Cambridge University
United Hunts Clube
Cottenham
Sunday 30th November 2008
by
Simon McInnes
Having watched a rugby match played out in
near darkness the previous day, on driving north to Cottenham the
prospects for clear viewing seemed a bit grim, but with rain the
likely culprit for providing the obscuration - a word amazingly not
rejected by spell checker! On arrival, it was cold, with a breeze
strong enough to provide an uncomfortable bite, but the drizzle was
light enough to allow the far side to be viewed, although it did
often tease by getting a bit heavier during races. The course
itself was in fine condition, much better than the pitch for the
televised football match at nearby Histon, and whilst the rain
would have got into the ground, only horses preferring extremes of
going would have been too bothered with what was on offer. As
opposed to the crowd, whose response to the news that the last race
was to be divided was not really one of unequivocal approval.
Going: Good to start with, changed to Good to
Soft quite early on
Race 1: Streets Whitmarsh Sterland Chartered
Accountants PPORA Club Members, Novice Riders
1: Frosty Run 2: High Rank 3: Erte
Winner owned & trained: MS Burman, ridden: Emma Bell
In the absence of a small field hunt race,
we had a small field novice riders one instead - perhaps the issue
is simply one of getting up early on a Sunday morning. Despite only
four runners (from five entries), there was not an odds-on
favourite. With some half decent Rules form* and a Ladies' Open
winner last season, perhaps Frosty Run should have been. He won
like one as well, loitering off the pace set by Erte, before
leading at the 13th and gradually easing into total command. High
Rank is also an Open winner, and he kept on dourly for second, but
a very long way behind the winner.
* Some may argue that Frosty Run was a touch
inclined to give the winning concept a bit of a cold shoulder.
Race 2: James Graven
& Sons Ltd Men's Open
1: Burntoakboy 2: Killarney Prince 3: Ballyowen
Winner owned: Dr RDP & Mrs LJ Newland, trained: Richard
Newland, ridden: Tom Weston
With a win and a place at
the last two Cheltenham festivals, Burntoakboy was a warm order for
this, but prior to his third in the Kim Muir, he had not looked
totally convincing as a chaser, and most of his rivals had a height
and build advantage over him. The fences proved no problem, and the
rather key edge for Burntoakboy was ability to run quite fast,
which he demonstrated plenty of aptitude for doing. Killarney
Prince kept to the task to end up second, and there will surely be
more winnable Opens than this one for him to get involved in, but
after setting the pace and jumping well, Ballyowen's bad blunder at
the fourteenth probably cost him the opportunity to hold off
Killarney Prince for the minor honours. Ballyowen is one of the few
that would have been happier on faster going, but he may be a bit
too headstrong for his own good, even when conditions are
right.
Race 3: Baileys Horse
Feeds Ladies' Open
1: Big Moment 2: Minouchka 3: Salinas
Winner owned: Ross Douglas, trained: Jenny Gordon, ridden: Claire
Douglas
As she did not look 100% tuned up in the
paddock, it was not a total surprise that Minouchka lost her
unbeaten record in points on this occasion. The shock was perhaps
the horse that did it, and the manner in which it all came about,
as the first two were miles clear of the other finishers,
suggesting Minouchka was only a little bit short of her peak. Big
Moment was a very good flat horse, initially a decent hurdler, and
for a couple of years or more, one that has declined every new and
interesting challenge that was set to him. The fact that, after
going wide on the final turn (Minouchka was outside Big Moment, so
no great advantage went either way), the winner did not have an
attack of the sulks was encouraging, as was the semblance of his
old turn of foot shown on the run-in. But was today a one-off Big
Moment, or is this a shape of things to come in the near future? As
for Minouchka, there seemed no reason not to expect business as
usual from her next run. Salinas was not too far behind the main
pair when he launched a vicious assault on the third last, and
having sunk his chances, he was allowed to come home at his own
convenience, ahead of Interdit. The flop of the race, based on
suitable ground and eye-catching fitness, was Olivier, who did not
jump with great fluency and saw the curtain fall on his effort
quite quickly. Sapega, about to turn fourteen, was another that
dropped away a bit tamely but will have accrued benefit for the
race.
Race 4: Cosequin
Restricted
1: Stroom Bank 2: Mysaynoway 3: All Thyne Greats
Winner owned & trained: Mrs SJ Stilgoe, ridden: Mark
Bennison
Ten of the eleven entries turned out, and it
was in the back of the mind that Stroom Bank had done quite well
under Rules, but the fact that he was qualified for the Restricted
suggests that some rose-tinted spectacles may have been in use. He
found this level much more to his liking, and the only horse to
threaten was Mysaynoway, who ran her usual manic race from the
front, and found whether it be points or hurdles, she again set the
race up for someone else - one bad race at Peper Harrow was the
exception to prove the rule. All in all, it seemed that Stroom Bank
battled on quite well, but maybe the runner-up was just coming to
the end of her tether. Balableu was not out of contention at the
third last, but he definitely ran out of steam, which was exploited
by the ambitious, and ultimately falsely, named All Thyne
Greats.
Race 5: Bar Hill
Motors Open Maiden, 7 year olds and up
1: More Trouble 2: The Galleryman 3: Grey Shark
Winner owned: IR Mann, trained: Alan Hill, ridden: James
Tudor
Another numerically good field, with only one of
sixteen original entries not running. Having been runner-up under
Rules on his last run, More Trouble was favourite for this, but he
was hassled all the way by The Galleryman. The second found that
his case was greatly helped by the omission of the tenth and
nineteenth (the first fence in the home straight), becuase he was
rather unconvincing at many of the ones that they did jump -
something that blighted his career under Rules as well. At face
value it was a promising effort, but in a rematch, backing More
Trouble to repeat the success would be the percentage call. Grey
Shark pulled hard early on and inevitably faded in the latter
stages. Another encouraging start to a pointing career, but rather
like The Galleryman, he seems the sort to have the physical ability
to win a race but a whole host of vulnerabilities that conspire to
prevent it happening. Whosethatfor, back in fifth, appeared fit
enough in the paddock, but had a quietish introduction to pointing,
and is worth keeping an eye on next time.
Race 6: John Bull
& Co (Bedford) Ltd Open Maiden, 4-6 year olds, 2m 4f, Div I
1: Quotica De Poyans 2: Nessa 3: Glad Star
Winner owned & trained: Mrs SH Shirley-Bevan, ridden: Kelly
Bryson
It was getting really quite dark by this stage,
and events on the far side of the track were all a bit vague. That
failed to disguise a very impressive effort by debutant Quotica De
Poyans. He was slow away, a touch unsure at the first (perhaps) and
came round into the straight looking like a definite non-trier.
However, as soon as the field in front began to thin out, he
cruised through into the lead and won with miles in hand. Had he
been up with the pace earlier, a very severe drubbing would have
been handed out to the rest. Nessa showed a flash or two of promise
in bumpers, so is probably not a complete slowcoach, and she kept
on well enough to leave the rest of the field quite a way adrift.
Glad Star was in midfield all the way and probably should have
tried to respond when Quotica De Poyans passed him, rather than
when it was all too late - did it affect any more than the margin
of defeat? Almost certainly not. Fourth placed There Ya Go did not
jump well early on, but warmed to the task as the race progressed
and showed signs that there is better to come from him.
Race 7: Isle
Veterinary Group Open Maiden, 4-6 year olds, 2m 4f, Div II
1: Gentleman Anshan 2: Idun 3: Podium Pete
Winner owned & trained: Rosemary Gasson, ridden: Hannah
Watson
Runner-up in Ireland in
May, Gentleman Anshan appeared to have washed up in the weaker
division, and after standing out in the paddock, he also did so in
exploiting his experience in the race, emerging from the gloom
quite some way in front of Idun, and completing a double for the
four year olds in the short distance maidens. Idun was another to
pull too hard early on, but was not hassled too much in vain late
on, and should have learned something from the whole first look at
obstacles in anger - she had raced on the flat, so was aware of a
concept that vaguely resembled that which she encountered here.
Podium Pete, running in this due to a lack of suitable pony races,
did not do badly, but his stature, or lack thereof, will surely be
an ongoing hindrance to a potential fencing career. Porto Vechio
was a paddock eye-catcher - perhaps he has some natural
luminescence - but with several chase runs in France to his name, a
better showing might have been expected here, as he was only
fourth.