Southdown & Eridge
Godstone
Sunday 1st April 2007
by Simon McInnes
After the morass sacred away the
lily-livered majority last time, the turn in the weather meant that
the course enjoyed a bumper crowd to compensate for the earlier
disappointment, although pre-match pony racing is beginning to
boost the attendance wherever it is staged.
The main events were pretty
competitive, boosted by some out of area visitors, and when the
favourite opened odds-on, it generally looked flattered by the
accolade, and subsequently drifted. Pleasant sport, chance of a bet
or two and a nice day out.
Powell & Partner
Open Maiden
1: Furze Hill 2: Noble Present 3: Frozen Assets
Winner owned: Dave & Elaine Mee, trained: Nicola Pollock,
ridden: Alex Merriam
Hardly the greatest maiden ever
seen on form, but the entire field seemed to have bloomed in the
sun, so that the big problem for punters in this was that the two
horses that had given most cause for encouragement both fell on
their most recent runs. A nice sensible pace meant that the skill
at the obstacles of all runners was not challenged very much, but
some ominously were niggled along early despite that. Everything
went to plan for Furze Hill, near the front all the way and easing
clear after three out. Noble Present was never actually that far
behind, but he never convinced that he was going to find any more
than the winner. It was a good run on his second UK appearance, but
Tim Underwood bizarrely was called in by the stewards for the
improved run – surely unique for a horse that did not win.
The excuse that it was only his second run for the yard and that
the racecard form was incorrect apparently proved watertight!
Faster ground might have been a factor also. The presence of Frozen
Assets in third sort of devalues the form, even though he was well
beaten, as prior to his last run he was a serial non-completer by
any means at his disposal, yet today was still in front four fences
from home. Young Rocky was the main flop of the race, prominent
early on, but fading after a mile until eventually pulling up. This
has been about par for the course for horses that the Turners send
into the south-east in the last couple of seasons.
Barfields
Restricted
1: Montanel 2: Court Award 3: Kingsun
Winner owned & trained: Nigel Benstead, ridden: Philip
York
With a disappointing entry of nine, it was a
pleasant surprise to get five runners, never mind a race that
proved a tight affair. Montanel won his maiden last time but had
looked criminally insane prior to that, pulling up on those days
when he was unable to run out or fling his rider to the ground. How
long can the new leaf remain turned, before the wind flips back
where it was? Court Award was a long term threat but proved as one
paced in the end as would be expected for a horse whose habit is to
be second when he finishes. Although not too far behind in third,
Kingsun could have been a serious threat but for a bad blunder four
out, when he stumbled left and lost all his momentum. This was his
best effort in the UK and he might win a restricted soon.
Highfields Farm Ladies
Open
1: Fiery Ring 2: Millenium Way 3: Leatherback & Persian
King
Winner owned: Simon Tindall, trained & ridden: Jenny
Gordon
Even allowing for the fact that Millenium Way has
an inspired record here, and that Fiery Ring had a mystery (i.e.
out of sight) fall here at the mudfest, it was amazing that
Millenium Way was favourite as Fiery Ring does look to be the
better horse. It was a deserved win for the owner, who has
supported the course as sponsor and with runners since it’s
inception and after his odds-on favourite departed at the first
fence of the first race of the first meeting, things had only
rarely perked up. The burning one went clear of Millenium Way at
the final ditch and despite the usual game effort from the
runner-up, it was pretty much game over from there on in.
Leatherback ran well and probably deserved to keep third, but
Persian King trundled on to grab a dead heat for the minor spot,
appreciating the faster ground.
Volkswagen Touareg
Mens Open
1: Quarrymount 2: Little Farmer 3: Cape Stormer
Winner owned & trained: EJ Farrant, ridden: Chris
Gordon
The bookies put up prices that meant backing both
of the first two favourites would post a small profit and it was
hard to see which of the other four was going to spoil the party.
Quarrymount had won a confined on Kent National day, which is
usually open class form, and at the age of six he is an up and
coming performer, with plenty of potential improvement. Cape
Stormer, on the other hand, was starting the season too late to
retain his title as the winningmost horse in the land, and although
I thought that he looked quite fit, everyone I know disagreed with
me, and the manner in which he folded approaching the third last
was very much an endorsement for the evil majority. The winner
looks a very decent prospect, a potential challenger for the top
horse in the vicinity. Little Farmer ran up to best and a bit more,
although it is three years since he won an Open, and form like this
will make him a short price in lower grades.
TBA/MFHA PPORA Mares
Maiden
1: Pipes A’Calling 2: Mysaynoway 3: Firecracker Lady
Winner owned: Mrs J Butler, trained: Victoria Collins, ridden:
Rilly Goschen
This is normally an endearing feeble heat and the injection of some
outside blood hardly did much to beef up it’s stature.
Pipe’s A’Calling had been a very well beaten second
here earlier, falling on a subsequent run, and when she started to
struggle a lap out, it seemed another failure was on the cards.
However, some vim from the saddle and a bit of guts by the horse
allowed her to go on and gain that elusive win. She was helped by
Mysaynoway hanging left on the home turn and also along the home
straight – not the first time that the mare has looked less
than optimally steerable. Third placed Firecracker Lady is a nine
year old with only two runs to her name, both pulled up, but this
unique experience of racing with a warm up run to her name did seem
to suit. Paddock picks were Eva’s Edge, a horribly one paced
fourth, and Twinkling Star, beaten when falling for the second run
in a row.
Dodson & Horrell
PPORA Club Members Novice Riders Race
1: Willie The Kid 2: Indoux 3: Rakatia
Winner owned & ridden: David Maxwell, trained: Kim
Smyly
All in all this was a fairly eventful heat, with a
rare double figure field for the course producing plenty of ebb and
flow of fortune. Willie The Kid was up there most of the way round,
rallying well after an mistake at the fourteenth to go to the front
soon after and keep paddock pick Indoux at bay. Indoux is a
notoriously tricky customer, but he does have a history of running
for a novice rider, even though that novice was far better than
average. Rakatia spoiled his chances with a bad error as soon as he
hit the front but it was a fair effort to be third. The Grey Baron,
who should have been too good for this, was at the rear early on
and ambled round to never be a threat to the leaders. It was
reported that he was never travelling, but the counter point is
that he was never subject to a vigorous ride, which has motivated
The Grey Baron in the past. New Lodge Express was also ridden with
excess patience, but his rider did get a bit more serious, albeit
too late, and he finished like a train to be fourth, and probably
could have been second. All part of the educational experience. The
other that stood out in the paddock was Soundtrack, who set the
pace and once headed was treated by his rider with all the respect
he has earned in his fourteen years, and as a non-stayer.
Robert Wilkins Members
1: Winters Beau 2: Sanamour 3: Lively Lord
Winner owned: Mrs PA Wilkins, trained: Susanna Hall, ridden: Philip
Hall
As they took the third
last, this seemed set to be a close race, but Winters Beau put on a
bit of a spurt, and the injection of speed caused Sanamour to be a
little lacking in fluency over the final pair of fences. Winters
Beau had to work a bit harder than when winning his members before,
but he ought to be competitive in Restricteds on this evidence.
Prior to unseating on his seasonal debut, Sanamour had either won
or pulled up on every run, so to have been second must have sent
him home in a fog of utter bemusement. Any chance that ageing
nutcase Lively Lord had on form was wasted when he went wide on
most of the bends, and he was easily defeated in the end. With his
allocated weight at 12-5 and the petite Keely Harrison on board,
the clerk of the scales presumably had to pilfer some lead from the
church roof to make up the full burden.