East Sussex & Romney
Marsh
Catsfield
Sunday 18th April 2010
by Simon
McInnes
A big crowd gathered at Catsfield, basking in
the clear, aeroplane-free blue skies of Sussex to watch the
south-east season enter it's closing stages, with one sometimes
decent, one always awful and one hunter chase fixture to follow.
Turning up to see the number board describe the going as firm, when
the early week bulletins had wide use of the phrase "good to soft"
was worrying, and when only two turned out for the Members, despite
nine entries representing eight different owners, the concern rose,
but the other thing that increased was the number of runners, and
for a course that is not known for vast fields, the sizes were
better than average. Is that phenomenon one that is because of the
volcano or despite it?
Going: Firm
Race 1: Friar House
Antique Jewellery Members
1: Mr Tee Pee
Winner owned & ridden: Matt Braxton, trained: Rose
Grissell
This had all the signs of a typical two runner
members. Outsider Soldershire takes them along gently (inclusive of
a horrendous blunder at the ninth) for a while, favourite Mr Tee
Pee goes on after a couple of miles and wins comfortably without
humiliating his rival. Except that Soldershire was not interested
in a two length defeat so ran out through the wing of the second
last. Thus Matt Braxton was able to retain the trophy. Soldershire,
who is not known for this sort of behaviour, may well have jinked
at the sight of a volcanic ash cloud, or perhaps remembered what a
problem that fence had been a lap earlier.
Race 2: Media
Communications Ltd SE Hunts Club Novice Riders
1: He's On His Way 2: Myson 3: Ballynonty
Winner owned: The Huntin Shootin Fishin Partnership, trained: David
Phelan, ridden: Tom Cannon
This was a stronger race than a year ago, and produced a decent
finish, with the distances between the first three being a couple
of lengths and the same. He's On His Way had looked happy in a bog
at Aldington, and thus can be considered to have adapted to the
conditions rather well, as Myson had form on good, and perhaps a
bit faster, going under Rules which suggested that he could turn
around the defeat suffered against He's On His Way. However, Tom
Cannon has been in top form all season and when Myson's challenge
got serious from the second last, he and his horse were up to the
task of repelling it - and the frequency with which Myson is
managing to come second in the last couple of years is getting a
touch ominous. Ballynonty has been runner-up in a novice hunter
chase but on the whole has competed at a lower level than the two
ahead of him, and to run them so close was a pretty decent effort.
Although the third and second placed horses were the paddock stand
outs, Independent Trader did not look too shoddy either, despite
this being a belated seasonal debut, and he was not too far adrift
when calling it a day at the fourteenth. He won at Peper Harrow
last season and a repeat would hardly be a shock.
Race 3: The Bell Inn,
Ticehurst Mixed Open
1: Highland Chief 2: Master T 3: Some Story
Winner owned: Mrs PA Wilkins, trained & ridden: Philip
Hall
Four declared for this, but Ben Alder did a couple
of laps of the paddock and was withdrawn, apparently due to an
ominous smell of Icelandic volcano drifting in from the north-west.
This made life a little bit easier for Highland Chief to go one
better than he did in this race last year, and he achieved that. It
was not easy, and the failure to assert from the third last
probably reflects that he has not actually been in the best of his
form all year. But any time you are in an effective match and not
feeling tip-top, it does help having an undisciplined talent like
Master T taking you on. Some Story was outpaced from the off, and
made a bad blunder at the third, from which point he was tailed off
and aimed simply at completing.
Race 4: Charles
Stanley Stockbrokers SE Hunts Club Members
1: Sheknowsyouknow 2: New Street Express 3: Delgany Gale
Winner owned & trained: Michael Hawker, ridden: Mark
Wall
Of those that lined up, Sheknowsyouknow has been
just about the most regular winner, and paddock appearance
confirmed that she was primed for this, with connections travel
arrangements unaffected by the flight ban. In fact, it was the
aerial aspect that was nearest to being her undoing, as a few
sloppy jumps sapped energy that might have been decisive at the
end. As it turned out, New Street Express, who had made most of the
running before dropping back to third, could only plug on at one
pace, which was not enough to frighten favourite backers. He was
third in this last year and went on to finish the season with a win
and a second, so perhaps New Street Express will prove to be a late
spring horse again? Crossing the final bend, Nessa appeared the
biggest danger to the winner, but she did not have a great season
in 2009 and again faded a bit tamely, admittedly on her first
appearance of this one, eventually losing third to Delgany Gale,
who plugged away with fair resolve but no hint or threat of
success.
Race 5: Nick Mills
Memorial Restricted
1: Balableu 2: Ilikehimmac 3: Corybride
Winner owned: Ms H Williams & Mrs D Broad, trained: Diane
Broad, ridden: Claire Douglas
After suffering four
winning favourites on the spin, the bookies had some early relief
as Achieved, who had jumped badly when winning at Charing, dived
off to his right and unseated at the first fence. Second in the
betting Toubougg Welcome nearly repeated the trick at the next, and
although he survived, he found himself shuffled to the back anyway,
in a field that quickly got strung out - the riderless Achieved
running across the take off side of fence two did not help. After
that, the pace at the front was frantic, bordering on insane, and
of the pair that set it, routine non-stayer Trenley Lawn threw in
the towel four from home. The more plodological Ilikehimmac showed
resolve to rumble onto the line but had nothing in reserve when
Balableu was cajoled forward to take up the lead at the last.
Balableu had made a bad error at the second from home which gave
Ilikehimmac a glimmer of hope, and the winner would have been
further clear passing the post but for it. With her Irish form
suggesting the ground was not at all suitable, Corybride trundled
along for third, her best effort in this country but still a bit
disappointing based on her best in Ireland.
Race 6: Grants Cherry
Brandy Open Maiden
1: Tostig 2: Classic Pearl 3: Particular Man
Winner owned & trained: Ray York, ridden: Phil York
Three of the six finished this, but the favourite was beaten, this
time because of an unexpected choice of jolly. Tostig was last of
three on his racing debut at Aldington, with obvious scope to have
learnt from it. Particular Man had been second twice over Easter
and is well enough exposed in Irish pointing and hurdling to
imagine that was as good as he is. However, Particular Man headed
the market, albeit as a drifter and there seemed to be some money
for Tostig, but not a deluge. The paddock selection was the big
five year old mare Classic Pearl, who had been last in both her
bumpers but showed a modicum of progress in her only point. The
pace was set by Grumpy Bee, who still just about held the lead when
he ran out at the fourteenth - more volcano related mischief? At
this stage the two outsiders had called it a day, and Particular
Man had been five lengths adrift and being ridden for quite some
time. The early pace began to tell, and a mere refusal to give up
was allowing him to close the gap after the fourth last, but it
proved not to be happening quickly enough. Tostig held the upper
hand and Classic Pearl, who had been under pressure as early as
fence twelve, was able to threaten him, but not pass, going down by
half a length, with Particular Man a never nearer two further off.
Those clued up on their early medieval history will have
appreciated the irony of a horse named Tostig winning at this
particular venue, and those whose specialist subjects lay in other
fields of interest can always work it out via Google.