sir ww wynns
eaton hall 6th March 2005
by Jeremy Grayson
The opening meeting at Eaton
Hall this season represented the first chance for owners, trainers
and riders to evaluate the extensive improvements carried out on
the course over the winter. Chief among these have been the
reinstatement of the original course, heavy rolling of the ground
to render it more or less totally flat, and the enlisting of Bangor
racecourse’s expertise in rebuilding the fences. It was a
pity that those efforts weren’t entirely rewarded with some
bigger fields across the whole card, as only around 80 horses in
total contested the eight events, but the fantastic weather and
immaculate arrangement and organisation of the site did at least
attract a sizeable crowd.
All races were run over an
extended three miles, which translates as just under two and a half
circuits of this flat, sharpish right-handed track (its nearest
equivalents under rules would probably be Market Rasen or Taunton).
Four fences were jumped in the straight, of which the first was
located in the starting chute, whereafter two complete circuits
(comprising four in the back straight, including the ditch, and the
last three fences in the straight) were completed. The ground
appeared to be riding on the soft side of good, but withstood the
day’s racing brilliantly.
Race One; HUNTS MEMBERS,
SUBSCRIBERS AND FARMERS
That grand veteran WANDERING
LIGHT would have been a popular winner of this contest, and with
this Members race having cut up to just four runners his chance
seemed a good one. He was never travelling, however, jumping very
deliberately throughout and requiring plenty of work to make up the
lost ground between each fence. Tessa Clark finally gave up the
unequal struggle on him two from home, and it remains to be seen
how many more times this now 16yo will be asked to go into
battle.
In a muddling affair, Oliver
Greenall ultimately got DOUBLE RICH home just ahead of HIJACKED to
land his fifth career victory. The winner is not a consistent
animal and the runner-up had been well beaten in two intermediates
prior to this performance, so the form is probably nothing to get
too excited about. FERRYPORT HOUSE, a former Irish Maiden and
Winner-of-One winner having his first run in this country, ran in
snatches.
Race Two; OPEN MAIDEN (Division
One)
REBEL ARMY initiated the first
leg of a treble for Richard Burton here, when delivered late to
reel in longtime leader SARAH’S PARTY up the run-in. The
calibre of his eleven rivals was not up to much, and this 6yo was
one of only two horses who could have contested the race had it
been a young horse maiden, but it was still an impressive debut
under an educative ride. Sarah’s Party was sent off the
favourite on her British debut despite awful form figures in Irish
points, but those punters relying on the move to Gary Hanmer
working the oracle were very nearly proved correct. Compensation
should not be too far off in coming.
BALLYHOLME, another Irish
import, managed to take third place for the Talbot family despite
his best form previously having been on firmer ground; whilst even
on this sharp circuit TIMES TWO once again failed to last home
after disputing the lead for much of the race, and really needs to
find a 2m 4f maiden if he is ever going to score.
Race Three; OPEN MAIDEN (Division
Two)
This was run at a time just a
second quicker than the first division, but contained a few more
debutants and / or unexposed types who could go on from here than
that race did. UNCLE NEIL had already accumulated four runner-up
berths prior to this race, including when highly tried in a 3m 5f
open last season, and finally got reward for his consistency here
with an exemplary display of jumping under that man Burton. Having
landed a Kelso hunters’ chase the day before, this capped a
very decent weekend for Sheila Crow.
PRECIOUS BANE was having his
first look at fences in public here following eleven uninspiring
runs under both Flat and National Hunt codes for Brian Baugh. He
put in a sound enough round of jumping and should come on for what
was his first run of any description since October 2002. KINGS
REASON put up a promising racecourse debut in third, and this 5yo
will doubtless be given all the time he needs by Gary Hanmer. TOP
OF THE DEE has proved a less than safe conveyance over fences
during the current National Hunt season, and took a horrible fall
when starting to back-pedal at Weston Park last time. Here she
finally managed to put in a clear round in fourth, although she
didn’t fully convince as being able to last three miles.
David Greenway took an x-rated
fall on TORPICA at halfway and was carried into the ambulance
motionless. Amazingly, he was up and walking around the paddock
again one hour later, but gave up all his remaining rides.
Race Four; MENS OPEN
Some real old favourites from
the staying chase ranks lined up here in what won’t be the
classiest Men’s Open run this season. That said, it did
produce a good return to form on his pointing debut from NO
RETREAT. A well-known animal in this part of the world, having
previously been with Steve Brookshaw and Brian Baugh, he recorded
his first win since 1999 here. William Hill must take much credit
for an assertive ride, sending No Retreat to the front with a whole
circuit to go and, with the horse’s stamina guaranteed, drew
the sting out of all his rivals despite the best efforts of William
Kinsey on the favourite CURLY SPENCER.
No Retreat has form to his name
over the big Aintree fences, having run Amberleigh House to a
reasonably close fifth in the 2001 renewal of the Becher Chase, and
this fine jumper would certainly be worth giving a return to the
course for the Foxhunters on this evidence.
Curly Spencer was a fine
mud-loving chaser at around 2m 4f two seasons ago for Andrew Parker
before the handicapper had too much of a say, and had put in very
decent performances in two of the hottest hunters’ chases
this season prior to this run (only Sleeping Night and Legal Right
beat him at Wetherby). He is going to pick up one or two of these
before too soon, as long as the ground stays on the easy side.
HOME MADE was well held in third
here, but following on from his good second in the equivalent event
at Eyton last week is serving notice of a gradual return to the
form which saw him win two races as a 5yo. He still has years and
years ahead of him. Not so the two 14yos ANDY’S BIRTHDAY, who
was taken off his feet on the final circuit after showing
prominently early, and needs a much more severe test than this
gave; or the increasingly mulish GALEN, who offered Stuart Ross
precious little assistance and pulled up turning for home.
Race Five; LADIES OPEN
Carrie Ford sent just one runner
to Eaton today in MYTIMIE, but Tania Harrison was made to work
extremely hard to get the hot favourite home in the shadow of the
posts. The unheralded 6yo ANOTHER CLUB ROYAL, previously a winner
of a poorly-contested novices’ hurdle at Uttoxeter last
season, did have a second to his name in a 2m 5f chase last time
out, but this still seemed an audacious move by Donald McCain Jr to
pitch him straight into Open company on his pointing debut. Tessa
Clark set sail for home entering the straight and it looked like
Mytimie had too much to do even after the last, but the gallant
10yo responded just well enough to Harrison’s urgings to
steal the spoils and with it his third ladies open in six runs
between the flags.
None of the others in the race
offered too much hope of winning in the immediate future; RETURNED
UN PAID continues to run below the level of form which garnered him
a 3m 2f chase win under Rules for Paul Blockley eighteen months
ago, whilst BENBOW’s jumping was sticky to say the least.
Race Six; INTERMEDIATE
With four of the five runners
covered by just three points in the Pointer’s handicap
ratings, this looked a really tight contest of its kind. HEAVY
WEATHER is best suited by hold-up tactics, and despite the small
field these were duly employed by Richard Burton to land the spoils
here, giving the rider a hat-trick on the day. The horse was not
especially fluent early on, but Burton did not panic, and was still
able to get him into enough of a rhythm to go with longtime leader
TRIBAL TRACT when that one cranked up the tempo four from home. By
he time he flew the last, Heavy Weather was eight lengths to the
good and ultimately won as he pleased. He is now two from five in
British points, although that included three non-completions, so he
is not one to follow with total confidence in this sphere just
yet.
Tribal Tract’s exertions
in what was only his second race in two seasons ultimately told,
and he lost second place to HIGH FIELDS, stone cold last entering
the final straight but finishing to good effect by the end of it.
The baby of the party at six, he should find a similar contest to
this before too long.
Race Seven; PPORA NOVICE RIDERS
RACE
The biggest field of the day
(13) included some real veterans obviously being put to use as
schoolmasters for these inexperienced riders, and it was one such
animal, the 13yo THE EENS, who gave Edward Bourne his first ever
win between the flags with a well-judged waiting ride. Bourne sat
the old boy off the pace set by MISTER MOSS (before Richard
Collinson took the wrong course on him) and then GLACIAL TABHAIRNE,
before scooting clear turning for home and letting the
horse’s assured good jumping secure the victory over the last
three obstacles. The Eens won five chases and a hurdle on soft to
heavy ground for Ginger McCain before losing the plot entirely last
season, and Donald Jr looks to have got him keen and competitive
again. This is probably as good a grade as he can operate in
nowadays, though.
The favourite MASTER JOCK was
another one waited with until at least halfway, and tried to come
from further off the pace than the winner. His staying on second
was a much better effort than his finish in that position on
seasonal reappearance at Weston, when Jemaro slammed him in the
Albrighton member’s race by 25l, and this fairly regular
winner (six from 18 in points) ought to offer a novice rider a
wining chance in one of these soon enough. LAMBRINI BIANCO, a 7yo
full-brother to both Royal Athlete and Tipsy Mouse, also came from
off the pace and registered his best performance since winning a
Bangor bumper three years ago. Glacial Tabhairne, a bit out of
depth in a Men’s Open at Thorpe Lodge last time, enjoyed
himself much more today, but couldn’t live with his own pace
and faded in the straight.
For a horse known as a stayer of
extreme distances, STEP ON EYRE was given insufficient
encouragement to do so by Felix Patterson, who kept him detached
from the pack for at least two thirds of the race and just let him
weave through beaten / pulling-up horses from two out; he was never
nearer than his finishing place of fifth. The favourite WINTER
GALE, a confirmed hold-up horse, kept Step on Eyre company miles
behind all else for a the first half of the race, but never got out
of last place and pulled up five from home. This was too bad a run
to be true and something may have been amiss.
Race Eight; RESTRICTED
THE YOUNG PURTY had a number of
the major players in today’s two maidens behind him when
scoring at Weston Park a fortnight previously and, pulling hard for
his head early on, was clearly intent on adding to his tally here.
He only had early pacesetter LILY BROWN for company for much of the
final circuit here, and having shaken off that rival approaching
two out looked to have the race in safe keeping. An awful blunder
there knocked the stuffing out of him, however, and the
patiently-ridden favourite TINARANA LORD ghosted to the front
immediately to pinch the finale perhaps a shade fortuitously.
He’d previously been worried out of a win in a PPORA
Restricted at Thorpe Lodge a month ago, so connections may feel he
was due a bit of good fortune here.
NIKILORR was prominent
throughout without being able to land a blow at the business end of
the race and looks onepaced. Lily Brown faded into fourth in the
end, and stamina doubts remain about a mare who needed a
falsely-run 2m 4f maiden to break her duck in points in the first
place. MEENTAGH LOCH, winner of his only previous racecourse visit
when a winner of a maiden here last year, did not go a yard today
and was not asked to complete.
WINNING TRAINERS
Steve Wynne
Caroline Robinson
Sheila Crow
Mr J Groucott
Carrie Ford
Miss Jo Priest
Donald McCain Jr
Mr Gary Hanmer
WINNING
JOCKEYS
Mr Oliver Greenall
Mr Richard Burton (3 wins)
Mr William Hill
Miss Tania Harrison
Mr Edward Bourne
Mr Gary Hanmer
COMMENTATOR
Mr E Windsor
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