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North West Hunts Club
Tabley
Sunday 18th May 2008
by Arthur Shone

The North West Hunts club meeting at Tabley saw the season in the North Western Area go out in some style in its final meeting of the season. Once again the clerk of the course Rob Hankey had done a marvelous job to produce good going at the course, this was reflected in plenty of quality runners at the Cheshire course, which came from all over the country. The bumper crowd were treated to an excellent days racing.

Nantwich trainer Gary Hanmer followed on from winning the Bangor Final with Border Fusion the day before by winning the first two races on the card. The first leg came aboard Malt Max in the Open Maiden; the Moonax gelding won going away by 12 lengths from Mr Eye Popper with Bankok Bob also trained by Hanmer was a further 5 lengths back in third. The winner is owned by Roy Thomas from Oakenholt, Nr Mold. He was given the horse as a gift, not a bad present as it turned out.

Thirty five minutes later Proud Andees carried the colours of Roy Thomas’s wife Carol into the winners enclosure after a very comfortable win in the Members race under Burtie, his 24 th of the season, winning by 6 lengths from Clear The line with Little Rocker was a further 12 lengths back in third. He was pulled out of the Bangor Final the day before after sustaining an injury on the trainers gallops as Hanmer explained, he said, “I was working him on the gallops with Border Fusion but unfortunately he got to close to him and he lashed out and kicked him. It has taken until day for the swelling to go down, he is still a bit stiff, but the race would have done him good.”

The feature race on the card was the Dodson & Horrell PPORA Club Members Race For Novice Riders Championship Final. It was fitting that the race should go to the class horse in the race Iris’s Prince, who was winning his ninth consecutive race under a very confident ride from Rhys Flint. The combination were 5 lengths too good for Jakari and George Scott with Dark Thunder was a similar distance back in third. The winner is trained in Bridgend by the trainers mother Martine and the winner was bred by the starter at the course Chris Stubbs.

Rhys Flint went on to complete a double at the course with Kinsale King in the Restricted. Flint was content to let The Randy Bishop make all the running until pouncing three out and pulling away to win unchallenged by 6 lengths, the pair pulling well clear from the third horse Ballywilliam Prince. The winner is owned and trained by Robert Jones at Porthcawl, who was recording his second winner of the season. This was Rhys Flint’s 24 th winner of the season; this talented young man is really going places.

The champion national point to point rider elect Ollie Greenall took his tally to the season to 43 after Sonevafushi easily outclassing his rivals in the Men’s Open, winning by 15 lengths very easily from Persian Hero. The winner is trained by Cherry Coward in Yorkshire for owner Tom Bannister.

Owner Tom Bannister went on to complete a double when General Grey won the Ladies Open under a very confident ride from trainer Mick Easterby’s granddaughter Joanna Mason. The combination took up the running three out and won readily by 10 lengths from Smokey Mountain with Shafts Chance a further 5 lengths back in third. The winner is trained by the owner’s wife Madge at Conniston.

There was a really good finish to the 4,5,6&7yo Open Maiden. Distant Memory under Nick Kent led until the last fence until Barry Denvir came late and fast on Rivertree to win going away on the run in by a length and a half. Pillbox stayed on well in third a further 3 lengths away. The winner is trained at Leominster by Clive Davies, who bought the winner out of a field in Prestigne for Bridgenorth owner Cynthia Bibbey, who has three horses in training with Davies, she said afterwards that a winner had been a long time coming.

The last race of the season in the North Western Area was a Club Members race for horses aged 10 years and over. This was won by Dell Farm Boy under George Scott who beat the old boy Springwood White under Tim Park by a length and a half. The winner is trained by the winning riders mother Jessica Scott at Cressage, who is also the secretary of the South Shropshire Hunt; the winning owner Lynne Wynne from Llangollen was the former secretary of the South Shropshire hunt, she leased the horse from Jessica for the season, and talk about timing, the lease expired yesterday.