REVIEW SOUTH AND WEST WILTS LARKHILL SATURDAY 20 APRIL 2002 by Brian & Gill Armstrong |
The South & West
Wilts Hunt held its annual point-to-point meeting on Saturday, 20th April,
at Larkhill. The highlight was Mostyn's course record win in the Ladies'
Open, while there was a sad sequel to the Novice Riders' race when
17-year-old Granville Grill was disqualified after an objection by the
Clerk of the Scales. The
opening Hunt race went to Arabitan, soon in a long lead and still 30
lengths clear when sole rival Tickerty's Gift fell at the last.
Arabitan, winner of the corresponding race in 2000, is one of two
horses trained at Chicklade by Sally Brine and was providing 18-year-old
East Knoyle rider, Rachel Green, with her third winner of the season. The
12 runner Open Maiden was won by Snowboy, who led four out and already had
the race in safe-keeping when nearest challenger, Caundle Chase, fell at
the last. Snowboy, trained a
mile from the Larkhill course by owner Jane Bailey and a second winner of
the season for 24-year-old Salisbury rider, David Turner, may now contest
the Series Final at Folkestone on 22nd May.
The
complexion of the Gerrard Ladies' Open changed at the 13th when Springford
fell, bringing down Members Cruise. This
left Mostyn and Rilly Goschen to win by 12 lengths from favourite Mine's A
Gin in a course record time of 5 minutes 54 seconds.
Mostyn is owned by farmers Roger and Gretta Weaver of Frampton
Cotterell, near Bristol, and is one of three horses trained at Thornbury
by John E Tuck. This was
Mostyn's third course success and he may now be aimed at the Final of the
series at Exeter on 15th May. There
was a scare for favourite-backers when Hawaiian Youth was briefly
overtaken three out by sole rival Wise Examiner before reasserting to take
the Men's Open. This was a
first ever winner for East Meon, near Petersfield, owner John Cornett and
his fiancée Clare Anthony, who trains the horse on the West Meon farm of
winning rider Simon Cobden, 31, enjoying his fifth career win. There
was a sad sequel to the Countryside Alliance Club Members Novice Riders'
race when 17-year-old Granville Grill, running possibly his last race, was
disqualified after rider Simon Howe, deputising for injured Tor Sturgis,
failed to draw the correct weight. Granville
Grill is owned by 85-year-old retired farmer Eric Smith of Clyffe Pypard
and would have been a first ever winner for trainers Richard and Gill
Bryan, also from Clyffe Pypard, and for 40-year-old Simon, a Cirencester
fence builder. The race was
awarded to Stay Lucky, trained by Simon Bloss and ridden by Nick Phillips
for father John, who recalled that his family bred Bullocks Horn, winner
of the 1973 Cheltenham Foxhunters also on a disqualification. There was a close finish to the closing Restricted, when Butterwick King and Dominic Alers-Hankey, prominent throughout, got the verdict from the challenging Cucklington partnered by Rilly Goschen. Butterwick King was bought as a 5-year-old by Sylvia Lindley, Daphne Lewes, Mary White and Dinah Little, all from the Quantocks, and is trained by Dinah's daughter, Anna Bucknall, just a few hundred yards from the Cothelstone course. |