SOUTH DEVON
BLACK FOREST LODGE
Easter Monday 28th March 2005
by Lee Glanville

There was a huge crowd at the South Devon meeting at Blackforest Lodge, their numbers swollen by those who turned up to watch the pony racing which followed. Although runners weren't as plentiful as in Cornwall there was still good racing.

Girl power was to the fore in the opening members' race, where Claire Little got Young General home ahead of Alice Mills on Wise Reflection, the pair being neck and neck down the final hill.

In the PPORA Club members' race for novice riders Squaddie (Joe Cole) looked the likely winner but fell four from home and Ian Chanin got Gotha home for his first win of the season with Rose Clarke on Wait For This second.

Carol Lawrence's diminutive No Way A Lady proved that size is not necessarily a requirement for point to pointers by putting a foot perfect jumping display under Tom O'Brien to take the two and a half mile maiden for 5,6 and 7 year old horses. She held off the challenge of the Rodney Farrant trained Kalabell Prince (Neil Harris) to win by half a length. O'Brien was in double form, winning the seven runner Intermediate on Dante's Promise, denying Zoe Hammond a course double this season with her All Eyez On Me.

Angie Malde's Polar Champ turned the Mixed open into a procession even though the second and third placed horses were no mugs - Porlock Hill ( Neil Harris) and Morris Piper (Tom O'Brien). Polar Champ ( Guy Weatherley) had a 20 length lead going down the final hill and increased that to win by a distance.

Harris had better luck and notched up the first leg of his double in the Restricted which he won on Bessie Bunter, beating the Ollie Jackson trained Love Fool ( Guy Weatherley) into second place. The second win was in the Open Maiden on board Karing Kenda, a race which was marred when leader Starcross Rocket went our of contention with a serious injury. Much of the early pace had been set by Camerosa (Tom O'Brien) but the horse faded into third.

The pony racing went the way of the Buckfastleigh-based Frost family. NH trainer dad Jimmy was there to see daughter Bryony take the race for the younger riders and son Hadden win the older race - only parting company with his pony Brixton Adonis after the post!
Laura Hopkins on Purdey was second in the first race, Pippa Wonnacott, 15, daughter of former point to point rider Clare, runner up in the second.

Results
1, Young General, Miss C Little; 2, Wise Reflection, Miss A Mills. Three ran.

PPORA Club Members Nov Rdrs: 1, Gotha, I Chanin; 2, Wait For This, Miss R Clarke. Three ran.

Open Maiden 2m4f, 5,6,7yo: 1, No Way A Lady, T O'Brien; 2, Kalabell Prince, N Harris; 3, Fairy Loch, A Holdsworth. Seven ran.

Mixed Open: 1, Polar Champ, G Weatherley; 2, Porlock Hill, N Harris; 3, Morris Piper, T O'Brien. Four ran.

Restricted: 1, Bessie Bunter, N Harris; 2, Love Fool, G Weatherley; 3, Silken Thomas, Miss S West. Five ran.

Intermediate: 1, Dante's Promise, T O'Brien; 2, All Eyez On Me, Mrs Z Hammond; 2, Happy Team, Miss O Jackson. Seven ran.

Open Maiden: 1, Karing Kenda, N Harris; 2, Morchard Mill, M Woodward; 3, Camerosa, T O'Brien. Seven ran.