REVIEW
CHESHIRE
ALPRAHAM
Sunday 26th March 2006
by Arthur Shone
There was a huge crowd at Alpraham
yesterday for the Cheshire hunt meeting between the flags. The rain
lashed course produced an excellent days racing, one or two more
runners would not have come amiss, but overall no complaints. The
winners were not too hard to find, the only difficult part was
getting off the course! It was lottery when your car got bogged
down in the mud as to whether the tractor towed you off or you got
through the mud with the aid of a push from somebody, in my case it
was the latter.
Only four runners went to post for the
opening Members race; fifty per cent of the field was trained by
Cholmondley trainer Donald McCain for Nantwich owner Derek Malam.
They landed the spoils with The Eens under Ed Bourne who made
amends after unseating at Eyton last Sunday. The winner was twenty
lengths too good for the runner up Chadswell under Harry Challenor,
the 16yr old rider was having only his second race ride. He works
for Richard Ford at Tarporley, and the runner up is trained by his
wife Carrie.
Tarporley trainer Carrie Ford did not leave
her local course empty handed following the success of Next To
Nothing, who ran in the same colours as Unguided Missile. The Bobs
Return gelding made virtually every yard from flag fall under Tania
Harrison to outstay Step And Run under Jane Williams by 5 lengths
with the veteran Dancetillyoudrop was a further distance back in
third. This horse had been a good advert for pointing he loves the
game and is a reliable schoolmaster for the Tellwright family and
was ridden today by Flo Tellwright and trained by her mother
Tiddles. The winner is owned by the riders father David Harrison
from Alsager.
The Mens’ Open only had three runners
to face the starter. On the betting tissue before the race the
Sheila Crow trained Darnil was the 4-7 favourite following by
Tinarana Lord at 11-8. That is exactly how they finished at the
post with the well backed jolly under Richard Burton 8 lengths too
good for Tinarana Lord with Stuart Ross in the plate. The winner is
owned by David Rogers from Shrewsbury. This was his horses third
win of the season and he has the silverware on his sideboard after
Darnil was the area champion horse last season. If Darnil has a few
more wins under his belt then he will be polishing the cup again
for another year. Sheila Crow was full of praise for her charge
saying afterwards that he hated the soft ground, but added that he
was so tough that he just knuckles down and gets on with it.
The Confined race went to the Will Kinsey
trained and ridden Castleford, who was handed the race when Ricky B
under Adam Wadlow fell at the second last when upsides. Castleford
took full advantage to come home in a hack canter by 30 lengths
from Robbies Adventure with Sally Ford in the plate. The runner up
is no relation to Tarporley trainer Richard Ford, but she works for
him and her horse is trained by Richard’s wife, Carrie. The
winner is one of 8 that Will Kinsey trains at his Ashton yard near
Chester. The winner is owned by Caroline Page from Ottley, who is
the mother of one of his old schoolfriends.
Will Kinsey then went on to ride a double
with Ikemba in the Restricted. The Executive Perk gelding battled
back when headed at the last by Fosse Park under David Sherlock to
regain the lead on the run in to win by 6 lengths. The winner is
trained by the in form trainer John Grocoutt at Much Wenloch for
owners Mark Harris and his wife Dean from Berrington Manor. The
owners bought the horse in Ireland and have had him since he was a
3yr old. This was a mile stone for Kinsey as this was his first
career double in the saddle.
Richard Hewitt, who trains at Benllech in
Anglesey, made the long journey worth while when Eurodeal put up a
very polished display of jumping under Adam Wadlow to land the Open
Maiden on the bit by 15 lengths from Deux Bons Amis. It has been a
good fortnight for Hewitt coming on the back of Ricky B’s
victory at Whittington the week before.
The Open Maiden over two and a half miles was
a very dramatic affair. Kings Reason under Adam Wadlow fell at the
last when in contention then Iris’s Dream under Stuart Ross
touched down over the last with a lead of just over a length, but
The Bare Minimum then landed running under Adrian Wintle to forge
clear on the run in to win going away by 12 lengths. The winner is
trained at Malpas by Steve Wynne for Malpas owner Dave Manning who
is great supporter of this sport. This was Wynne’s fourth
winner of the season and the horse has only been in his yard since
May last year after being bought privately from trainer Mick
Easterby by Manning.
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