Not being accustomed to pointing over Easter, the crowd for
this meeting seemed huge compared to regular Charings, although it did at
least rain briefly to make it seem normal. The entries for the day were
ominously low (63 over six races, with several horses appearing more than
once), but the fields themselves stood it quite well, with the runners
counting 8, 5, 3, 5, 5 and 5. Although good betting opportunities, and even
close finishes, were thin on the ground, the overwhelming nature of the
meeting was that of a pleasant day out.
What was not well publicised in advance, but seemed to boost
the crowd anyway, were two pony races, which as a consequence I missed. The
opener, for riders up to 12 years old, claimed to have a runner owned by
Notorious B.I.G. Implausible as this may seem, fear of having a cap popped
in their "mofo ass" may have intimidated a few rivals. Less
tactically threatening, in the older riders’ (and bigger ponies’) race,
one had its colours declared as Cranbrook RFC’s tight-head prop shirt.
Either it put up over-weight or the pilot sacrificed a degree of
aerodynamicity.
Susan Boyd Memorial Restricted
A bit of a surprise winner emerged from this, in that Charing regulars
will recall Kilvoydan throwing away a golden winning opportunity last season
when hanging in behind the struggling leader approaching the last, and
steadfastly refusing to overtake. Today he was beneficiary of a shrewd
tactical ride from Dan(?) Phelan, who took the running up at the seventh
fence and ensured that Kilvoydan did not see another rival ahead of him all
the way to the line. With nothing to duck in behind, he kept up to the task
with apparent enthusiasm. A triumph for innovative thinking on a horse that
formerly, it seemed, was unsuited to both making the running and not making
it. A big aid in the success came when Trumper got the second last all wrong
and did well to survive. He was poised to stick a neck in front at this
stage, and not being able to do so conceivably made all the difference. The
only other finisher was Master Chief. He was a long way back, but ridden to
complete once his chance had gone, and not for the first time hinted that he
could find a winnable race in a small field at some stage.
Grants Cherry Brandy Open Maiden - 5-7 year olds, 2m 4f
At this time of year, with reasonable ground on offer, it was
disappointing that only seven were entered for this. And the five that were
declared were a nightmare to sort out. Almazard and Lord Of The North had
both started the year with modest finishes and then failed to jump round in
their next two. Naughty Noah was similar, but one incompletion was a pulled
up instead of an unseated. In contrast, Worth A Shot had pulled up in all
three, and the shot was probably a swift brandy for the pilot. The other
runner was a York family newcomer, who looked distinctly unnerved by the
occasion in the preliminaries. Amazingly, the four with a history of not
finishing all got round, even though they set off so slowly that negotiating
the first was an small achievement in itself. Lord Of The North eventually
ran out an easy winner, and Worth A Shot finished strongest of all - a
novel, indeed, unique, experience for him - to get the runner up spot. The
debutant, Lady Mordaunt, ran an interesting race. She was not foot perfect
early on, and sitting at the back, it looked like she was on for an
educational. However, in the second half, she made progress to lie behind
the leading pair and was a definite threat when falling four out. One to
bear in mind if not phased by hitting the deck. Having both failed twice
over course and distance, the other pair are not providing encouragement.
Naughty Noah ran like a non-stayer even at this reduced trip (although he at
least has jumped round both times!), and Almazard went violently left for
most of the race, with Jenny Gordon doing well to get him round.
Piper’s Mens Open
Only three lined up and ultra-veteran jockey David Robinson won the
spoils with the evergreen Struggles Glory. As the horse pretty much operates
to his own convenience, he was allowed to sort himself out at the obstacles,
which meant he tended to go right at the fences, especially the uphill ones.
But he led all the way, and his only realistic rival, Belvento, unseated
Mick Sheridan when pecking at fourth last. At this stage it was neck and
neck, with the suspicion that the younger and more athletic jockey may have
given Belvento an edge if it had come down to riding a finish, but Belvento
had nudged the turf at three earlier fences and the eventual disposal of the
jockey was not unforeseeable. The greatness of Struggles Glory, however, is
that at any meeting he appears at, he is the popular choice to win, and his
fans got what they wanted today. Early on, the betting on this race was a
near criminal 4/6 joint favourites, with the outsider Russian Connection at
6/1. Fortunately, near the off, this had settled to 4/5, 5/4 and 6/1. Not
exactly generous, but not the rip-off the ring initially offered.
Eastwell Manor Ladies’ Open
The ladies provided an odd spectacle for the racegoers, as the in-form
Cedar Chief had the race totally in control from a long way out, but in the
end found his four rivals closing on him as they battled for the minor
honours, and he was finally not quite as impressive in success as was on the
cards as late as two out. There was never much danger of defeat as Lisa
Stock was in no way complacent in the saddle, but the gut feeling is left
that Cedar Chief is vulnerable to anything that sticks with him mid-race.
Also, it should be observed that a couple of years ago I commented that Lisa
Stock tended to give everything a waiting ride, whether it suited the horse
or not, so in fairness, I have to mention that this is no longer the case,
and recent winners have come from more positive tactics. For much of the
last mile Commasarris looked set for second, but the ‘pack’ of three was
closing fast when he hit the wall after two out, and jumping right at the
last lost sufficient ground for Glory Trail to overtake. At halfway, that
horse seemed the least likely candidate to fill the forecast spot, and he
seems to have more determination than speed. The trail is long, steep and
more of a participation than a spectator sport.
Rocking Horse South East Hunts Club Members
There was an additional trophy for the first Ashford Valley horse to
finish in this. Only one was ever entered and he I) was not declared and ii)
had amassed no completions in three years, which covered just three runs.
Algan was also a no-show, but quite a competitive little affair was
generated. Grey youngster Charlies Angel, who won three races last season,
came home first, but she was under a big threat from Kenny Davis when he
unseated three out. When first
running in this country, he looked like he could not jump to save his life,
but he turned up at almost every meeting that I went to, and it was pleasant
to watch him slowly get his act together, and end up being placed in Opens,
admittedly in little danger of winning one. Sadly, this season, Kenny Davis
seems to have forgotten everything he learned, as this was his third
straight accident. The engine still runs, if he puts it together again. This
left Rainbow Ranch in second. When he inherited that spot, he looked a spent
force, but rallied under pressure to at least give Charlies Angel no room
for error in the latter stages.
Hobbs Parker Hunt Cup and Farmers’ Race
The most one-sided event of the day, and reformed (for now?) sulkpot
Dick McCarthy scooted clear from the fourth last to rack up another
comfortable win. Those who watched him towards the end of his Rules career
will always think he could spit out the dummy at any stage, but he may have
got away with it today even had he done so. The main rival, who set a good
pace and challenged Dick’s temper, was Nicodemus, who last ran in 2002. He
looked nearly fit, but not 100%, and slowed up a lot from two out. This
enabled Oxendale to overhaul him. Never the most committed of participants,
Oxendale has not even travelled as well as usual this season, and this was
not really a complete return to form. On the other hand, Nicodemus is far
from a spent force, although opportunities in the area this season are
rapidly running out.
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