REVIEW
MID DEVON FOXHOUNDS
BLACK FOREST LODGE
Saturday 11th February 2006
by Lucy Johnson
EXMOOR-based trainer Jeremy Scott’s
rich vein of form continued at Black Forest Lodge on Saturday where
he trained a double the first leg of which provided jockey Neil
Harris with the 150 th winner of his career.
First in the winners’ enclosure was
Southwestern who looked impressive when winning a maiden two weeks
ago and continued his progress in the restricted, winning by 12
lengths.
Barnstaple-based Harris, who works for
National Hunt trainer Victor Dartnall, was quick to dismiss a
blunder at the second last, attributing it to greenness, and said:
“He’s a good horse and he has a severe engine. I never
worried about not winning although he still has a lot of learning
to do.”
Scott and Harris were back collecting
trophies in the next race when Gone To Lunch strode away with the
first division of the maiden for owner Gary Lever.
Quick to hand the plaudits to Harris, Scott
said: “He deserves a lot of the credit as I couldn’t do
it without him. He spends a lot of time schooling the horses. And
Gary has been a very patient owner with this horse. It’s nice
he has now gone and done the business.”
Harris and Scott had earlier been denied a
treble when Highway Oak, ridden by Mike Miller, ran out an easy
winner from Ready To Rumble in the men’s open. Ben White, who
trains three near Yeovil, delighted his parents Malcolm and Sharyn
White, with their gelding’s performance.
The family had trained his dam Highway Light,
who they admitted was “useless” but Highway Oak proved
he is anything but that when he made virtually all the running and
jumped well throughout. The trainer said: “I knew he was well
and it was his jumping that won the day. He was saving lengths at
every fence.”
Eleven went to post for the second division
of the maiden and it was Listen Kid, under Darren Edwards, who lead
three fences from home and went on to score by three lengths.
Trained by Charlotte Budd in Somerset,
unusually the seven-year-old is by the stallion Royal Applause who
is better known as a sire of precocious two year olds. His owner
Michael Wear, said he has been a difficult horse to train, but
regular hunting has kept him sweet. “He also injured a
fetlock after hunting in Cornwall last February and spent ten days
at the veterinary hospital at Langford, Bristol having it flushed
out,” he added.
Lucy Gardner scored her third winner this
term when Tsar’s Twist jumped the last in fine style and went
on to win the confined by12 lengths from Polligana.
The ladies’ was a three runner affair
with Richard Kelvin-Hughes’ Sailor’s Folly making a
welcome return to the winners’ enclosure under Polly
Gundry.
Favourite Fiesty Frosty followed up his
course win two weeks ago with a win in the intermediate under
Michael Scudamore to book his place in the Exeter Racecourse
Intermediate final on May 17.
Racing takes place next Sunday at
Buckfastleigh Racecourse, adjacent to the A38 and the first race is
off at 12pm.
Results
Confined: Tsar’s Twist (Miss L Gardner)
1; Polligana (Mr R Woollacott) 2; Peter’s Two Fun (Mr D
McKenna) 3. Distances: 12 lengths, ½ length. Time: 6 minutes
9.2 seconds.
Men’s open: Highway Oak (Mr M Miller)
1; Ready To Rumbe (Mr N Harris) 2; Polar Champ (Mr G Weatherly) 3.
6l, 4l, 6.03.
Ladies’s open: Sailor’s Folly
(Miss P Gundry) 1; Longstone Boy (Miss C Tizzard) 2; Alpha Eight
(Miss J England) 3. 5l, distance. 6.01.
Exeter Racecourse Intermediate: Fiesty Frosty
(Mr M Scudamore) 1; Classi Maureen (Mr R Woollacott) 2; Teach Altra
(Mr M Miller) 3. 10l, 3l, 6.08.
Restricted: Southwestern (Mr N Harris)1; Tyre
Hill Lilly (Miss L Gardner) 2; Selassie (Mr C Wallis) 3. 12l,
½ l, 6.04.
Maiden (div I): Gone To Lunch (Mr N Harris)
1; Mercurey (Mr M Miller) 2; Little Ed ( Mr T Lane) 3. 10l, 25l,
6.13.2.
Maiden (div II): Listen Kidd (Mr D Edwards)
1; Kingston Blue (Mr J Barnes) 2; No Turning Back (Mr N Harris) 3.
3l, 1l, 6.20.
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