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REVIEW |
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TOP class racing, fantastic weather and a huge crowd made the
Dart Vale and Haldon Harriers point to point one of the best seen in the
area this season. Highlight of the card was the £300-to-the-winner West
Country champion chase mixed open race which saw a protracted duel between
Lord Atterbury, trained by David Pipe and Mister Benjamin, trained by Paul
Nicholls.once the pair had drawn clear of a quality field. Both horses put in a spectacular display of jumping,
especially down the back straight, and Mister Benjamin, ridden by Chloe
Roddick, pulled away up the final hill to win by a comfortable four
lengths. The prize was presented by Peter Wakeham, course inspector and
steward who has just retired from commentating after 34 years. He was
subsequently presented with a bronze, the jockey painted in his racing
colours, a painting and magazine subscription by the organising committee. Good horses will come out of the maiden race which was run in
three divisions. Richard Down, from Cullompton, trained his first winner
when Elverlena (Darren Edwards), owned by his mother Faye and aunt Shirley
Cork won division three by 10 lengths from Cargo Flight and Ebony Jack.
Edwards picked up the ride as Leslie Jefford took the day off after a
heavy fall at Wadebridge the previous day. Division One went to Brian Kilpatrick’s Henrietta, ridden
by Olivia Jackson and trained by David Pipe, the horse staying on well
after blundering five from home. Mr Kilpatrick, more often seen National
Hunt racing was there to watch, sporting a tie in his colours which were
made famous by Sabin Du Loir. More will be seen of the second and third
horse home in this race Go Boy, (Michael Holmes) and It Worked (Mark
Treneer). Division two went to Red Native trained by Richard Barber and
ridden by Christian Williams but the same pairing were out of luck in the
Restricted where favourite Manly Money couldn’t make up ground quick
enough to get ahead of the confidently-ridden Bardon Boy (R Tory). Folklore says back horses for courses and that was certainly
true in the Confined Hunts race where the 12-year-old Bomba Charger, a
regular winner at Buckfastleigh, hacked up under Colin Heard, the
favourite Khayal having fallen. The winner of the last race, the
Restricted, had won at the previous meeting on the track. Henry
Wakeham”s Carefree Love (Sarah Gaisford) stayed on strongly to beat
Henwyn. Former jockey Liam Corcoran trained the winner of the
members’ race, Edgar Gink (Robin McCarthy) seeing off the challenge of
his rival in the betting market Sea Spirit (Tabitha Cave). Many of the volunteers who stage the point-to-point meetings
have been helping for years. There was a presentation to Paul Caunter at
this meeting for having been on Dart Vale and Haldon Harriers’ gate duty
every season for 36 years! Members: 1, EDGAR GINK, R McCarthy; 2, Sea
Spirit, Miss T Cave; 3,Incbrush, S Partridge. Four ran, 8l, 25l, 6.28. Open Maiden Div 1: 1, Henrietta, Mrs O Jackson;
2, Go Boy, M Holmes; 3, It Worked, M Treneer.12 ran, 1l, nk, 6.13. Maiden Div 2: 1, Red Native, C Williams; 2,
Kijimmy, A Goschen; 3, Beau Supreme, D Edwards. 15 ran, 1l, 3l, 6.09. Maiden Div 3: 1, Elverlena, D Edwards; 2, Cargo
Flight, D Summersby; 3, Ebony Jack, G Barfoot Saunt. 13 ran, 10l, 1l 6.15. Newton Abbot Racecourse Intermediate: 1, Bardon
Boy, R Tory; 2, Manly money, C Williams; 3, Song of Kenda, D Edwards.
Eight ran, 2l, 2l, 6.11. Westcountry Champion Chase Mixed Open: 1, Mister
Benjamin, Miss C Roddick; 2, Lord Atterbury, M Fowler; 3, Just The Job
Too, R McCarthy. Nine ran, 4l, 15l. 6.05. Confined Hunts: 1, Bomba Charger, C Heard; 2,
Defendtherealm, D McKenna; 3, Welsh Lad, M Shears. 7 ran, 8l, dist, 6.05. Restricted: 1, Carefree Love, Miss S Gaisford; 2, Henwyn, R Darke; 3, Alexanderthegreat, N Williams. 14 ran, 12l, 6l, 6.06. |