Glamorgan Little Ed helps Rhys to second hat-trickHENGOED’S Rhys Hughes chalked-up his second hat-trick of the season at the rain-soaked Glamorgan Hunt Steeplechases with Well Mick (young horse maiden), Little Ed (confined) and Bob Bites Back (restricted) – and all three are trained at Pyle by Robert Scrine. Well Mick caught the pacemaking Up The Boreen at the last fence to win by one-and-a-half lengths, Little Ed made it five wins in a row when clocking the fastest time of the day and Bob Bites Back won by six lengths from My Beauty after the odds-on Joshua Squashaur, never a danger, was pulled-up. However, Joshua Squashaur’s owner/trainer David Brace was successful with Imperial Sam (aged maiden) and Mike Golden (intermediate) and both were ridden by Lucy Pearce Rowsell. Imperial Sam, who broke a pelvis last year, won by eight lengths from the odds-on favourite Leahy and Mike Golden scored by two lengths from Blazing Ember. Deano Coleman who finished third and last on Mvezo was fined £60 for failing to weigh-in. Alan Johns, 19, who won the mixed open race on his mother’s Adventurist, a former inmate of Peter Bowen’s yard, came in for plenty of praise. Alan, who is studying for his A Levels, was having only his second ride in a point-to-point having been unseated from Adventurist at the second fence in the men’s open at the South Pembrokeshire on Easter Monday. Adventurist took up the running three fences from the finish to win by 15 lengths from El Corredor. The odds-on Red Man never looked like winning and was eventually pulled up. Conditions were so bad during this race – heavy rain and a gale force wind – that race commentator Iain Mackenzie had difficulty in identifying the riders’ colours and called Lanaken as the winner until realising his mistake. Meanwhile, Well done Ysgol Crymch pupil Matthew Barber, 16, on riding his first winner in just three rides at the recent South Pembrokeshire fixture. Matthew took the men’s open on Derring Dove, who is older than him by just a few weeks! Matthew’s older brother Marc landed the intermediate on Danebury and Lee Evans won the open maiden on the French-bred Tinalliat. Carmen Goldsworthy’s Handy Ben won the first division of the young horse maiden under Rhys Hughes and Tom David, a name to watch out for, took the second division on William Corrigan’s Wizard Time. John Mathias, another young promising rider, won the restricted on Christine Toy’s Tokpela. The ladies’ open was won by leading National Hunt trainer Paul Nicholls’s Goblet Of Fire, ridden by Chloe Roddick, and Lucy Jones made all on Dancing Credit in the members’ race. Rhys Flint, who won on Lady Myfanwy at the South Herefordshire on Easter Monday, notched-up his first win under rules on this game mare when landing a hunter chase at Bangor on Saturday. Twenty-four hours later, at Sunday’s Cattistock meeting at Littlewindsor, Rhys brought his season’s tally of point-to-point wins to 12 when winning on Iris’s Prince (men’s open) and Bobosh (novice riders). Nick Williams won the maiden here on Range Rover. Good news is that Kathryn Christopher, who was injured at the recent Curre & Llangibby, is now out of hospital. It was also good to see former rider Marion Thomas striding out at muddy Ystradowen after having a knee operation. Marion was a leading rider in the 1950s and 60s and some enthusiasts will associate her with Tarawera and Red Rover 11 on whom she won numerous races. The not-so-good news is that two of Marion’s former competitors – Mrs Barbara Thomas and Mrs Rose Harry – have both been ill for some time and enthusiasts will want to wish them well. That good hunter chaser and point-to-pointer Rectory Boy has died at the age of 25 despite efforts by vet Isabel Tompsett to keep the old fellow alive. John Lewis Llewellyn and his sister Beth both won on him as did the other John Llewellyn from Cowbridge. Rectory Boy won seven point-to-points and two hunter chases and Tim Jones was another rider who won on him.
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