REVIEW |
Clerk of the course Norman Chanin and his assistant Gerald Penfold
had worked hard on the Blackforest Lodge course for Sunday's South
Devon meeting, rolling and watering to produce level good, good to
firm ground.
Despite their being few runners, compared to the previous week, they were rewarded with some close finishes. Derek McKenna rode a first and last race double, taking an unexciting members' race on Bruthuinne and then adding an all action confined maiden for geldings and horses, finishing alone on Jimmy Frost's Pauls Legacy, trained by Nicky Frost. The form of the runners in the last made it difficult to pick the winner, but they jumped well until the final circuit. Roy My Boy, who capsized at the ditch on his last run, repeated the feat on the last circuit. Pauls Legacy and Advice Taken (J Barnes) were having a real battle up front with Richard Woollacott closing in on third placed General Short until Advice Taken fell at the second last, bringing down General Short and leaving Pauls Legacy to come home alone. The only other runner, Lamerton Quest (Lee Rowe) had pulled up. Morris Piper (Richard Woollacott) loves firm ground and this course, but was very nearly caught close home by Sandy Duff (Mary McCarthy) having looked the easy winner four out. Sandy Duff had shown potential at Buckfastleigh, despite racing free, and with a stronger finish may well have caught the winner.
Rilly Goschen pops up with winners all over the place and took the
two and a half mile young horses' maiden on Another Bit, recovering
well from a dramatic slip when landing over the last in the lead.
Favourite Toon Society Tigger Barnes on Kingston Venture shadowed front runner Ashley Farrant on Perky's Pride for much of the Mixed Open, but his mount had enough petrol in the tank to pass in the closing stages and maintain a two length lead.
Eric Wonnacott is no stranger to the winners' enclosure, and was
back in it with his 10-1 winner Elegant Light , a sturdy mare by
Ardross stallion Elegant Monarch which was well ridden by Neil
Harris for a 30 length victory
Young rider Will Biddick, son of Cornish steward Mike, had a good
day. He was second in the mares only maiden on the five-year-old
Merlin Meg, going down by two lengths, having battled with the more
experienced David Turner,
Results Confined: 1, Morris Piper, R Woollacott 4-5; 2, Sandy Duff, Miss M McCarthy; 3, Midnight Coup, A Farrant. Four ran, 1l, 20l, 5.59. Open Maiden 2m4f, 5, 6, 7yo: 1, Another Bit, Miss R Goschen 5-1; 2, Toon Society, N Harris; 3, Royal Czarina, J Snowden. Six ran, 1/2l, 15l, 5.31. Mixed Open: 1, Kingston Venture, J Barnes 11-8; 2, Perky'sPride, A Farrant; 3, Let's Fly, W Biddick. Six ran, 2l, dist, 5.52. Restricted: 1, Elegant Light, N Harris 10-1; 2, Sweet Kari (IRE), G Weatherley; 3, Olly May, R Woollacott. Eight ran, 30l, 5l, 6.07. Panacur/TBA/PPORC Members' mare's maiden: 1, Forest Fortress, D Turner 9-2; 2, Merlin Meg, W Biddick; 3, Butleigh Rose, J Snowden. Eight ran, 2l, 3l, 6.12. Confined Maiden, horses and geldings: 1, Pauls Legacy, D McKenna. Five ran, finished alone, 6.28. |