REVIEW
COTSWOLD VALE FARMERS
MAISEMORE PARK
SUNDAY 13 APRIL 2003

by Peter Mansell

Adrian Wintle's double on Macy and Northern Deal during Sundays Cotswold Vale Farmers meeting at Maisemore Park consolidated his position as the leading rider in this years Area Championships.

Macy followed up last weekends Andoversford success by taking the Members for the Cheltenham based jockey and Redmarley trainer Martin Jones. The winners was left in a clear lead after Tirley Gale encountered problems on the final bend and Macy strode home to secure victory for the trainers wife Jackie and his mother Margaret.

Herbie Collins's Northern Deal recorded his fourth victory of the season after Wintle had steered him to a facile win in the Mixed Open. None of their rivals were able to get the improving 8-year-old off the bridle and Wintle's mount came home 15 lengths clear of Rectory Garden after Ashgreen had been exhausted by his efforts to match strides with the favourite down the back straight.

Fate conspired against Wintle in the Confined. His partner Bright November had made virtually every yard of the running in this contest and had just started to draw clear of the The Kings Fling, when the 12-year-old ran the wrong side of the running rail on the final bend, which left Polly Gundrys mount to record a fortuitous success.

26-year-old Emma Phillips will have cause to remember this meeting more than most after Beyond the Stars had provided the Longdon resident with her first success in the Restricted.

The 12-year-old had jumped in exemplary fashion throughout, but with the race in safekeeping thy had a major disagreement at the last which left Miss Phillips struggling to maintain her posture but once they were back on a even keel victory was assured.

Stoke Bliss owner/trainer/rider Emma James and Helen Albert took Division II of the Maiden on Ascot Sales purchase Certain Surprise. The 9-year-old was always in contention and stormed through to take the lead between the final two fences and they finished 8-lengths clear of their rivals at the post.

23-year-old Anna Clifford from Frampton on Severn has had to fit race riding commitments in with her University studies over the last couple of years but her ratio of winners to rides is quite high. Heavy Hustler provided Clifford with her first winner last year and this combination repeated their success in the Novice Riders Race at the expense of Carried Interest and Tale Bridge.

Ledbury's Julian Pritchard maintained his challenge for the National Riders Championship with a weekend double. He had little trouble steering Well Ted to victory in the Ludlow Open during Saturdays meeting at Bitterley but had to work much harder before gaining victory on Lord Tiddlypush in the final division of the Maiden at Maisemore.

The 5-year-old made significant progress down the back straight but these efforts appeared to have been in vain as Thomas the Doubter held a useful advantage at the last. Pritchard refused to accept defeat and in a pulverising finish got his mount up in the shadows of the post for Oxfordshire trainer Ginny Elliott and her father in law Kerr.

RESULTS
MEMBERS
1ST MACY A WINTLE 4/6 FAV
2ND TIRLEY GALE S THOMAS 6/4
3RD MORNDER ROMANY N OLIVER 14/1
4 RAN 20 - 4 LENGTHS
CONFINED
1ST THE KINGS FLING MISS P GUNDRY 3/1
2ND MELODY PRINCESS M RIMELL 14/1
3RD ELOI II M HARRIS 20/1
10 RAN 10 - 12 LENGTHS
NOVICE RIDERS - DIVISION I
1ST BOLD STATEMENT S HUGHES 4/1
2ND JOSHUA'S VISION MISS L BROOKE 9/2
3RD WILD BLADE R JENKINS 20/1
11 RAN 15 - 12 LENGTHS
NOVICE RIDERS - DIVISION II
1ST HEAVY HUSTLER MISS A CLIFFORD 9/4 FAV
2ND CARRIED INTEREST J KINGTON 9/2
3RD TALE BRIDGE MISS A BUSH 11/2
11 RAN 9 - 5 LENGTHS
MIXED OPEN
1ST NORTHERN DEAL A WINTLE 2/5 FAV
2ND RECTORY GARDEN MISS G EMTAGE 20/1
ONLY TWO FINISHED
5 RAN 15 LENGTHS
RESTRICTED
1ST BEYOND THE STARS MISS E PHILLIPS 14/1
2ND LOCKINGTON R BURTON 9/4 FAV
3RD MASTER GRASS P MASON 8/1
14 RAN 5 - 20 LENGTHS
MAIDEN - DIVISION I
1ST TALYGARN J PRICE 3/1
2ND RED SPARK E WALKER 14/1
3RD CROESY PENNANT S THOMAS 20/1
11 RAN 2 - 16 LENGTHS
MAIDEN - DIVISION II
1ST CERTAIN SURPRISE MISS E JAMES 2/1
2ND LORD CASTLE A WINTLE 11/8 FAV
3RD ASHFIELD JAKE D MANSELL 12/1
9 RAN 8 - 4 LENGTHS
MAIDEN - DIVISION III
1ST LORD TIDDLYPUSH J PRITCHARD 5/2
2ND THOMAS THE DOUBTER D JONES 9/4 FAV
3RD MAINLIER M HARRIS 14/1
12 RAN NECK - DISTANCE

 

WEST MIDLAND AREA CHAMPIONSHIPS
SPONSORED BY NEWSQUEST - HUMBERTS - EQUIMIX
LEADERS AFTER FIVE MEETINGS
MALE RIDERS LADY RIDERS
ADRIAN WINTLE 73 POLLY GUNDRY 24
JULIAN PRITCHARD 37 ANNA DE LISLE WELLS 12
MICHAEL HARRIS 16 JANE WILLIAMS 7
ALEX BEVAN 7
ANNA CLIFFORD 7
LEADING MARE CHAMPION NOVICE
CAMPDEN KITTY 10 MR NABORRO 7
MILDAN GRACE 5 RAYMOND JAMES 7
PROPER PRIMITIVE 5 QUATERMASS 5
MILDAN GRACE 5
LEADING HORSE NOVICE RIDER
NORTHERN DEAL 14 JANE WILLIAMS 7
MACY 14 ALEX BEVAN 7
FONTAINE AGAIN 12 TOM WESTON 7
CAMPDEN KITTY 10 ANNA CLIFFORD 7
AZTEC RULE 10
OWNER/TRAINER/RIDER GROOM OF THE YEAR
JANE WILLIAMS 7 LEADING CONTENDERS THUS FAR:
JAMES RICHARDSON 7 SHARON SMITH
TOM WESTON 7 MANDY TATLOW
NIGEL HAMSON
JULIE WHEELER