REVIEW
SILVERTON FOXHOUNDS
BLACK FOREST LODGE
Sunday 29th January 2006
by Liam Hale
Harris rumbles it up with
three
Ready To Rumble was the first leg of a treble
for jockey Neil Harris and trainer Jeremy Scott to keep up the
pairs good start to the season. The eleven year old gelding pulled
up on his first run this term seemed to find extra stamina reserves
to see off the admirable Polar Champ who had to settle for second.
The winner took it up four out and ran on well to the line under
the capable Harris drive.
The winner has been somewhat fragile and
seemed sore behind after the race. If he can be kept sound the
owner/trainer/jockey team seem to have another capable open horse
alongside their stable star, County Derry, who was a winner last
weekend.
The next leg of the treble came in division
one of the maiden on Scott’s Osokenda. The mare had shown
little in two bumper races in 2005 but was an easy winner in a race
where many of the chasers capitulated behind, leaving the mare to
finish well ahead of the only other finisher Phantom Walker (Darren
Edwards). The winner didn’t break sweat and looks well
capable of stepping up on this effort.
An even easier and eventful success completed
the hat trick in division three of the maiden. Favourite
Southwestern was left well clear early on the second circuit when
main market rivals Maxou Des Brosses (Michael Miller) fell and
badly hampered Double chasing Marc Barber on the grey
Onlybegoneanhour. The grey then seemed to run off the course and
was pulled up by Barber. That left Southwestern well clear from his
other two rivals leaving newcomers Double Pops (Ryan Bliss) and
Richway (Joe Price) to fight it out for second with the former
narrowly getting that vote, but more than a distance behind the
easy winner. The winner, who had shown promise in a three mile
hurdle race, was the easiest winner of the day and looks well
capable of stepping up in grade in the future after this confidence
boosting run. As stand in last race commentator Tom Malone, Martin
Pipe’s conditional, put it Southwestern won in a “hack
canter”.
The Jeremy Scott team are in tremendous form
at present and runners over the coming weeks must be followed, with
today’s maiden winners looking capable of stepping up in
grade.
Lucy Gardner was also in double form, easily
taking the three-runner members race on Tyre Hill Lilly and then
later on Tsars Twist in the Intermediate.
The first two fences were omitted in the
opener where the nine year old mare was hesitant going to post but
not returning as she easily caught the free running Millenio (Guy
Weatherley) to coast home from the then eased Millenio. This was
Millenio’s first jumps outing and at times his jumps looked
hesitant and he pulled hard, but the powerful Ollie Jackson should
get a win out of this former German flat winner. The winner who
broke her maiden in 2005 looks in good heart and can build upon
this success.
Tsars Twist was another maiden winner for the
Gardner team in 2005 and was prominent throughout in the
Intermediate to out battle Gregory Peckory (Ranald Morgan) with
some promising types in behind. Gregory Peckory joined the front
running Tsar’s twist four out but was out battled by Lucy
Gardner who galvanised Tsars Twist after the last.
The Gardner team are another to have a good
start to the 2006 and order of the day is to strike while the iron
is hot.
The ladies race went to welsh raider Twilight
Dancer and Isabel Thompsett who had the mare handy throughout to
battle on to beat Gudlage (Vanessa Shaw) who looked to have the
race won when going on four out only to be out battled by four
lengths with a further three back to the ever consistent Sandy
Duff.
Twilight Dancer, trained by permit holder
Helen Roberts, had won three times in 2005 before finishing third
in a Worcester handicap hurdle, looks capable of stepping up again
in 2006 under her capable rider Isabel Thompsett who does well with
her limited opportunities.
Sandy Duff is probably better than the bare
result as the rider had tack problems and should be winning again
soon for owner/rider Mary McCarthy. Lucy Bridges took a nasty fall
in front of the stands, first time around, on Marilyn
Scudamore’s Lincoln place. She was later taken to Exeter
hospital and hopefully all is well.
The novice rider’s race saw the first
success for Michael Scudamore, son of Peter, son on Fiesty Frosty
who battled on well to deny recent Barbury castle winner
Scuttlebrook (Freddy de Giles). The winner, trained by the jockeys
mother, looked to be playing second fiddle to Scuttlebrook when
that rival took the inside rail before the last but the Scudamore
mare battled back strongly to regain the lead and score by one and
a half lengths with another Scudamore horse in third, Selassie (C.
Wallis). Michael looked competent in the saddle, second ride and
first win, and did not panic when Scuttlebrook, who had made
endless ground on the second circuit, took the lead just before the
last.
The winner and the second look capable of
continuing there good heart and others to take from the race
include No Way A Lady (Nick Scholfield) who on only her third ever
run fell when going well in behind the leaders on the second
circuit. Scholfield suffered a broken collarbone form the incident
but the partnership should be able to make amends.
Division two of the maiden saw Marc Barbers
first success as a trainer, based at Dai Rees’s yard
Pembrokeshire yard, with John Storm who battled on strongly to beat
the slow starting Fille Détente (Charlotte Tizzard). With the
recent resurgence of Welsh based trainers Barber and his string
have benefited from his partnership with Dai Rees. The eight year
old gelding had shown ability in Irish point to points and should
perform consistently around the welsh area. The second gave the
winner all of forty lengths at the start, a trait shown under rules
for Pam Sly, but the mare battled on well to be closest at the
finish, a mares/maiden race looks within her compass if her
starting issues can be resolved.
Horses to Follow
Southwestern
Osokenda
Future Maiden winner
Fille Detente
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