Waveney Harriers
Higham
Sunday 24th January 2010
by Simon
McInnes
Let the action recommence. Even with an
earlier start than ideal for people wending their way up from south
of the Thames (although there was less traffic as a result), it was
extremely refreshing to be out and about in the world of temporary
structure-based horse racing. There is nothing to say about the
weather, as it was utterly normal for mid-January, but that is no
reason not to make base camp the scout marquee, and it's entirely
coincidental array of home made cakes.
The meeting attracted 170 entries - small
beer for the west country but a big number for this side of the
island, and only the members race flopped in the turnout, despite
covering four hunts and having six different owners represented in
the entries. The scale of operations did seem to cause one or two
minor disruptions. Finding a racecard seller before the race was a
challenge, as there only seemed to be one, whereas this course is
usually associated with them being as common as credit card
marketeers in a shopping centre. Announcements were a bit lacking
as well. With the decs, we were told if a tongue tie was used,
sometimes told about cheekpieces, but blinkers or visor were not
revealed. And one or two ad hoc revelations went awry. One stewards
enquiry was said to affect the placings, before being corrected
that it did not, and in the closest race of the day, the wrong
number was initially said to be the winner. Fortunately no harm was
done as i) it was quickly revised and ii) the stated winner was not
actually even declared. Two weeks off and everyone seems to get
flustered by racing actually taking place!
Going: Who knows? Not displayed and no
announcement heard. Seemed not very muddy.
Race 1: Birketts LLP
Members
1: Itsallupintheair 2: Bob Justice
Winner owned: AJ Schofield, trained: John Ibbott, ridden: Harry
Fowler
Two fourteen year olds and a spritely ten year
old went to post, and the youth wing of the trio, Henry's Pride
appeared the fittest of them before hand. That view was in the
process of being borne out when he made a mess of the third last
and fell with the race at his mercy. Having been a bit outpaced
when the tempo was raised in the back almost-straight,
Itsallupintheair kept on past the Bob Justice (more in need of the
race of the pair) for the win.
Race 2: Crown Milling
PPORA Club Members
1: Blue Hills 2: The Accordion Man 3: Mnason
Winner owned: The Gorbit Racing Partnership, trained: Julie Marles,
ridden: Henry Kinchen
At the entry stage, this race
attracted an excellent bunch of possibles, but the best of them
chose to swerve it, presumably anticipating the revelation that was
Blue Hills. A prolific all-weather staying winner, he failed
miserably hurdling and showed no step forward on his pointing
debut. Here he led most of the way, eventually burning off the only
horse to take him on, Ichi Cavalo, and gradually eased his way
clear from the third last. There was no element of fluke about it,
maybe the sandy Suffolk soil reminds him of Southwell? Favouritism
rested with The Accordion Man, who got a bit sweaty whilst appeared
fit enough, and worked his way into a challenging position on the
far side of the course, but having hung in there for a short while,
found his box being squeezed into submission with a long way to go.
He was likely to be deprived of even second when Mambo Des Mottes
fell at the last, doing Rupert Stearn a mischief in the process.
Therefore, the astoundingly unprolific Mnason's pointing debut saw
a result that was a quite a bit better than the actual performance.
Pennytino showed her ability by winning three in a row, and like
some sort of truth bearing mirror in a fairytale, the formbook will
now show that she has followed it with a refusal to race and a pair
of falls.
Race 3: Fuelcare Men's
Open
1: Star Double 2: Whistling Straits 3: Caveman
Winner owned: Fraser Duffin, trained: Fleur Hawes, ridden: Matt
Smith
Ten lined up for this, and all of them were of
proven Open standard or had done sufficient outside the pointing
arena to be worth a stab at it. Star Double indeed doubled his
tally to two wins by copying Blue Hills' pillar to post tactics,
taking them along at a strong pace that saw the time dip just below
six minutes. For the most part, Whistling Straits was snapping at
the winner's heels (he had a spell with a lap to go where Caveman
and Cathedral Rock nudged between them), and the official verdict
was that there was half a length dividing them at the finish. For
Whistling Straits, this represented a return to form, but Caveman,
having had a real drubbing on his comeback, still looked as if the
exercise would do him good, even though he was still bustling the
winner when he made a sloppy error the final fence - scrappy,
presumed tired. Andrew Nick, who won a claiming chase at Ayr in the
Spring, struggled a little bit on his pointing debut. He was
outpaced with a circuit left, but stuck at it and came in fourth.
More testing conditions might suit him better. On the other hand,
Cathedral Rock again failed to reproduce his Rules form, this time
pulling up. Took My Eye, last seen in May in a hunter chase, is
another that will be better for his seasonal debut, which has been
the case in the past.
Race 4: Jordan Fencing
Ladies' Open
1: Big Moment 2: Pouilly 3: Beet De Bob
Winner owned: Ross Douglas, trained: Jenny Gordon, ridden: Claire
Douglas
A corking race, decided by a neck and a neck,
and a small surprise for the majority of the crowd, who tend to
gather near the last fence rather than on the line, as the strong
finishing Big Moment managed to brush past Beet De Bob (expected)
and Pouilly (looked like he was just clinging on), greatly aided by
a persistent ride. This added to Big Moment's two Ladies' races
secured at Cottenham this season, and in his long career, he has
never really held his form this well before. In his confounding
style, Big Moment will probably go off the boil when presented with
easier openings than this. Pouilly won first time out last year on
this course, but struggled when upped in class, so this could be
his best chance for 2010 already, and a mistake two out probably
ended up being very expensive. After disappearing from action since
April 2008, Beet De Bob posted a very decent comeback. There was an
enquiry into the running of favourite Cedrus Libani, who pulled up,
despite having two wins under his belt already this season. He
started off in the pack, pulled his way to the lead at the sixth,
and weakened from six out. It was reported that he pulled too hard
and more or less ran out of puff, and the explanation was noted.
From the spectators point of view, whilst Cedrus Libani did dash
from back to front a little sharply, it did not look quite as manic
effort as, for instance, those that the front running winners
posted in the two previous races. Montevideo, who was well behind
Big Moment last time, was up in contention until the thirteenth,
but as soon as pressure was applied, he fell. This experience will
have done little to enhance his notoriously suspicious attitude
towards competitive sport.
Race 5: Flick &
Son Open Maiden, Div I
1: Principal Lad 2: Danarama 3: Castleconner Lad
Winner owned & trained: WA Bethell, ridden: Hannah
Bethell
At the declaration stage, this looked to be the
stronger half of the division, but an incident leaving the back
straight thinned the field out, when the well backed Sheeian Rock
slipped up on the bend, bringing down market leader Mad Jack Duncan
and debutant Iron Cross. Given the way that front running was
working as a tactic, their presence towards the rear at the time
might have been a bad idea anyway. This left, as you may have
guessed, another all the way leader to triumph, Principal Lad and
Danarama having a private battle that largely failed to concern the
rest of the runners. Having only made the frame once in six starts
last season, it may be rash to assume that Principal Lad is
transformed, unless either the race throws up a few winners or he
turns into a giant, alien robot. Bear in mind that Danarama has
only had two career runs, both back in 2007 and Castleconner Lad
has now been third on six of his seven runs (a riotously successful
second on the other). San Jose had one run in Ireland, nearly two
years ago, and although he was a touch laboured from quite a way
out, there is a good chance that he will improve for having raced
two and a half miles before pulling up.
Race 6: Course
Bookmaker's Open Maiden, Div II
1: Three Chords 2: Twilight Eagle 3: Red In Bed
Winner owned: Mrs Cyndy Aldridge, trained: Gerald Bailey, ridden:
Richard Barrett
The bookies stepped in to sponsor the
second part of the maiden, presumably because when asked, they were
laughing too heartily at the first five favourites getting turned
over to say no. They got more of the same here, with Dan Maguire
looking beaten in fourth when he came to grief four from home.
Before that, much of the uproar had been around the parade ring.
Lofty Legend apparently took exception to being saddled and arrived
in it incredibly late, whilst Shales Ay Jay, one of the contenders
for the win, was so determined not to leave it that he had to be
withdrawn. The stewards joined in the fun and had an enquiry, which
reported that the horse resented the tongue strap and to all
intents and purposes, had a toys-from-pram clearance scenario. In
one of racing's quainter phrases, "The stewards accepted this
explanation." One day maybe the stewards will decline that sort of
explanation, forcing connections to admit that the horse had a
tantrum because he did not want to run today, had been hard to get
in the horse box and was only loaded when they lied to him that he
was off to meet Christopher Biggins. All of this nonsense is not
intended to distract from the performance of Three Chords. This was
his racecourse debut, and he won by a distance. Unflustered by the
pre-race disruptions. Jumped well. Saw the trip out strongly.
Impressive, even allowing for the shortcomings of the oppo, and
should handle a rise in grade.
Race 7: Baileys Horse
Feeds Intermediate
1: Start Royal 2: Ballynonty 3: Lord Of The Knar
Winner owned: A Hill, Mrs H Nash, S Nash, M Avery, trained: Alan
Hill, ridden: James Tudor
Initially appearing to be a
tough and competitive intermediate, this race was turned into a
spectacular rout by Start Royal, who stalked the leaders early on,
led with more a circuit to go, and really put his foot on the gas
from the twelfth. Instead of getting pressure thrown back at him,
the gap back to the pursuit just got wider and wider. This was
consecutive win number four, and was equally as eye-catching as
Three Chords half an hour earlier. Back in second (well back!) was
hunter chase runner-up Ballynonty, who did seem in need of the run,
which was also true of Lord Of The Knar. In fourth was One To Note,
whose fitness seemed better tuned (groan). This was his second run
of the season, and second hammering, but there was a sign of
progress here, and when there are more regular meetings and the
fields thin out a bit (everything bar the opener hit double figures
today), he could be ready to scale greater heights.
Race 8: Prestige
Private Clients Restricted
1: Lotta Presents 2: Leader Blue 3: The Nuns Legacy
Winner owned & trained: John P Ferguson, ridden: James
Owen
Another race that evolved into a two horse duel
from a long way out, although the reality was that Lotta Presents
always seemed to have Leader Blue's measure, but never shook him
off far enough to have much margin for error. Both of the first
pair had run at the first Cottenham, Lotta Presents being pipped in
the Restricted, Leader Blue winning a short maiden in which a
handful of fences were omitted, but has produced winners. The
prophecies imply that Lotta Presents may find Intermediates tough,
and Leader Blue can surely win a Restricted, but nobody takes these
forecasts seriously without them getting the names slightly wrong
and being in the form of a poem that somehow rhymes in whatever
language it is translated into. Another Cottenham winner was Goscar
Rock, who found the small jump to this level a big step to make.
Oscar D'Angron won his maiden over two and a half miles, and today
was the doomed combination of front runner with a stamina deficit.
Having not observed the betting, there impression was picked up by
eavesdropping that Irish import Saddlers Melody attracted some
support, but his lacklustre run did not reflect that.