A REVIEW OF THE 2006 YORKSHIRE
SEASON
by Ian Marshall
The hunting ban has done little to
dampen the enthusiasm for point-to-point racing in Yorkshire and
2006 was remarkable for both the quantity and quality of horses
taking part. Ground conditions were generally on the soft side and
three meetings were lost to the weather. Hornby Castle and Charm
Park attracted the biggest fields, as is often the case, while
specialists on firm going were at least catered for by the two
fixtures at Easingwold.
On the riding front, a new star was crowned
the Ladies champion by a considerable margin. Jacqueline Coward may
be part of a famous racing family (she is Mick Easterby’s
granddaughter), but her talent was plain for all to see as success
after success came her way. The Mens title was a much closer affair
and went right down to the last race of the Yorkshire season. It
was a titanic struggle between Ben Woodhouse and Guy Brewer, with
the former coming out on top in the end to give him back-to-back
championships.
The point-to-point year in Britain got
underway at the traditional curtain raiser on Bank Holiday Monday
2nd January at Cottenham. Several Yorkshire-based travellers made
the trip south and their endeavours were not to go unrewarded.
Quite a competitive ladies open saw seven of the eight runners with
a chance at the final fence and it was Physical Force trained by
William Fife that got his head in front at the post at the generous
odds of 40-1. Freya Hartley got off the mark for 2006 at the first
opportunity and Physical Force turned out to be a radically
improved proposition with 11 stone on his back, compared to his
form from 2005 when he appeared not to get home over three
miles.
The even longer journey to Barbury Castle was
fruitful for jockey Tom Greenall and handler David Easterby when
the quirky and notoriously difficult to handle Reasonably Sure was
cajoled to victory in a maiden. The next meeting at Cottenham drew
a blank, but a strong contingent went north to Alnwick and fared
much better. Former showjumper Kiora Bay carried off a restricted,
the classy Sikander A Azam took the mens and the two divisions of
the 2m4f maiden went to Freds Heir and Charlies Memory
respectively. The latter was embarking on a greatly encouraging
campaign, whilst his pilot Jackie Coward was soon on the
scoreboard. Thorpe Lodge was nearer to home territory, but although
there was a good deal of promise, “our” runners
returned empty-handed. In fact, the performance of Lambhill Stakes
caught the eye for all the wrong reasons when a rather injudicious
ride left him far too much to do as he flew up the run-in. The
opening hunter chase at Wetherby took place on unsuitably soft
ground for the very smart Mister Friday and there was no joy at
Friars Haugh either.
The Yorkshire meetings commenced in February
at Witton Castle and as usual plenty of owners chose to get a run
into their charges at the first opportunity. Polar Gale was the
winner of the opening maiden, but Ellie Bee caught the eye in the
intermediate, fending off Sams Way after the final fence. Ellie Bee
has a fine turn of foot and once her racing career is over her
progeny are likely to be hot property. Wilfie Wild got the better
of Mister Bromley, perhaps surprisingly, in the ladies open, which
set the tone for a successful campaign for Wilfie Wild. A former
Great Yorkshire Chase victor when in the care of Martin Pipe,
Barryscourt Lad was expertly produced by Ben Woodhouse to collect
the mens open. As his coat was unclipped, Barryscourt Lad looked
like a woolly bear, but he still retained a lot of ability where it
counted. Garden Shed Spider was sold for some serious money
following a victory in a maiden. Although he did have two future
winners behind, whether he would have beaten ex-selling hurdler My
Sunshine when that one broke down just prior to the last is open to
much debate, so a price tag of £35-40,000 appears quite steep.
Another maiden provided probably the best formline of the entire
year, with Green Admiral taking the honours under a very cool
Richard Tierney. With several of the beaten horses getting their
head in front at some stage of the season, the form is rock solid.
It was a notable training feat to prepare Green Admiral after three
years on the sidelines.
Brocklesby Park receives plenty of support
from Yorkshire trainers, with Skew Whip making a highly
satisfactory pipe opener behind the hugely impressive Sea Ferry in
the confined and Ledgendry Line not being disgraced in going down
to the prolific Upham Lord in the ladies open. Green Admiral made a
swift reappearance in the restricted, but the result was exactly
the same as he sauntered home, seemingly without breaking sweat. A
David Easterby debutante, Royal Return, only found one too good in
the mares maiden. A real looker in the paddock, she went into many
notebooks as possessing a large amount of potential. It was
certainly no shock in the finale when a more prominently ridden
Lambhill Stakes came out on top, to indicate what could have been
at Thorpe Lodge in January.
In hunter chases, Queenies Girl was placed at
Sedgefield, then a one-two at Newcastle saw The Butterwick Kid lead
home Reasonably Sure. The Butterwick Kid has been a grand servant
to the Tate family over the past few years and owes them nothing as
he continues to find his fair share of these races.
The Sinnington at Duncombe Park was a strong
card and began with an epic tussle between Emperor’s Son and
Iron Express in the hunt members that the former won by a neck. The
veteran Mr Pendleberry showed that he was no back number in the
confined on a course that he loves, with Sams Way again filling the
runner-up berth. Ben Woodhouse found the key to Just A Man as he
caressed him to take the restricted in a tight head bob with Kindle
A Flame, while Mister Bromley reversed the placings with arch rival
Wilfie Wild from a fortnight earlier and had three other big
players further back in the ladies open. It was sweet revenge as
Mister Bromley tenaciously held on. Persistence paid off for Ben
Woodhouse in the mens open as Mr Mahdlo asserted in the final
quarter mile on the flat having been off the bridle since before
halfway. Robber excelled himself in second to indicate he was a
force to be reckoned with and Junior Fontaine was a never nearer
third. Serena Brotherton completed a treble on Master Jackson in
the first maiden as he put his best hoof forward and second home
Gunner Royal stepped up on Witton Castle to seemingly begin an
upward curve. Alfie Twofourtwo took the second maiden as four
horses finished clear, to further enhance Green Admiral’s
Witton Castle maiden. A reformed character, Alfie Twofourtwo
suddenly became a horse to watch out for. Chasing him hard was Ask
Bobby, a progressive type who has moved up a notch with each race.
Two more nice sorts, The Poser and Alpha Lima, were third and
fourth.
The highlight of a number of hunter chases
was Tina Jackson persuading Red Striker to pull out all the stops
at Ayr. It was some comeback on his second start following a long
layoff with injury after his earlier life handicap chasing, but
sadly tragedy struck for Red Striker later in the season.
Another injury victim, Claire’s Nomad,
was quickly back to winning ways in the ladies open at the Market
Rasen points meeting. A multiple winner in 2004, Claire’s
Nomad had missed 2005, but 2006 saw him again in a favourable light
on several occasions, this time at the expense of Physical Force.
Fit from his outing at Brocklesby Park, not even the sharp circuit
could prevent Skew Whip from opening his account on his first foray
in open company in the mens. A mighty leap at the last sealed
success from Major Shark. Division two of the maiden was low on
quality, which allowed Rare Presence to pass the post at the head
of affairs. The Marley/Tierney duo can never be discounted and they
clinched the maiden finale with Karantaka, who was obviously none
the worse for a tired fall at Brocklesby Park. Over at
Bangor-on-Dee, there was a welcome double for Oliver Greenall, the
second aboard Trooper Collins, an acquisition by his father from
Grant Tuer. Trooper Collins isn’t always easy to catch right,
but at his best is more than a match for most opponents.
Catterick was the venue for a hot little
novice hunter chase featuring some useful up-and-coming young
horses including the much-touted Rebel Army, partnered by Richard
Burton. A very wet afternoon though was enlightened by Skew Whip
adding to his already growing reputation. With Richard Wakeham at
his best in the saddle, Skew Whip stamped himself a horse to
follow, whilst five of the vanquished bolstered their credentials
in chalking up at least one win before the year was out.
Unfortunately, pulled muscles in the course of this performance
ended his season.
Barryscourt Lad made the long journey to Ayr
worthwhile with a clear-cut hunter chase victory. Exuding
authority, he made mincemeat of the opposition in a manner that
suggested similar races would be well within his capabilities if he
can stay healthy, even at the age of 12.
The programme in March was cut short by the
loss of both the Derwent and Hurworth fixtures. The Holderness at
Dalton Park had no such problems, just that four races took place
in a blizzard! Full credit must go to participants and organisers
alike for an excellent afternoon’s entertainment. Just
Fluster gave his all to come out on top in the confined and
Charlies Memory disposed of Master Jackson in the restricted with
aplomb. Gunner Royal kept heading in the right direction to lift
the maiden, giving jockey Jacqueline Coward and her trainer mother
Cherry a double. Winnie Wild made every yard in the mares maiden.
The ladies open saw Duchess Account pip Claire’s Nomad after
a battle royal on the run-in and the mens open found Robber at the
top of his game to turn round placings from Duncombe Park with Mr
Mahdlo in typically gritty fashion. Rare Presence finished alone in
the hunt members.
Robber only just failed to follow up at
Friars Haugh and Mister Bromley went down at Corbridge, but
Lincolnshire is often a happy hunting ground for Yorkshire horses
and a rare excursion between the flags for The Butterwick Kid paid
off in the mens open. Just A Man was produced as late as possible
to score in the confined and Gollinger thoroughly deserved to
finally get off the mark in the older horse maiden. The three
divisions of the younger horse maiden came back to
“God’s own country” too with Ask Bobby digging
deep to secure the first of them. The other two went to the Gill
Walford-trained pair of Luke Lively and Harwood Dale, well-ridden
by son Mark. Both required a power-packed drive to claim the
spoils, but equally the geldings stuck to their respective tasks
well.
Handler Steve Wiles had a double with Gipsy
Wood and Denby at Welbeck, but most attention was on Mordon, where
fine work from John Wade and many others meant the meeting went
ahead after an awful lot of rain. Donnybrook used his vast
experience at 13 to slog through the mud in the confined, while
Noggler never gave an inch to gain the day over the equally game
Purple Jean in the intermediate. Once an eventer, Sessay Miller
relished the gruelling conditions to land the maiden, making a
winning debut in the process as a nine-year-old. There were some
solid performers on show in the mens open, none more so than
Sikander A Azam, who stayed on best of all to take the plaudits in
impressive fashion. The day belonged to Abby Hutchinson though, as
she steered Alfie Twofourtwo home in the restricted on her first
ever ride. It was perfectly judged as Alfie Twofourtwo came right
away in the closing stages with the minimum of fuss.
There was disappointment all round at the
beginning of April as the area’s premier meeting, the
Middleton, was called off due to the track at Whitwell-on-the-Hill
being waterlogged. There are always top quality horses on this card
and the races are keenly fought, with the 4m 1f Grimthorpe Cup the
feature. Prior to the abandonment though, there had been
controversy when the entry conditions for the big race were changed
to a mens open from a mixed open. Naturally, several female riders
were up in arms and three prospective starters among the horses
weren’t even entered because their regular pilots were
ineligible. It is with great dismay that an event of this magnitude
is devalued to an extent by needless tinkering with the conditions
of entry. All other alterations to the fixture list have been
largely well received, but the vociferous arguments against this
inexplicable decision are likely to run and run. There are
mystifyingly no plans for the race to revert to a mixed open in
2007.
Four Yorkshire-trained runners were declared
for the Aintree Foxhunters, with Junior Fontaine in fifth ending up
the best of them, having given Jackie Coward a thrilling six
minutes over the big fences.
Following the week long break, near perfect
ground was laid on for the Bedale at Hornby Castle and the course
was the receiver of totally merited praise. Charlies Memory had
been bogged down at Mordon, but had no such concerns here as he put
his rivals to the sword in the confined. Gunner Royal gave the
Coward team a double in the restricted when given a fine patient
ride. Although it is not often the case, the hunt members was a
competitive affair that went to Scenic Storm from Sajomi Rona and
Alfie Twofourtwo. Scenic Storm acquitted himself very well in
hunter chases and was perhaps unlucky not to find a race in that
sphere this year. Having improved with every run in points,
Plutocrat turned the mens open into a procession to lift the
honours by a wide margin in a scintillating performance against a
decent lot. The ladies open also had the cream of this year’s
crop, with Wilfie Wild leading in Physical Force, Iron Express,
Duchess Account and Mister Bromley. In the three maidens, thorough
stayer Thatlldoya found extra at the business end, Primitive Rhythm
was coaxed home and perennial bridesmaid Kappillan lost his
unwanted tag at last.
Senza Scrupoli upheld the favourable
impression he had given at Dalton Park last year by coming out on
top in a maiden at Dalston and he was followed into the
winners’ enclosure there in the next by Chris Dawson’s
Oscar Octavius who also displayed a sound attitude.
The Cleveland at Stainton Vale opened Easter
weekend and was held in somewhat more clement conditions than
twelve months previously. The plucky mare April Spirit gained just
reward for some consistent efforts by hacking up in the confined by
a country mile and Wilfie Wild picked up another ladies open
without too much trouble. Alan Jackson was the owner of hunt
members winner Londolozi Lad as well, whose poor jumping failed to
halt him here. John Wade and jockey Chris Dawson combined to take
the restricted with the progressive Polar Gale and the young horse
maiden with the promising Victor One, but the yard was undone in
the mens open when Donnybrook defied Sir Alf.
Ground as good as could possibly be produced
greeted visitors to Charm Park’s sole afternoon to beat the
weather. The Staintondale is usually a great draw on Easter Monday
and 2006 was no exception. There was a bumper field of 17 for the
very open restricted and Hattie got her act together to prevail in
a stirring finish as five jumped the last with a chance. Riot Act
was given a superb waiting ride to collar Protecting Heights close
home in the maiden and Trooper Collins again starred in the
confined. Barryscourt Lad is imperious at this level and not even a
revitalised Imps Way could prevent him collecting the mixed open.
The maiden conditions to conclude proceedings may well have seen
two potentially smart performers unleashed to fight it out in the
final stages and it was Guy Brewer’s perseverance that
ensured Sunday Lunch did enough to hold The Howardian at bay by a
neck. The Howardian fetched
Easter Tuesday attracted the crowds to the
mudbath that was Flagg Moor, where it was nearly as difficult for
vehicles to find their way around the car park as it was for the
horses to navigate the circuit in tremendously stamina-sapping
conditions. The main focus from our point of view was the ladies
open, in which Jacqueline Coward and Freya Hartley displayed their
intelligence and know-how to save energy on Iron Express and San
Francisco until the death. There was a worthy one-two for Yorkshire
and a real war of attrition, the outcome of which was in favour of
Iron Express.
Easingwold isn’t everybody’s cup
of tea, but the York & Ainsty fixture was well supported.
Protecting Heights went one better in the young horse maiden, but
Hardy Oliver had little to beat in the open maiden. Astral Prince
was a popular winner in the confined, while track specialist Hadeqa
kept up his record here that is second to none. Victory in the hunt
members on Noggler gave Charlotte Brown a double and Oliver
Greenall did likewise due to Junior Fontaine in the mens open. The
restricted was not without incident and had a dramatic conclusion.
Mackoy came with a rousing finish to pass Magic Route in the shadow
of the post, however jockey Katy Hill weighed in light, which meant
disqualification was inevitable. Magic Route seems to prefer the
shorter circuits, while promoted to second was Willywont He, whose
poor fencing cost him dear, even though he has a good engine.
Thatlldoya wasn’t beaten far in the
long distance hunter chase at Perth and Scenic Storm went closer
still at Hexham. In the next Hexham hunter chase though,
Jupiter’s Fancy, Imps Way, Robber and April Spirit made it a
one, two, three, four for the Yorkshire area. Jupiter’s Fancy
is always happiest when there is some rattle underfoot and she
gained her just desserts following largely consistent efforts.
Watering ensured a decent turnout of horses
for the Pendle Forest & Craven at Heslaker. David Coates was
first once again in the hunt members, this time with old stager
Victoria’s Boy, and afterwards immediately signalled his
retirement from the saddle. Gunner Royal remained in good heart and
crowned a fine year by catching Purple Jean on the run-in in the
confined, whilst Mile High City was all out to just hold on from
the fast-finishing Shannahyde in the restricted. Robber was
unfortunate when a slipping saddle put paid to his chance in the
mens open. Snizort loves it here and seems to save his best for
this venue. Sally Scally’s mistake at the last gave him a
sniff and Freya Hartley’s mount didn’t need a second
invitation to land the spoils. Duchess Account wasn’t
burdened with any penalties in the novice riders race and, with
amazingly generous odds on offer, punters went home happy as she
was barely extended over the trip that is a long three miles and
therefore right up her street.
At Witton Castle, the Zetland meeting had a
major talking point when Just A Man was adjudged to have crossed
the line a head behind Wild Edgar. Many observers felt that Just A
Man’s late thrust had allowed him to bag the prize, but the
judge ruled otherwise. The brilliant Wilfie Wild mopped up another
ladies open ahead of Mister Bromley and a peach of a ride from
Richard Tierney got Gollinger’s head in front at the lollipop
by the tiniest of margins from Victor One in the restricted. The
in-form Astral Prince built on his success in the Easingwold
confined by despatching a fair bunch with ease in the mens open,
which was a chink of light in a difficult season for Nigel Tutty,
although he was helped by favourite Sir Alf slipping up on the
flat. The first division of the maiden featured Bob
Woodhouse’s much-vaunted Brightwell and he certainly lived up
to expectations in the manner of a young horse with a bright
future. He pounced on the leader Toms Party at the final fence and
quickened up nicely in the last 100 yards with the pair clear. An
enterprising ride from Guy Brewer ensured Whisky In The Jar was
never headed in the second division.
The Cheltenham hunter chase card is a popular
evening and Mister Friday has stamped himself the horse to beat at
this fixture as the requisite good ground is normally prepared. He
had various valid excuses on his previous starts in 2006, but
everything fell into place this time and he ran out a convincing
winner. Mister Friday is an exceptionally tricky adversary when in
this sort of mood.
Small fields were the order of the day for
the Bilsdale at Easingwold in early May. Badr looked good to take
the young horse maiden and Steve Charlton doubled up convincingly
on Rigadoon in the confined. In the mens open, Queenies Girl gave
her all to touch off Civil Gent and Astral Prince, coming on the
back of some useful placed efforts this year. The consistent Sajomi
Rona just got home in the restricted to go one better than on
recent occasions. Removing his usual blinkers worked wonders for
his confidence. The whole place nearly erupted in the ladies open,
but the flying grey Silver Groom was denied by Wynyard Dancer, who
pulled out all the stops for rider Freya Hartley, who had met her
for the first time in the paddock. Following a long lay-off,
Caribbean Lad managed the lucky last, but he didn’t have much
to beat to do so.
Dingley was the venue for the prestigious
Fernie Four Miler that attracted a field of 20, right on the safety
factor limit, including five Yorkshire-based contenders. Having
stamina in abundance, Duchess Account was a ludicrously short
price, but the bookmakers were proved spot on as this fantastic
mare came with her trademark late flourish to collect the cup. The
locals must have taken her to their hearts as a massive cheer rang
out when she entered the winners’ enclosure. Her capable
partner Emma Brader piloted a course up the inside that saved a lot
of ground and probably the gutsiest horse in training was not going
to be denied once she got into top gear.
The Yorkshire Point-to-point Association
hunter chase at Wetherby is always worth winning and Imps Way did
it nicely under Clive Mulhall. She wasn’t hard pressed to
defy Plutocrat and The Butterwick Kid. Kiora Bay caused a shock in
the novice hunter chase at Aintree, but more expected was Spring
Margot, although no less meritorious, brushing aside Telemoss and
others at Perth. In the long distance event at Huntingdon, April
Spirit profited from the leader’s last fence fall to hang on
grimly, with Thatlldoya staying on strongly to be runner-up again.
Polar Gale continued to improve and Chris Dawson guided him to
victory at Sedgefield from Sajomi Rona, during a race in which
Queenies Girl was a late casualty when challenging.
In the concluding meeting of the Yorkshire
season at Mordon, Sir Alf landed the long odds-on in the hunt
members and there was a swift double for Chris Dawson in the
confined as Polar Gale held off the spirited challenge of Iron
Express. Noggler got up on the run-in to beat Major Shark in the
mens open, while Texas Ranger wasn’t for catching in the
ladies open to return to something like his best. Ben Woodhouse
seemed to have grabbed the gentleman riders championship when he
produced the sloppy jumping Willywont He to perfection in the
closing stages of the restricted to pass the admirable duo Sessay
Miller and Brown’s Beck in the final furlong. Nobody will
forget the last race of the card though, the maiden. The dramatic
events could have been part of a novel! With the ground fairly
chewed up by this point, the pace was strong. Ben Woodhouse’s
mount Red Snow pulled up legless four from home, which meant Guy
Brewer would take the title if he could guide Toms Party over the
last three fences as the favourite Fifth Column was running on
empty. Galloping on relentlessly, Toms Party had shrugged off all
pursuers and was clear. However, at the penultimate obstacle he ran
out through the wing to hand the mens championship to Ben
Woodhouse. In third, Crake Way took a tired fall and it was left to
Top Pack to overtake Fifth Column and claim the spoils. Having been
tailed off, Rising Whip came from another county to be nearest at
the finish in third.
At Garthorpe, two likeable sorts really put
themselves on the map. In the novices contest, Ask Bobby held off
all comers with a determined display. Owner Mike Sowersby has
always thought a lot of this fellow and the best could still be yet
to come. Opponents came from far a field, but Ask Bobby was too
good. He strikes me as a horse that won’t ever win by far,
but once he has his head in front is extremely difficult to pass.
Maxine Stirk’s Good Evening was bidding to become only the
country’s second four-year-old winner in a point-to-point in
the young horse maiden. He did himself proud, but bumped into the
potentially smart Barton Star. Good Evening didn’t go down
without a fight and was far from disgraced as the runner-up.
At Hexham points, Texas Ranger was allowed to
dominate in the ladies open and Tessa Clark’s tactics paid
off when he sluiced home by a distance. Sessay Miller is not to be
trifled with when the mud is flying and he drew right away to
destroy his restricted field. A horse that is worthy of
consideration in 2007, The Artful Fox went down narrowly in the
younger horse maiden. Over at Tabley, Denby held on determinedly to
beat a big field in the restricted. Victoria’s Boy was a
popular winner at Aspatria when he found extra reserves to secure
the mens open.
The admirable Spring Margot picked up another
hunter chase with ease, this time at Stratford. Two to two and a
half miles is his optimum trip and Tom Greenall has found the key
to ride him, which makes Spring Margot a formidable opponent at
this level. At Cartmel, Sessay Miller was perhaps unfortunate, but
ran well nevertheless, staying on steadily over the less than ideal
distance of 2m 5f to be second.
Back at Garthorpe, Ask Bobby just refused to
give in and repelled all raiders in the confined. Steve Charlton
had the widest smile of the afternoon when his Twin Bay Cruiser did
enough in the older horse maiden. A shrewd piece of horsemanship
from Guy Brewer ensured he bagged a double on the day with Toms
Party. The jockey made certain that Toms Party kept his mind on the
job and used his undoubted talent to good effect.
Given the success of the Yorkshire
competitors in hunter chases, it was quite apt that the last one of
the year, at Hexham, should go to Sajomi Rona. He has shown signs
of waywardness in the past, but there is a serious horse inside.
Sajomi Rona’s end to the season has been sparkling and Ian
Smith can look forward to 2007 with relish.
Even after the point-to-point season had been
completed, several horses that had taken part turned their
attention to summer jumping. Texas Ranger, Heather Lad, Dannymolone
and others performed with great credit, but pride of place went to
Civil Gent. On his favoured top of the ground and at distances of
less than three miles, the likeable chestnut picked up two handicap
chases and went close twice more. It could well be that even more
horses are drawn from the point-to-point field in the years ahead
in search of lucrative prizes in this sphere. In addition, Magic
Route managed a handicap chase, which vindicated Tina
Jackson’s decision to try him at less than three miles.
With the West of Yore fixture missing from
the calendar for the time being, a new meeting has been arranged
for 2007 and will be staged under the auspices of the Yorkshire
Area Point-to-point Club. Forward thinking such as this means that
the future of pointing still looks bright.
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