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| Kimblewick hunt
With rain giving the Oxfordshire countryside a good dowsing
the day before, Kingston Blount point to point went ahead.
The start of the meeting the clouds threatened, only to give
way to bright sunshine for the last three races.
The ground good to soft/soft in places, gave plenty of
debate with owners and trainers, run the horses or not? A lot of course walking was
completed.
Seven races on the card that included the four mile feature
race,the Southern national. Local Trainer Alan Hill hoping to take the spoils of
the race home with him, just up the road.
The first race was a member race. Six runners to post,
Elizabeth Brown’s charge Moorland Sunset set off as the 5/4 favourite.
Moorland Sunset in front
The thirteen year old, who won at Siddington in a same
type of race in March, would not have wanted the ground any softer, but pulled
away from Alan Hills Ravethebrave by two lengths up the straight.
The other runners
a distance back with another Alan Hill charge back in third, made
Jockey Nick Phillips delighted with the win, with only
five completed rides around this season; all five of these have been in the
winner’s enclosure, so the strike rate is high.
Not a bad sort of race, the horse could be one to note in
the final throws of the season.
Moorland Sunset in front up the run in from Jo Hill on Ravethebrave
Gift of Dgab trained and ridden by Laura Thomas. Second in
her hunts members’ race in March, beaten by the winner of the first Moorland
Sunset, won the conditions race in fine form.
‘ I blame my riding in the members race last time out, but Nick (Phillips) was on a
very nice horse, I was glad to see him win in the first as it gave me hope on
the form of mine.’
The winning jockey of the first very complementary about this winner.
The jockey mentioned the twelve year old who before this season had a few years
off with a pulled tendon said, ‘He pulled me along a bit in his first run, and today he was bit keen, so we really wanted to make
the running, so did some others so I had to sit in behind, and he settled
nicely.’
Gift of Dgab (farside) Rua Nua (nearside)
The horse running over his ideal trip of two mile five
furlongs, once asked, pulled away from the field very well and had the race
mapped out for him by the trainer for the past few months.
Next for this front runner, who cost very little at the
sales. ‘ Let’s see how the legs are in the morning and we go from there, we hope
for good to soft ground for a bit longer to help with them, but he can easily
take the good ground .’
One to watch for next time out, and if you see him out in
front, he stays well and would be well worth a look.
Another short distance race, this time for the four to seven
year old maidens. And another trainer, rider combination. Dale Peters on board
the five year old Why Lie took the first race in his career, after visiting the
second and third spot on his previous two runs.
‘This is a very nice horse,’
mentioned Peters. ‘Not the easiest to train or ride but he has plenty of
talent.’ The five year old by Zagreb wanted to go flat out from the start to
finish, but was controlled well by the jockey who mentioned he seemed to have
plenty left at the finish, and must be a horse that would need underlining in
the form books.
Why Lie, Dale Peters
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The next race was for the novice riders, and again the young
Gus Levinson on board his multi winning horse Premier Portrait went to post with
four others to try to make it four in a row for the nine year old racehorse.
All didn’t seem to go the way for the young jockey who mentioned he thought his horse was little more switched off from his other runs, and from three out seemed happy to sit in behind the rest of the field,having to shake up his mount to take the race by only a length.
‘I wasn’t that concerned on the run in and I thought he’d get there, but I’m delighted to get another winner, especially as there is possibly only one more run in him this season.’
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| Premier Portrait, Gus Levinson
The feature race was the next, the four mile Southern
National.
Only three runners to post, one of them the Alan hill
trained, Joe Hill ridden Supreme Danehill, who showed from three out his
dominance beating Clare Hart on Vincitore.
Alan Hill, Joe Hill and Supreme Danehill
The eight year old took on most for the running the whole
way round of the four miles, and with an excellent show of jumping seemed to grind
the rest of the field into submission.
Supreme Danehill
‘He jumped very well, and we knew he’d like the ground and
distance so we were very optimistic.’ Mentioned the jockey, who doesn’t do too much
with the horse at home, but Victoria Pendleton has the charge.
A yard that is going
very well at present,’ It’s been a good season but hard one, the lad’s at home
have been putting in a lot of hours. I was injured, and then our novice rider
was injured so that caused a lot of extra horses to ride. But we have got through
it and getting our rewards now, so it’s all good really.’
Supreme Danehill, J. Hill
The open maiden being the penultimate race, saw trainer
Laura Thomas take a brace of winner’s home with her for the day.
This time stable jockey Johnny Bailey on board urban storm
blew away the rest of the field to take the run in home unchallenged. Phil York
on Gerjoeycasey trying to challenge coming around the home turn, finishing a
long way back in second.
The ground now becoming testing, seemed to suit this
six year old By Urban Ocean, were the rest struggled through the tacky soft
ground.
urban storm
‘He hasn’t got a great deal of speed but he has done that well,’ mentioned
Bailey, who was very complimentary about the trainer. ‘This horse had ulcers,
but didn’t give that sort impression that anything was wrong. But Laura
investigated a lot with this fella and we found out he did have them, sorted
him out and bought him on again. She can really train well, and I’m please she
has had a double today.’
The combination in their first season, together, both
finding their way, but a winner like this one will go a long way in cementing
the relationship.
‘On his jumping this fella is ready to go up a grade; we
know he can stay now, so we will have to see what next for him.’
But rest assured this trainer with a positive and professional
attitude will place the horse well, and is bound to take a trip to the winner’s
enclosure again soon.
urban storm, J. Bailey
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The final race of the day with sixteen horses entered, only
one declared leaving Sam Davies-Thomas to walk over for his fourteenth winner
of the season, one behind second placed jockey in the championship Will
Easterby. Will Biddick in a league of his own in front.
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| Sam Davies-Thomas |
‘The talented young jockey who is very busy riding at
present has a good stable head on his shoulders and is positive on what he is
doing,’ I have no injuries so that’s good and it’s all going well, a bit disappointed
last weekend as a lot of my fancied rides didn’t run to plan, but that’s racing
and i have to look forward.’
The jockey who has taken seven years to get to the
stage where he would be one of the top riders on the circuit is still
enthusiastic about each weekend,’ I can’t wait for the declarations to come out
on Monday’s and see where I’m off to next, I just love it.’
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| Mr Raj, walked over for the Restricted |
The horse that Sam had to hack canter passed the post,
trained by Thomas Gallagher Mr Raj took his second win of the career. The
trainer mentioning that a win was a win, and the horse is still fresh to run again
soon.
Davies-Thomas mentioning’ the trainer has had real bad luck this season, losing
a few horses, so it’s good he gets a winner and a fresh,undamaged horse at
the end.’
