TANATSIDE
EYON ON SEVERN 27th
February 2005
by Arthur Shone
The Tanatside Hunt meeting
between the flags at Eyton on Severn produced a really good
competitive card. There were plenty of runners to contest the nine
races and despite the cold weather, there was a reasonable crowd at
the Shropshire course. I walked the course before hand and it was
level with a good covering of grass, which was a credit to the
clerk of the course John Beddoes, who came in for much praise
during the afternoon from owners, trainers and riders alike.
Atcham rider Richard Burton took
the riding honours with a treble, his second in consecutive
Sundays, which put him on the 11 winner mark for the season, which
also cements his lead at the top of the National Riders
championship.
The first leg came aboard the
progressive Darnil in the Intermediate race. The son of Grand
Plaisir had a terrific battle with Shraden Leader, ridden by David
Barlow and neither horse gave an inch in the last half mile. Coming
to the last fence, Darnil was a neck up and extended the margin on
the run in to a length and three quarters. This was a terrific race
to watch and the runner up, who is owned by the area chairman Roger
Everall and trained by his son in law Phil Jones at Welshpool, will
not be long in winning on this evidence. The winner is trained at
Hadnall by Sheila Crow for Shrewsbury businessman David Rogers and
is highly regarded by his trainer. Speaking afterwards she said,
”This is a serious horse and I can see the improvement in him
as I ride him out every day. He will improve again from this run,
he has a nice turn of foot and he did it nicely in the
end.”
Burton needed to be at his
strongest to land the Mens Open on Minella Silver, who had a battle
royal with Joe O’Brien on the Heidi Brookshaw trained Home
Tor with the former finding more on the run in to score by two and
a half lengths. The winner is trained at Glazeley by Guy Landau,
who is the form trainer with four winners from four runners.
Burton had to wait to the final
race, division 2 of the incident packed Confined maiden, for the
last leg of his treble. There was drama at the first fence where
three horses fell and the well-backed Pusslin was also taken out of
the race by fallers and was then pulled up before the second.
Burtons mount Classic Shot escaped the fallers and came home easily
by 12 lengths from Crested Penguin, with Border Chief, the only
other finisher, back in third a distance away. The winner got
Bishops Castle trainer Pam Sykes off the mark for the season. It
was also a family celebration for Richard as the winner is owned by
his father Rob Burton from Uffington.
Steve Wynne sent out his first
winner of the season from his new Stockton Hall yard at Malpas,
when Scarlet Gunner under David Greenway outstayed the field to
land the spoils by 3 lengths from the “jolly” Che
Guevara in the second division of the Open Maiden. The winner is
owned by Diane Stubbs from Market Rasen. Wynne has 12 horses in his
yard at present and was looking forward to the new season now he
has got off the mark.
David Greenaway went on to
complete a double at the course on Cassia Heights, who beat the
only other finisher Raconteur on the bit by 20 lengths in the
Members. The Scallywag gelding is trained at Malpas by Peter
Morris, who will probably aim his charge at the Bangor Final on May
14 th.
Nantwich trainer and rider Gary
Hanmer has made no secret of the fact that Border Fusion could be
the best horse that he has ever trained in his yard. The son of
Weld was a very impressive 8-length winner of the Restricted
contest. Hamner is not a man to make rash statements and despite
making a bad mistake four out and almost refusing to start, he won
with his head in his chest by 8 lengths from Red Square Lad. The
winner is owned by Nantwich bookie Gordon Crawford who was betting
at the course yesterday under George Simpson. Crawford said
afterwards that Gary Hamner told him that his horse was too good
for the pointing field and that he should go under rules. Crawford
also revealed that he had turned down a very large offer for his
horse.
Gary Hamner was another man in
double form, following the success of Lance Toi in the first
division of the Confined Maiden, but Maringo from the Donald McCain
yard looked all over the winner when falling two out. The winner is
owned jointly by Brenda Shaw from Bridgenorth, John Williams from
Crewe and Graham Plant who lives in Dubai.
Braeburn from the John Swindells
Tarporley yard looked an unlucky loser when falling at Weston Park
last month with the trainer’s daughter Gemma Swindells in the
plate. The combination made amends with a comfortable success in
the first division of the Open Maiden. The winner is owned jointly
by the trainer and David Wood who lives in the next village from
the trainer at Eaton.
Jackie Jarvis, also trained by
Swindells, ran in the colours of David Woods wife Jan in the Ladies
Open. However they had to settle for the runner up spot behind the
course specialist Stretching, who won this race last season. The
winner is trained by Joanne Priest at Martin Tates old yard at
Chaddesley Corbett. His owner Mel Lloyd from Charterford is on
holiday in Cyprus and listened to the race live on the trainers
mobile.
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