As I pulled up to the racecourse that usually has superb
views across the Wiltshire countryside, I was met with a solid blanket of early
morning mist.
But as the kick off time of 11.30 approached the blanket was
lifted, as if Mother Nature was only just keeping her baby under wraps until
the final moments to allow the new season to start at Larkhill.
The first race was for the Hursley Hambledon Hunts Members and subscribers race, three went to post. Six-year-old Tommo and Oz Wedmore did
his best in well making sure the remaining two Shantou Breeze and Upham Running
could only see his tail jump the fence in front.
Coming out of the dip and up
the incline four from home the leader ran out of fuel leaving the winner
Shantou Breeze well in front Lance Madgwick in the saddle.
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| Shantou Breeze |
‘It is a difficult race to read when one goes off like that
and there are only three of you, but he was ready for the race and well
deserved the win.’
The nine-year-old trained by Michael Madgwick was fourth
twice to leading winning point to pointer horse Premier Portrait last season at Larkhill,
Portrait again on winning form with the opener at Black forest lodge and at Wadebridge at the weekend. The form I feel speaks for itself with Shantou.
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| The nine-year-old trained by Malcom Madgwick was fourth twice to leading winning point to pointer horse Premier Portrait last season at Larkhill, |
Trainer Jack Barber with 50 winners to his credit last
season opened his tally with a fine crop of declared entries.
Aikideau ridden by Bryony Frost took on the race to beat
Grand Gold and Paige Fuller by ten lengths to win the Ladies open.
A good classy race on paper the nine-year-old looked well
and pulled away with ease from the final two fences.
‘You know if you’re on one
of Jacks, especially one as good as this one your onto a winner,’ mentioned the
jockey.
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| Aikideau leads Grand Gold 2nd and Trueflyingcolours 3rd |
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| Aikideau |
The horse now on seven wins from ten starts certainly likes the Wiltshire turf, and is also versatile on what ground he runs on.
A nice looking
sort and it would be no surprise to see this one out again at the Chaddersly
meeting on the 27th December to make it two in a row.
Half way through the meeting, the ground good, good to soft
out the back straight,a class field went to post for the men’s open over the
Larkhill three miles.
To post Lilbitluso a horse from last season a class act,
winning on the opening day of the season at Cottenham, finishing off with a
second in the Champion hunter chase final at Stratford. Via a win in the Red
mills intermediate final at Cheltenham Hunter chase meeting.
Coming to the last,the two horses at the fence Lilibitluso
and the eventual winner Real Milan. Champion jockey will Biddick looking for
his first win back of the new campaign, deputising for the injured John Mathias
came to a crashing fall leaving Real Milan and Jack Jones to take the winning
post with no opposition.
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| Real Milan |
‘It’s so scary just how good this horse is,’ mention the 21
year old jockey riding for his father Nicholas Jones.
‘We have one horse and a
few hunters, this one being dads pride and joy, he is happy to do it all on his
own as he is more relaxed that way.’
Again, another versatile sort by top pointing stallion Milan
from last season showed this sire can breed them to stay and jump. In
fact, the second Barel of Laughs and Caesar Milan also being by the coolmore
resident.
‘We have had so much fun with this horse and it’s great to
see both horse and son home safely,’ mentioned the trainer.
Lilibitluso up looking fine from his spill which made it a
little easier for Joseph O’Shea to take. Jockey Will Biddick having the rest of
the afternoon off from the fall. We hope to see both back soon.
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| ‘It’s so scary just how good this horse is,’ |
Jockey Martin McIntyre started off his double winning
afternoon off well with a bit more work to do on Peter Hammersley’s Coolharbour
Joe, taking the Restricted race by a length and a half from Jack Barbers Amzac
Magic.
The eight year old trained by someone who you may more
likely to see on the Arab racing circuit seemed a tough sort showing that his
maiden win in Ireland at Bellurgan was no fluke, the horse to stand near seemed
a big strong sort, only a eight year old and will surely come on from that run.
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| Coolharbour Joe, |
‘He’s a good sort and I got the call to ride this one in the
week courtesy of one of my old colleagues at Enda Bolger’s so it was a good one
to take, I knew the horse in second as I have ridden him to win at Chaddersly
so knew what I was up against.’
A horse to take note of as the Barber racing team thing a
lot of Amzac Magic who will defiantly come on from his spin.
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| Titans Approach |
McIntyre’s second of the day came in the last race on Ben
Clarke’s seven-year-old Titans Approach in the open Maiden. By high Chaparral
this horses breeding would not look out of place on a flat racing field.
‘He has
been placed at Fontwell over two and half miles,’ mentioned the trainer with
his first runner and winner of the season. ‘so, we knew what we had with him,
we bought him for a new partnership at Doncaster and knew we could place him in
on the lowest grade in a maiden to start him off, even with his
experience.’ The trainer with nine
horses under his charge near Crewkerne his Christmas will be a little more of a
settled affair.
‘He maybe out again at Chaddersley on the 27th we’ll
see how he comes out of this one, the last thing we want though is to run any of them not ready and break them before the season really kicks off.’
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| 'I knew the horse in second as I have ridden him to win at Chaddersly so knew what I was up against.’ |
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| 'He maybe out again at Chaddersley on the 27th we’ll see how he comes out of this one,' |
Two horses that already have been out and running in good
form battled it out for the Conditions race, the penultimate race of the
afternoon.
Anquetta, third to Lough Inch at Cottenham on the opening
day of the season and Porlock Bay a winner at Black Forest lodge on the same day were well
ahead of their remaining rivals coming to the last.
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| Anquetta (right) Porlock Bay (left) |
The eventual winner (nearside) in the well-known colours of
Robert Waley-Cohen rolled a little to his left allowing the Luke Harvey trained
Porlock Bay ridden by Gina Andrews to challenge at the line.
A length separated the two the twelve-year-old Anquetta
taking the prize.
Jockey Sam Waley-Cohen mentioned. ‘He has run on really
well, the three miles here always going to stretch him,but he has enjoyed
himself out there, probably a little too much coming over towards the horsebox
park side.
Both horses doing nothing wrong in their first two runs of
the 2016-17 campaign, both to be sure to be in the winners enclosure again
soon.
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| Anquetta |
No pointing next weekend, a chance to lick wounds or prepare
a little more before a 27th December meet at Chaddersley Corbett.
The next meeting for me to Podcast and write. and take pictures, will be the
Cambridgeshire Harriers meeting at Cottenham on New year’s eve.
Don’t forget you can
hear my podcasts and view images and reports from all my meeting attended at
