Braes of Derwent at CORBRIDGE
Monday 24th April 2000
by David Scott (Pointer of the Northumberland Gazette)

On Easter Monday the circuit moved on to Corbridge for the Braes of Derwent meeting. In contrast to Saturday’s weather we were blessed with a thunderstorm shortly before the first race which left the areas around the paddock and the bookies as a sea of mud. The ground for this meeting was very wet and a lot of horses simply couldn’t act on it.

Just 48 hours after recording win number 7 in points this season Balisteros reappeared and duly made it number 8 when seeing off Pharmistice and Miss Portcello. The winner may just be starting to show signs of a long season, this was his fourth win in 9 days, and I only hope connections don’t go to the well once too often. The runner up stayed on well after being outpaced and can win again soon. Balisteros was the second leg of a double for Pauline Robson who had started the meeting by collecting the Hunt race aboard Little Brockwell who easily outpointed his lone rival, Sinch.

Another to score a double was Thomas Scott who won the second division of the Open Maiden aboard Harry Laws. This one looked cooked at the second last but when Sharpaman came to the end of his tether at the last Thomas galvanised Harry Laws into another effort and they snatched victory in the dying stride. His double was completed aboard his own mare, The Parlour Maid. This one took it up at the second last from Ballylesson, who pulled hard most of the way, and soon pulled away for a twenty length success. The runner up may do better in a faster run race on better ground.

Elsewhere on the card Keep A Secret, under a patient ride from Peter Atkinson, took the confined from Minella Gold. The runner up was outpaced from the third last but stayed on stoutly from the last to take second from the hard pulling favourite, Highland Monarch.

Blinkers did the trick for Rainbow Times who was always travelling well for Clive Storey and after taking the running up some way out was always looking the winner. Excise Man ran a good race in second for Jimmy Walton. Steel Rigg was going nicely until clouting the three out. The mistake looked to take a lot of the stuffing out of him and he finished a weary third

Senso easily landed the Restricted. This one made up for last week’s fall by running away from Go Nomadic and Kings Token. Judging from his last two runs this fellow still looks on the upgrade and should win again. Disappointing favourite Divet Hill looked like he didn’t handle the ground and should be given another chance on faster ground.

Benefit in Kind under Tom Oates ran out an easy winner from The Dyke Louper. The runner up looked a massive danger three out but the uphill run to the line took its toll and he finished very tired. The winner ran on nicely but the form may not amount to very much

Final race of the day went to the Maxine Bremner ridden debutante, Just A Diamond, who was the only one of the six who started out to complete. The mare did it pretty well although the worth of the form remains to be seen.