THURLOW, HORSEHEATH, SATURDAY FEBRUARY 21
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Report
David Kemp continued his recent purple patch of form with a hat-trick at a sun-kissed Thurlow Point-To-Point meeting on what felt like the first day of spring at Horseheath on Saturday.
Trainer-rider Kemp, from Kilverstone, near Thetford, had notched a double at Cottenham the previous Saturday, so his three successes aboard Rydal Park, Where’s My Baby and Lucky Mojo took his tally for the week to five.
The first two both justified red hot favouritism with very smooth victories, and a similar story was unfolding in the closing Maiden Race as Lucky Mojo approached the final fence with a ten-length lead.
But he blundered badly at that obstacle and, catching sight of the entrance to the horsebox park, hung left towards his transport, jamming the brakes on. Only once he had been overtaken by Blue Rebel did Lucky Mojo consent to restart his engines – in the nick of time, as he got back up in the shadow of the winning post to gain the verdict by a head.
Kemp had a much less anxious experience aboard Rydal Park, who was barely out of second gear to beat Brown Teddy by ten lengths in the Mens Open.
Rydal Park will now return to hunter chasing and has the option of either a relatively easy race at Leicester on March 6 or taking on the big boys in the Foxhunter at Cheltenham a week later. “Today’s race was not strong enough to prove if Rydal Park is absolutely back to his best, which he would need to be for Cheltenham, so we may well go to Leicester,” Kemp admitted.
The middle leg of his trio came in the Restricted Race as Where’s My Bay produced some superb leaps to come home a distance clear of Lord of The Knar.Rydal Park will now return to hunter chasing and has the option of either a relatively easy race at Leicester on March 6 or taking on the big boys in the Foxhunter at Cheltenham a week later. “Today’s race was not strong enough to prove if Rydal Park is absolutely back to his best, which he would need to be for Cheltenham, so we may well go to Leicester,” Kemp admitted.
That result proved the wisdom of owner John Ridge’s decision to go for the Restricted rather than renew rivalry with Mid Div And Creep in the Club Members Race. This time ridden by Kelly Smith, from Timworth near Bury St Edmunds, Mid Div And Creep again looked good in repeating her course success of January 31, when she had proved three lengths too strong for Where’s My Baby.
Trained at North Weald by Derek Harding-Jones, Mid Div And Creep may bid for a clean sweep of Horseheath’s Club races at the track’s final fixture on March 28.
Tony Williams, who hails from Bedfordshire but works for Newmarket flat trainer Nick Littmoden, visited the winner’s enclosure for the first time in almost five years aboard Inchadoney Boy in the first of two Maiden Races.
Trained at Great Gidding by Henry Hill, Inchadoney Boy had suffered a similarly long wait, as his previous 13 winless starts included four second places.
The Piper’s Son, owned by Tina Hayward, from Heydon, near Aylsham, in conjunction with her near neighbour, Clare Buxton, from Salle, proved himself a useful performer when fresh in winning the Intermediate Race by three lengths on his seasonal debut.
“I had him at home until about a month ago and couldn’t be more pleased with him,” admitted Hayward, who was coy about future plans. “I can’t think more than one day ahead,” she shrugged.
The only non-East Anglian victory on the card came when Bravery Scotch, a classy visitor from the Midlands, made it five wins from his last six starts in the Ladies’ Open.
Trainer-rider Kemp, from Kilverstone, near Thetford, had notched a double at Cottenham the previous Saturday, so his three successes aboard Rydal Park, Where’s My Baby and Lucky Mojo took his tally for the week to five.
The first two both justified red hot favouritism with very smooth victories, and a similar story was unfolding in the closing Maiden Race as Lucky Mojo approached the final fence with a ten-length lead.
But he blundered badly at that obstacle and, catching sight of the entrance to the horsebox park, hung left towards his transport, jamming the brakes on. Only once he had been overtaken by Blue Rebel did Lucky Mojo consent to restart his engines – in the nick of time, as he got back up in the shadow of the winning post to gain the verdict by a head.
Kemp had a much less anxious experience aboard Rydal Park, who was barely out of second gear to beat Brown Teddy by ten lengths in the Mens Open.
Rydal Park will now return to hunter chasing and has the option of either a relatively easy race at Leicester on March 6 or taking on the big boys in the Foxhunter at Cheltenham a week later. “Today’s race was not strong enough to prove if Rydal Park is absolutely back to his best, which he would need to be for Cheltenham, so we may well go to Leicester,” Kemp admitted.
The middle leg of his trio came in the Restricted Race as Where’s My Bay produced some superb leaps to come home a distance clear of Lord of The Knar.Rydal Park will now return to hunter chasing and has the option of either a relatively easy race at Leicester on March 6 or taking on the big boys in the Foxhunter at Cheltenham a week later. “Today’s race was not strong enough to prove if Rydal Park is absolutely back to his best, which he would need to be for Cheltenham, so we may well go to Leicester,” Kemp admitted.
That result proved the wisdom of owner John Ridge’s decision to go for the Restricted rather than renew rivalry with Mid Div And Creep in the Club Members Race. This time ridden by Kelly Smith, from Timworth near Bury St Edmunds, Mid Div And Creep again looked good in repeating her course success of January 31, when she had proved three lengths too strong for Where’s My Baby.
Trained at North Weald by Derek Harding-Jones, Mid Div And Creep may bid for a clean sweep of Horseheath’s Club races at the track’s final fixture on March 28.
Tony Williams, who hails from Bedfordshire but works for Newmarket flat trainer Nick Littmoden, visited the winner’s enclosure for the first time in almost five years aboard Inchadoney Boy in the first of two Maiden Races.
Trained at Great Gidding by Henry Hill, Inchadoney Boy had suffered a similarly long wait, as his previous 13 winless starts included four second places.
The Piper’s Son, owned by Tina Hayward, from Heydon, near Aylsham, in conjunction with her near neighbour, Clare Buxton, from Salle, proved himself a useful performer when fresh in winning the Intermediate Race by three lengths on his seasonal debut.
“I had him at home until about a month ago and couldn’t be more pleased with him,” admitted Hayward, who was coy about future plans. “I can’t think more than one day ahead,” she shrugged.
The only non-East Anglian victory on the card came when Bravery Scotch, a classy visitor from the Midlands, made it five wins from his last six starts in the Ladies’ Open.
Results
Race One (Members' Race):
1 Mrs K Exall's Mid Div and Creep (Puckeridge) (Miss K Smith),
2 Ms T Gingell and S Salmon's He's the Biz (Cambs with Enfield Chace) (A Braithwaite),
3 Mrs P Rogers' Good Vintage (Cambs with Enfield Chace) (Miss G Andrews). Also: Mr Naborro (4), No More Tom (5).
Twenty-five lengths, eight lengths. 6.26. SP 1-2 fav.
Race Two (Intermediate Race):
1 Mrs T Hayward and Mrs A Buxton's The Piper's Son (West Norfolk Foxhounds) (J Docker),
2 M Barlow's Marble Leader (BWC) (T Ellis),
3 B Belchem's Halcyon Times (East Essex) (D Kemp). Also: Sovereign Quest (4), Jazz Attack (5), Copper Grove (6), Tom's Party (7), Cosi Celeste (8), Winapenny (9), Luke Lively (pu), Mon Esprit (f).
Three lengths, half a length. 6.30. SP 4-1 (Sovereign Quest 5-2 fav).
Race Three (Ladies' Open Race):
1 M Park's Bravery Scotch (Albrighton Woodland) (Miss C Allen),
2 C Insley's Brer Bear (Old Berks) (Miss R King),
3 Mrs P Rogers' Delightful Cliché (Cambs with Enfield Chace) (Miss G Andrews). Also: Frosty Run (4), Denvale (5), Cosmic Sky (6), Mai Cure (7), Teeton Dazzler (8), Claridge (9), Assassino (f).
Five lengths, five lengths. 6.20. SP 6-4 fav.
Race Four (Men's Open Race):
1 The Oak Partnership's Rydal Park (East Essex) (D Kemp),
2 P Johnson's Brown Teddy (Essex and Suffolk) (Owner),
3 J Sargeant's Ballyowen (West Norfolk Foxhounds) (A Vaughan-Jones). Also: Walking Sunday (4), Birdwatch (5), Find the Way (pu), Parkinson (pu).
Ten lengths, 20 lengths. 6.29. SP 1-3 fav.
Race Five (Restricted Race):
1 Mr and Mrs J Ridge's Where's My Baby (Puckeridge) (D Kemp),
2 Mrs A Vaughan-Jones and G Luck's Lord of the Knar (Pytchley) (Alex Vaughan-Jones),
3 C Shand-Kydd's Single Player (Berks and Bucks Draghounds) (T Ellis). Also: Well Corned (4), Instant Angel (f), It's All About Luck (pu), Kileengh Lodge (pu), Magicastle (pu).
Distance, three-quarters of a length. 6.29. SP 1-3 fav.
Race Six (Open Maiden Race Division One):
1 Mrs T Robson and H Hill's Inchadoney Boy (Cudh) (A Williams),
2 D Frankland's Free From Magee (Grafton) (R H Fowler),
3 D Wilsher's Cavanquarter (Cambridgeshire Drag) (A Pennock). Also: Toe to Hand (4), Ardeotis (pu), Jolt (f), Lucy's Star (pu), Quick Boy Hugaux (pu), Travel Agent (f).
Three lengths, one length. 6.41. SP 7-1 (Jolt 5-2 fav).
Race Seven (Open Maiden Race Division Two):
1 Miss M Wallis-Jonson's Lucky Mojo (North Norfolk) (D Kemp),
2 Mrs E Kier's Blue Rebel (Thurlow Hunt) (J Bailey),
3 R Gault's Croftburn (Cottesmore) (Owner). Also: Mill Five Acres (4), Humbel Sailor (5), Its' Darn Deep (pu), Maddies Dream (pu), Three of a Kind (pu), Tuesday Club (ur).
Head, two lengths. 6.41. SP 7-4 fav.
1 Mrs K Exall's Mid Div and Creep (Puckeridge) (Miss K Smith),
2 Ms T Gingell and S Salmon's He's the Biz (Cambs with Enfield Chace) (A Braithwaite),
3 Mrs P Rogers' Good Vintage (Cambs with Enfield Chace) (Miss G Andrews). Also: Mr Naborro (4), No More Tom (5).
Twenty-five lengths, eight lengths. 6.26. SP 1-2 fav.
Race Two (Intermediate Race):
1 Mrs T Hayward and Mrs A Buxton's The Piper's Son (West Norfolk Foxhounds) (J Docker),
2 M Barlow's Marble Leader (BWC) (T Ellis),
3 B Belchem's Halcyon Times (East Essex) (D Kemp). Also: Sovereign Quest (4), Jazz Attack (5), Copper Grove (6), Tom's Party (7), Cosi Celeste (8), Winapenny (9), Luke Lively (pu), Mon Esprit (f).
Three lengths, half a length. 6.30. SP 4-1 (Sovereign Quest 5-2 fav).
Race Three (Ladies' Open Race):
1 M Park's Bravery Scotch (Albrighton Woodland) (Miss C Allen),
2 C Insley's Brer Bear (Old Berks) (Miss R King),
3 Mrs P Rogers' Delightful Cliché (Cambs with Enfield Chace) (Miss G Andrews). Also: Frosty Run (4), Denvale (5), Cosmic Sky (6), Mai Cure (7), Teeton Dazzler (8), Claridge (9), Assassino (f).
Five lengths, five lengths. 6.20. SP 6-4 fav.
Race Four (Men's Open Race):
1 The Oak Partnership's Rydal Park (East Essex) (D Kemp),
2 P Johnson's Brown Teddy (Essex and Suffolk) (Owner),
3 J Sargeant's Ballyowen (West Norfolk Foxhounds) (A Vaughan-Jones). Also: Walking Sunday (4), Birdwatch (5), Find the Way (pu), Parkinson (pu).
Ten lengths, 20 lengths. 6.29. SP 1-3 fav.
Race Five (Restricted Race):
1 Mr and Mrs J Ridge's Where's My Baby (Puckeridge) (D Kemp),
2 Mrs A Vaughan-Jones and G Luck's Lord of the Knar (Pytchley) (Alex Vaughan-Jones),
3 C Shand-Kydd's Single Player (Berks and Bucks Draghounds) (T Ellis). Also: Well Corned (4), Instant Angel (f), It's All About Luck (pu), Kileengh Lodge (pu), Magicastle (pu).
Distance, three-quarters of a length. 6.29. SP 1-3 fav.
Race Six (Open Maiden Race Division One):
1 Mrs T Robson and H Hill's Inchadoney Boy (Cudh) (A Williams),
2 D Frankland's Free From Magee (Grafton) (R H Fowler),
3 D Wilsher's Cavanquarter (Cambridgeshire Drag) (A Pennock). Also: Toe to Hand (4), Ardeotis (pu), Jolt (f), Lucy's Star (pu), Quick Boy Hugaux (pu), Travel Agent (f).
Three lengths, one length. 6.41. SP 7-1 (Jolt 5-2 fav).
Race Seven (Open Maiden Race Division Two):
1 Miss M Wallis-Jonson's Lucky Mojo (North Norfolk) (D Kemp),
2 Mrs E Kier's Blue Rebel (Thurlow Hunt) (J Bailey),
3 R Gault's Croftburn (Cottesmore) (Owner). Also: Mill Five Acres (4), Humbel Sailor (5), Its' Darn Deep (pu), Maddies Dream (pu), Three of a Kind (pu), Tuesday Club (ur).
Head, two lengths. 6.41. SP 7-4 fav.
