The Vale of Aylesbury with Garth
& South Bucks
Kingston Blount
Saturday 8th May 2010
by Simon McInnes
Despite being early May, pointing regulars
will have felt at home as rainy skies, a strong wind and a bleak
vista saw many of the crowd wandering around in winter gear, and
even gloves. Even the course's signature red kites were mostly
absent, although a couple did try and upstage the intermediate by
staging a fight. The wind blew them over the top of the hill, so
information on the winner was not available.
Going: Good
Race 1: The French
Horn, Sonning-On-Thames Restricted
1: Teeton Coral 2: Bynack Mhor
Winner owned & trained: Joan Tice, ridden: Lizzie
Harris
A very run of the mill race suddenly became
astoundingly eventful in the final half mile or so. Gleeson, who
had taken the lead three out, slipped up on the bend approaching
the second last, nearly bringing down Velvet Red, who was ridden
but not completely defeated at the time. Although there were
changes of fortune throughout the day after jumping the fence by
the road, Gleeson did look to be far and away the most likely
winner when he had his accident. The actual result was fought out
by Teeton Coral, who led after Gleeson's accident, lost the edge on
the before the final fence, and then fought back on the run-in, and
Bynack Mhor, who succumbed by a head. The runner-up, winner of a
members, not a maiden, had gone for home early, and the manner of
his defeat suggested that not relying on a late burst of pace was
the right way to go, even if it did not work out. The anarchy was
finalised when both Velvet Red and long time leader Exit To Side
looked to have refused at the last, but they might have pulled
up.
Race 2: The Shepherd's
Crook, Crowell Open Maiden (4-7 yo) 2m 5f
1: Madam Molly 2: Findlay's Find 3: Tough Cookie
Winner owned: Mrs R Hurley, trained: Laura Hurley, ridden: Adam
Wedge
The uproar for this race began when the runners
were at the start for the opener, as one of the runners got loose
in the horse box park and had a good old charge round the fields
over the road from the course. Hard to identify at a distance, it
may well have been Tough Cookie, who would then have run a
creditable race in the circumstances. Of course, excelling in this
did not take much doing - Madam Molly, who held on by less than a
length, has cured her inclination to depart at the fences by having
pulled up twice and refused to race once in this seasons three
earlier races. Another problem looks also to be stamina, as she had
the race won easily turning for home, yet only just clung on and
being forced up to three milers now is a definite issue. Findlay's
Find, an appealingly constructed four year old, jumped without any
real fluency, but showed that staying power may prove to be his
strong suit should the skill element ever be sorted out. Those out
of the frame had not done much to excite - at least in a racing
sense - before today, and all managed to confirm that belief.
Race 3: Tonsley Events
Ladies' Open
1: Lady Myfanwy 2: Badger 3: Avesomeofthat
Winner owned: PB Miles, trained: Myfanwy Miles, ridden: Sally
Randall
The third race in a row to be decided by less
than a length, and also the third favourite in a row to be turned
over. Rocklandslad was the jolly, and although he gave supporters a
hope when he led from the seventh until four out, his effort
quickly became very laboured once headed and although the first
five home were still closely bunched two out, they quickly spread
out. Lady Myfanwy may have seen her strike rate drop from it's most
illustrious peak, but she still keeps the wins ticking over, and
this was her twenty-second instance of coming out on top. Badger
came with a relentless run in the last mile, but did not have
enough to stick his nose in front of the winner. The 2009 winner of
this race was Avesomeofthat, who had not managed to fit in a prep
run since last spring, and ran quite well, just edging out Dumadic
for the minor placing. Balladeer, an open winner from four tries
this season, found this a tougher task and did not figure, and
Terramarique, who won plenty of times at a low level under Rules,
could do no more than waddle around at the back in a manner that
gave little reason for future optimism.
Race 4: Stratstone
Land Rover, Aylesbury Men's Open
1: Lord Alfred 2: Northall Lad 3: Took My Eye
Winner owned: Wye Friends Partnership, trained: Caroline Griffiths,
ridden: Adrian Wintle
The run of nail biting finishes
continued, with Lord Alfred edging out the battling Northall Lad,
although either of those horses, or perhaps Novi Sad, could have
been favourite, depending on whose board was taken as the guide.
Lord Alfred and Northall Lad, who had been a little outpaced mid
race, were both delivered late, but the winner got first run and
proved to be just dour enough to out dour the also dour second.
Sloppy jumping meant that Took My Eye burnt up too much energy
trying to stay in touch, and The Hookie Bookie seemed to be on a
going day until they descended the hill and he remembered who he
is, so decided to slow down. There was a nasty incident with a lap
to go when Mikado Melody jinked near the winning line and crashed
into the rails, taking Novi Sad out of the race with him.
Race 5: Cornbury
Festival Intermediate
1: Peadar 2: The Nuns Legacy 3: Historic Place
Winner owned: Simon Tindall, trained & ridden: Nick
Pearce
Having taken refuge from the wind in the beer
tent for a while, it was a surprise to see Peadar on offer at the
nearest bookie at 6/5. That lasted a fraction of a second and in
what seemed the blink of an eye the price was as short as 1/2. The
race did not prove quite as facile as the market forecast. Peadar
went to the front at the twelfth and edged to comfortably clear
lead, and then failed turn it into a rout. The Nuns Legacy
inherited a certain second when The Boat fell three out. That takes
The Boat's record in his last six runs to BFF13F, with the solitary
one lurking to beguile the eternal optimists. On the subject of
which, Beat The Bandits did bother to start, he just did not try
that hard once he had crossed that major obstacle (for him).
Race 6: Lewis Open
Maiden
1: Crooked Smile 2: Jolt 3: Free From Magee
Winner owned & trained: Jimmy Tarry, ridden: Tom
Ellis
This was a maiden that did not take much winning,
and Crooked Smile was determined to ensure that she did not. Win
it, that is. Having been prominently early on, she lost her place
on the far side of the track for the first time and appeared to
have a major sulk on. Had the opposition had a spark about them,
she would have been quickly out of contention, but they oppo could
not arrange that, and when Crooked Smile realised that was the
situation, she cheered up a great deal and won with something in
hand. Having had the traditional educational on debut, she had been
hampered when unseating after that, and this was not unreasonable
progress. Three of the runners had made it into double figures for
appearances in vain, and Jolt fared best of those - this was his
twelfth try, small beer compared to Free From Magee who was in race
twenty. Finishing behind these two was not a good sign, but fourth
placed Monsignor Fred showed promise. Due to a litany of problems -
you name it, he has had it - he had not been subject to any serious
training, and his fitness was not expected to last the race.
However, his jumping was good and the proverbial wall was only hit
at the third last. The favourite was Definitely It, who travelled
with the grace and sweetness of a lame warthog. Newcomer Panicmadic
was prominent in the betting due to the limitations that her rivals
had already exposed, and hers proved to be jumping.
Race 7: Richardsons
Chartered Accountants Members
1: Bon Accord 2: Long Courrier 3: Mr Naborro
Winner owned: IR Mann, trained: Alan Hill, ridden: James
Tudor
A simple three runner race. Long Courrier was
slowly away and let the other pair have a fight up front. Mr
Naborro jumped well and secured a lead of a couple of lengths,
until he was headed at the twelfth. From that point Bon Accord
eased his way to a clear lead, and Mr Naborro found the effort
taking it's toll and he was headed for second by Long Courrier.
Other than Long Courrier's unusual technique of securing the best
possible placing by getting initially as near to tailed off as
possible, it was an uneventful sort of race.