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EAST ESSEX, MARKS TEY, SUNDAY FEBRUARY 20
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Report
The elements could not stop Sunday's East Essex Point-To-Point at Marks Tey as, despite a changing tent that had blown away, frost, hail and snow, a sparse crowd of very hardy souls enjoyed a fine afternoon of amateur steeplechasing.
The locals struggled to keep up with the visitors on the racecourse, however, as the only 'home' wins came in the three races restricted to East Anglian horses. Conversely, a blow was struck for East Anglia down in Kent when It'sallinthestars, trained at Wymondham by his jockey, Nibby Bloom, outgunned 12 rivals from the other side of the Thames to land the South East Hunt Club Members Restricted Race.
Bloom then nipped around the M25 and up the A12 but was out of luck on his two rides at Marks Tey. The best he managed was a second place aboard Ardkilly Warrior, but he was readily put in his place by the Northants raider, Rathbarry Lad, who kept on very strongly to lift the closing Restricted Race by a distance.
Both David Kemp and James Owen, who share the status of East Anglian Champion Jockey having each ridden 13 winners in 2004, added to their tallies for the current campaign. Kemp, from Kilverstone, near Thetford, looked likely to have to settle for third place as his mount, Deckie, struggled to bridge the gap to the two runaway leaders, Jims Belief and Lord Valnic, in the Confined Race.
But the son of Be My Native flew the third last and, scooting down the hill on the run to the next, reeled in the pace-setters to score by two lengths from the Newmarket-trained Lord Valnic, who in defeat proved that he has made a remarkable recovery from a career-threatening injury.
Owen's victory came in the Confined Maiden when John The Mole, trained at Ampton near Bury St Edmunds by Joe Turner, took advantage of the fifth-fence departure of the Kemp-partnered favourite, Fiftiesonfire, to beat Golden Shred by a neck in a driving finish. Owen, who is now based in Newmarket, did very well to survive a dreadful blunder at the last obstacle, where his mount dived out to the right, and regain enough momentum to hold the runner-up.
The final fence also produced a moment of high drama in the Men's Open when Swincombe, representing the Sussex husband and wife jockey-trainer team of Andrew and Sara Hickman, arrived there with the race in his pocket. Swincombe, who is now set to step up to hunter chasing, took off from an impossible position miles away from the fence, but somehow managed to stay upright and went on to beat Denvale by 20 lengths in the fastest time of the day.
The Ladies' Open was plundered by the Oxfordshire trainer-rider, Heather Irving, aboard the French import, Killerine. This ten-year-old gelding suffered a chipped sesamoid last April and Irving was surprised that he was fit enough to beat Lucky Master by ten lengths.
A second success for visitors from Northamptonshire came when Persian Hero, ridden by John Russell and trained by Caroline Bailey, proved much too fast for his eight opponents in the Countryside Alliance Novice Riders Race.
The meeting began with a richly-deserved victory for No Penalty, as he is owned, bred and trained at Little Horkesley, near Colchester, by Stephen and Jane March. The Marchs gave up many hours of their time to organise this fixture, for which they are joint Secretaries, and No Penalty rewarded their labours when treating his two rivals with contempt in the Members' Race.
The locals struggled to keep up with the visitors on the racecourse, however, as the only 'home' wins came in the three races restricted to East Anglian horses. Conversely, a blow was struck for East Anglia down in Kent when It'sallinthestars, trained at Wymondham by his jockey, Nibby Bloom, outgunned 12 rivals from the other side of the Thames to land the South East Hunt Club Members Restricted Race.
Bloom then nipped around the M25 and up the A12 but was out of luck on his two rides at Marks Tey. The best he managed was a second place aboard Ardkilly Warrior, but he was readily put in his place by the Northants raider, Rathbarry Lad, who kept on very strongly to lift the closing Restricted Race by a distance.
Both David Kemp and James Owen, who share the status of East Anglian Champion Jockey having each ridden 13 winners in 2004, added to their tallies for the current campaign. Kemp, from Kilverstone, near Thetford, looked likely to have to settle for third place as his mount, Deckie, struggled to bridge the gap to the two runaway leaders, Jims Belief and Lord Valnic, in the Confined Race.
But the son of Be My Native flew the third last and, scooting down the hill on the run to the next, reeled in the pace-setters to score by two lengths from the Newmarket-trained Lord Valnic, who in defeat proved that he has made a remarkable recovery from a career-threatening injury.
Owen's victory came in the Confined Maiden when John The Mole, trained at Ampton near Bury St Edmunds by Joe Turner, took advantage of the fifth-fence departure of the Kemp-partnered favourite, Fiftiesonfire, to beat Golden Shred by a neck in a driving finish. Owen, who is now based in Newmarket, did very well to survive a dreadful blunder at the last obstacle, where his mount dived out to the right, and regain enough momentum to hold the runner-up.
The final fence also produced a moment of high drama in the Men's Open when Swincombe, representing the Sussex husband and wife jockey-trainer team of Andrew and Sara Hickman, arrived there with the race in his pocket. Swincombe, who is now set to step up to hunter chasing, took off from an impossible position miles away from the fence, but somehow managed to stay upright and went on to beat Denvale by 20 lengths in the fastest time of the day.
The Ladies' Open was plundered by the Oxfordshire trainer-rider, Heather Irving, aboard the French import, Killerine. This ten-year-old gelding suffered a chipped sesamoid last April and Irving was surprised that he was fit enough to beat Lucky Master by ten lengths.
A second success for visitors from Northamptonshire came when Persian Hero, ridden by John Russell and trained by Caroline Bailey, proved much too fast for his eight opponents in the Countryside Alliance Novice Riders Race.
The meeting began with a richly-deserved victory for No Penalty, as he is owned, bred and trained at Little Horkesley, near Colchester, by Stephen and Jane March. The Marchs gave up many hours of their time to organise this fixture, for which they are joint Secretaries, and No Penalty rewarded their labours when treating his two rivals with contempt in the Members' Race.
Results
Race One (Members' Race):
1 S March's No Penalty (East Essex) (A Braithwaite),
2 A Chinery's Baron Bernard (East Essex) (P Chinery),
3 Mrs E Bousquet-Payne's Multi Franchise (East Essex) (Mrs L Spence).
Also: Twenty lengths, a distance. 7.08. W £1.50. SP 2-7 fav.
Race Two (Confined Maiden Race):
1 J M Turner's John The Mole (Suffolk) (J Owen),
2 Mrs A Villar and P Benton-Brown's Golden Shred (Suffolk) (R Morgan-Evans),
3 G Cooper's Spring Frolic (East Anglian Bloodhounds) (owner). Also: Manhatton Storm (4), Mai Cure (5), Epop (pu), Fiftiesonfire (bd), General Hopkins (pu), Lolloping Lad (f), Yellow Sky (pu).
Neck, five lengths. 7.10. W £14. SP 10-1 (Fiftiesonfire 5-4 fav).
Race Three (Ladies' Open Race):
1 A Kemp and Miss H Irving's Killerine (Grafton) (Miss H Irving),
2 Miss G Swan's Lucky Master (Farmers Bloodhounds - drag) (owner),
3 J M Turner's Fair Exchange (Suffolk) (Miss Z Turner). Also: Mister Audi (4), Scalby Croft (pu).
Ten lengths, 15 lengths. 6.58. W £1.15. SP 8-11 fav.
Race Four (Men's Open Race):
1 Mrs K Digweed and Mrs H Alwen's Swincombe (East Sussex and Romney Marsh),
2 Mr and Mrs A Hurn's Denvale (Pytchley) (R Cope). Also: Cross River (pu), Militaire (f), Pardon What (ref).
Twenty lengths. 6.52. W £3.50. SP 6-4 (Denvale evens fav).
Race Five (Confined Race):
1 Mrs F Hawes' Deckie (Suffolk) (D Kemp),
2 C Hays and Ms A Embiricos' Lord Valnic (Cambridge University) (N Moore),
3 Lady Green and T Buxton's Jims Belief (Essex and Suffolk) (G Cooper). Also: Westfield John (4), Wilton Bridge (5), Bassey (pu), Castle Road (pu), Marmalade Mountain (pu), Newmarket Magic (pu), Ruperts Choice (pu), The Rural Dean (pu).
Two lengths, 10 lengths. 6.58. W £3.70. SP 7-4 fav.
Race Six (Countryside Alliance Club Members' Race):
1 R G Russell's Persian Hero (Pytchley) (J Russell),
2 Countess Cathcart's Ain Tecbalet (West Norfolk),
3 A Howland-Jackson's Village Copper (Suffolk) (R Morgan-Evans). Also: Dinsey Finnegan (4), Pampered Gale (5), Society Scandal (6), Crewski (7), Good Vintage (ur), Warrier Dan (ur).
A distance, 10 lengths. 7.02. W £1.80. SP 6-4 fav.
Race Seven (Restricted Race):
1 Mrs J Wilson's Rathbarry Lad (Pytchley) (S Morris),
2 Mrs A Wales' Second Thoughts (West Norfolk) (N Bloom),
3 Mrs H Colletta's McAttack (Cambridge University) (N Moore). Also: Donrico (4), Eurogaedel (f), Ical (pu).
A distance, three lengths. 7.05. W £1.60. SP 2-1 (Eurogaedel 10-11 fav).
1 S March's No Penalty (East Essex) (A Braithwaite),
2 A Chinery's Baron Bernard (East Essex) (P Chinery),
3 Mrs E Bousquet-Payne's Multi Franchise (East Essex) (Mrs L Spence).
Also: Twenty lengths, a distance. 7.08. W £1.50. SP 2-7 fav.
Race Two (Confined Maiden Race):
1 J M Turner's John The Mole (Suffolk) (J Owen),
2 Mrs A Villar and P Benton-Brown's Golden Shred (Suffolk) (R Morgan-Evans),
3 G Cooper's Spring Frolic (East Anglian Bloodhounds) (owner). Also: Manhatton Storm (4), Mai Cure (5), Epop (pu), Fiftiesonfire (bd), General Hopkins (pu), Lolloping Lad (f), Yellow Sky (pu).
Neck, five lengths. 7.10. W £14. SP 10-1 (Fiftiesonfire 5-4 fav).
Race Three (Ladies' Open Race):
1 A Kemp and Miss H Irving's Killerine (Grafton) (Miss H Irving),
2 Miss G Swan's Lucky Master (Farmers Bloodhounds - drag) (owner),
3 J M Turner's Fair Exchange (Suffolk) (Miss Z Turner). Also: Mister Audi (4), Scalby Croft (pu).
Ten lengths, 15 lengths. 6.58. W £1.15. SP 8-11 fav.
Race Four (Men's Open Race):
1 Mrs K Digweed and Mrs H Alwen's Swincombe (East Sussex and Romney Marsh),
2 Mr and Mrs A Hurn's Denvale (Pytchley) (R Cope). Also: Cross River (pu), Militaire (f), Pardon What (ref).
Twenty lengths. 6.52. W £3.50. SP 6-4 (Denvale evens fav).
Race Five (Confined Race):
1 Mrs F Hawes' Deckie (Suffolk) (D Kemp),
2 C Hays and Ms A Embiricos' Lord Valnic (Cambridge University) (N Moore),
3 Lady Green and T Buxton's Jims Belief (Essex and Suffolk) (G Cooper). Also: Westfield John (4), Wilton Bridge (5), Bassey (pu), Castle Road (pu), Marmalade Mountain (pu), Newmarket Magic (pu), Ruperts Choice (pu), The Rural Dean (pu).
Two lengths, 10 lengths. 6.58. W £3.70. SP 7-4 fav.
Race Six (Countryside Alliance Club Members' Race):
1 R G Russell's Persian Hero (Pytchley) (J Russell),
2 Countess Cathcart's Ain Tecbalet (West Norfolk),
3 A Howland-Jackson's Village Copper (Suffolk) (R Morgan-Evans). Also: Dinsey Finnegan (4), Pampered Gale (5), Society Scandal (6), Crewski (7), Good Vintage (ur), Warrier Dan (ur).
A distance, 10 lengths. 7.02. W £1.80. SP 6-4 fav.
Race Seven (Restricted Race):
1 Mrs J Wilson's Rathbarry Lad (Pytchley) (S Morris),
2 Mrs A Wales' Second Thoughts (West Norfolk) (N Bloom),
3 Mrs H Colletta's McAttack (Cambridge University) (N Moore). Also: Donrico (4), Eurogaedel (f), Ical (pu).
A distance, three lengths. 7.05. W £1.60. SP 2-1 (Eurogaedel 10-11 fav).
