing no signs weariness at the age of 15, Strong Medicine is trained near Edenbridge, on the
Kent-Surrey border, by Heather Silk and was ridden by Jenny Grant.
Neil King, the Whepstead-based trainer of Wrekengale, gained compensation in the following contest when Pangeran proved three lengths too strong for Gatchou Mans. King himself did the steering, crucially managing to conjure a prompt start from the ten-year-old, who has been known to throw away his chance by forfeiting ground at flagfall.
Owned in partnership by Jill McVey and Richard Oliver-Smith, Pangeran will run next in the Huntingdon Confined Series Hunter Chase Final at Huntingdon on May 11.
A spot of laundry made all the difference in the opening Members' Race as the previously ill-starred Endeavour eased to a 15 length defeat of Tarthooth under jockey George Cooper.
Endeavour is trained at Raydon, near Hadleigh, by Cooper and Cherie Cunningham. Cooper reported: "I am superstitious and never wash my colours during the season, but we have had so much bad luck with this horse that we decided to try to wash all the bad luck
away."
The closing Maiden saw a first winner for Kent trainer Caroline Taylor as the Andrew Hickman-ridden Mister Chips beat Run Monty by a length and a half.
The state of the track following the recent dry spell prompted universal praise for clerk of the course Auriol Wilson, who produced a level surface with no jar. Her efforts were rewarded by a big attendance, many of whom arrived in time to see Kate Newman aboard
Marley land the inaugural running of the Children's Invitation Flat Race.
Results
Race One (Members): 1 D W Clarke's Endeavour (Essex
and Suffolk) (G Cooper), 2 W J Tolhurst's Tarthooth
(Essex and Suffolk) (C Ward-Thomas), 3 J English's
Layham Low (Essex and Suffolk) (D Kemp). Also: Mill
o'the Rags (4). Distances: 15 lengths, fifteen
lengths. 6m 07s W £2.10. DF £5.40. SP 5-4 (Mill o'the
Rags evens fav).
Race Two (restricted): 1 J M Turner's Royal Way
(Suffolk) (A Sansome), 2 Mrs F Ferneyhough's River
Gala (Cambridge University Draghounds) (R Page), 3
Only two finished. Also: Glass Breaker (ur), Josh's
Choice (ur). Distances: A distance. 6m 28s. W £1.50.
DF £24.00. 2-1fav.
Race Three (Men's Open): 1 J M Turner's Corston Joker
(Suffolk) (A Sansome), 2 J K & A J Braithwaite's Step
In Line (Puckeridge) (A Braithwaite). 3 A Parrish's
Peafield (SC and RMNS) (P York). Also: Glaisnock Lad
(4), Still In Business (5), This Is My Life (6),
Absolute Limit (pu). Distances: five lengths, four
lengths. 6m 01s. W £3.10. DF £9.50. SP 5-4 fav.
Race Four (Ladies' Open): 1 Dr D and Mrs H Silk's
Strong Medicine (Kent and Surrey Bloodhounds) (Miss J
Grant), 2 S Harrison, T Burrows and N King's
Wrekengale (Thurlow) (Miss C Fryer), 3 Miss K A
Smith's The Secret Grey (Cambridge University
Draghounds) (owner). Also: Altar Society (f), Monyman
(pu), Nordic Spree (pu). Distances: a head, a
distance. 6m 15s. W £2.00. DF £1.30. SP 1-2 fav.
Race Five (Confined): 1 Mr A J McVey and R
Oliver-Smith's Pangeran (Suffolk) (N King), 2 Mr and
Mrs A Howland-Jackson's Gatchou Mans (Suffolk) (A
Braithwaite), 3 Dead Heat R Abrey's Dockmaster
(Suffolk) (Miss A Stennett) and A Chinnery's Royal
Action (East Essex) (P. Chinnery). Also: Chris's Lad
(pu), Gawngadinn (pu), Native Sttus (ur), Pampered
Gale (pu). Distances: 3 lengths, 10 lengths, no time
taken. W £6.00, DF £17.00, SP 4-1 (Pampered Gale 4-6
fav).
Race Six (Open Maiden): 1 Mrs C Taylor's Mister Chips
(Ashford Valley) (A Hickman), 2 Mr and Mrs D Lay's Run
Monty (Essex and Suffolk) (T Lane), 3 The Parker
Family's Henry Tartar (Waveney Harriers) (D Parker).
Also: Life of a Star (4), Great Blaze (5), Lady
L'Orelei (ro), Master Page (ur), Memsahib Ki Behan
(pu), Schoodic Point (tnp). Distances: one and a half
lengths, a distance. 6m 17s. W £3.70, DF £10.00. SP
7-2 (Run Monty 2-1 fav).
and Suffolk) (G Cooper), 2 W J Tolhurst's Tarthooth
(Essex and Suffolk) (C Ward-Thomas), 3 J English's
Layham Low (Essex and Suffolk) (D Kemp). Also: Mill
o'the Rags (4). Distances: 15 lengths, fifteen
lengths. 6m 07s W £2.10. DF £5.40. SP 5-4 (Mill o'the
Rags evens fav).
Race Two (restricted): 1 J M Turner's Royal Way
(Suffolk) (A Sansome), 2 Mrs F Ferneyhough's River
Gala (Cambridge University Draghounds) (R Page), 3
Only two finished. Also: Glass Breaker (ur), Josh's
Choice (ur). Distances: A distance. 6m 28s. W £1.50.
DF £24.00. 2-1fav.
Race Three (Men's Open): 1 J M Turner's Corston Joker
(Suffolk) (A Sansome), 2 J K & A J Braithwaite's Step
In Line (Puckeridge) (A Braithwaite). 3 A Parrish's
Peafield (SC and RMNS) (P York). Also: Glaisnock Lad
(4), Still In Business (5), This Is My Life (6),
Absolute Limit (pu). Distances: five lengths, four
lengths. 6m 01s. W £3.10. DF £9.50. SP 5-4 fav.
Race Four (Ladies' Open): 1 Dr D and Mrs H Silk's
Strong Medicine (Kent and Surrey Bloodhounds) (Miss J
Grant), 2 S Harrison, T Burrows and N King's
Wrekengale (Thurlow) (Miss C Fryer), 3 Miss K A
Smith's The Secret Grey (Cambridge University
Draghounds) (owner). Also: Altar Society (f), Monyman
(pu), Nordic Spree (pu). Distances: a head, a
distance. 6m 15s. W £2.00. DF £1.30. SP 1-2 fav.
Race Five (Confined): 1 Mr A J McVey and R
Oliver-Smith's Pangeran (Suffolk) (N King), 2 Mr and
Mrs A Howland-Jackson's Gatchou Mans (Suffolk) (A
Braithwaite), 3 Dead Heat R Abrey's Dockmaster
(Suffolk) (Miss A Stennett) and A Chinnery's Royal
Action (East Essex) (P. Chinnery). Also: Chris's Lad
(pu), Gawngadinn (pu), Native Sttus (ur), Pampered
Gale (pu). Distances: 3 lengths, 10 lengths, no time
taken. W £6.00, DF £17.00, SP 4-1 (Pampered Gale 4-6
fav).
Race Six (Open Maiden): 1 Mrs C Taylor's Mister Chips
(Ashford Valley) (A Hickman), 2 Mr and Mrs D Lay's Run
Monty (Essex and Suffolk) (T Lane), 3 The Parker
Family's Henry Tartar (Waveney Harriers) (D Parker).
Also: Life of a Star (4), Great Blaze (5), Lady
L'Orelei (ro), Master Page (ur), Memsahib Ki Behan
(pu), Schoodic Point (tnp). Distances: one and a half
lengths, a distance. 6m 17s. W £3.70, DF £10.00. SP
7-2 (Run Monty 2-1 fav).
