REVIEW
DARTMOOR
FLETE PARK
SATURDAY 17 APRIL 2004

by Lee Glanville

A double for trainer Gordon Chambers included the winner of the four mile men's open, a pillar to post victory for Province ridden by Leslie Jefford, at the Dartmoor Foxhounds meeting at Flete Park.

A huge crowd watched Jefford set out to make this a true stamina test and he was never headed although Canterbury Jack briefly went alongside four fences from home.

Chambers had earlier taken the Restricted race with Mystic Warrior, Tabitha Cave taking the winning ride after Jefford had chosen to ride Black a Brook. Black A Brook was sent off favourite but Flete is a course that horses either love or hate and favourite Black A Brook was pulled up by Jefford as the mare was never travelling well .

Mary McCarthy won the ladies' open on her own Sandy Duff, trained by Nicky Frost - the pair's third victory of the season. Although McCarthy won it comfortably enough, Alice Mills, 16, made much of the pace on her own Defendtherealm and will be unlucky not to win on him before the end of the season.

McCarthy had cut out the pace in the members' race on her other horse, Lingering Fog, only to see Andrew Glassonbury slip by after the last on Lucy Johnson's Impatient Lady. It was the mare's second win from just two runs.

Dennis Williams' red and white colours were back in the winners enclosure when Midnight Coup got the better of his five rivals in the Confined under Guy Weatherley, and Ian Chanin had a great first ride to take second on Barton Rose.

Despite another brave front running effort from Winnie The Pooh (Sarah Gaisford) in the maiden, the horse had to settle for third as the Verity Nicholls trained Abseal won under Alex Charles Jones. The familiar blue and green colours of the Foale family should soon be back in the winners' enclosure as Feels Like Rain (Liam Heard) should come on for his second place.

Results: Members: 1, Impatient Lady, A Glassonbury; 2, Lingering Fog, Miss M McCarthy. Four ran, only two finished, 2 1/2l, 6.58.

Restricted: 1, Mystic Warrior, Miss T Cave; 2, Baron Ridge, R Darke; 3, Winning Leader, Mrs O Jackson. Nine ran, 8l, 20l, 6.44.

Men's open Four Miles: 1, Province, L Jefford; 2, Dark Challenger, A Charles Jones; 3, Canterbury Jack, G Weatherley. Six ran, 4l, 7l, 8.10.

Gerrard Ladies Open: 1, Sandy Duff, Miss M McCarthy; 2, Defendtherealm, Miss A Mills; 3, Frank Byrne, Miss A Goschen. Five ran, 12l, 15l, 6.32.

Confined: 1, Midnight Coup, G Weatherley; 2, Barton Rose, I Chanin; 3, Silver Man, D McKenna. Six ran, 6l, 7l, 6.42.

Confined Maiden: 1, Abseal, A Charles Jones; 2, Feels Like Rain, L Heard; 3, Winnie The Pooh, Miss S Gaisford. Nine ran, 3l, 6l, 6.45.