The day started on the Wiltshire downs with a pea soupier.... A
blanket of fog greeted the race goers for a six race card, and the only point
to point on the Saturday.
The Royal Artillery hunt meet had 108 entries before
declarations. 54 horses turned up at the Wiltshire course to do battle on good,good to soft ground.
The ground was testing, and stringing the horses out from early
on. It was certainly a day for horses that could jump and stay.
The first race of the day, a hunt member’s race only drew
two runners. Impact Area going to
post to regain his win in the race the season before. A steady almost schooling
pace was taken by both runners, the other horse being Mr G Maundrell’s
Delineate.
Three out, the ten year old grey Impact Area increased the pace to take the lead, from then was
never headed by his only opponent, and taking the race by two lengths.
The
hunter chase winner may come back. Same race, same course to make it a hat
trick of wins next season. But before that, races at Wincanton down the road could be
his next outing.
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| Impact Area
The open maiden race before the declaration stage looked a
possible two division event.With 31 entries, twelve horse declared and set
off and at steady pace. But soon the testing ground had them well strung out.
Thereyarsee, trained by Sally Alner,
took up the running from three out to beat Swincombe Scorchio by three lengths.
In form jockey Stan Sheppard
said ‘ I like this horse a lot, my dad was at the last the last time he
ran, and he said he thought he might need a tongue tie, so we tried him with it
today and two out he still had plenty left.’
Larkhill seems to be a popular course for the trainer. So it would be
fair to say we could see the seven year old out on the course next time out.
Thereyarsee
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The ladies open race would not have disgraced any
professional course. So it was a treat for the Larkhill faithful to see horses
such as 2011 Hennessy winner Carruthers, take to the point to point circuit
for the first time. And it was fitting to see that the late Lord Oaksey’s
granddaughter across him on her first ride.
But it was the Richard Bandey trained Alskamatic that took the honors. Beating Seigneur Des Bois by four
lengths in the fastest time of the day so far 6min 23sec.
An eventful race, with two fancied runners falling at the
last open ditch and two out. Allowing the ten year old by Systematic, who beat
useful point to pointer Rotablade at the course twenty days ago to take on the race. The
gelding that ran a creditable race in the Foxhunters last year, looks probable
to enter the race again, to the delight of his syndicate owners the Plantation
Picnic Club.
Jockey Claire Hart, clearly delighted with the win said ‘This
horse keeps pulling it out of the bag and we are delighted, jumping and staying
was the name of the game today and my fella had this. If we get into the
Foxhunters that that’s what we’ll aim for, and if we can end up in the top
seven we would all be delighted.’
Alskamatic
The fourth race of the afternoon, the conditions race saw
ten runners at post. At the off the runners seemed to take a good pace, but
this told towards the end of the race when horses dropped away who could not
stay the pace. And that looked to be the case of Stan Sheppard’s mount Garstin, who looked to be swallowed up
by the Waley-Cohen’s top quality horse Storm Lantern. But somehow Sheppard got
a second wind out of the nine year old in his first run of the season. And with
Storm Lantern falling at the last, and the horses around him losing momentum in the sapping ground, Garstin took his chance to beat
Carrigkerry and Paige Fuller by four lengths.
The jockey with now two winners under his belt for the
afternoon said ‘I fancied the first lad I rode, but wasn’t too sure about this
fella. But he flew for a lap and then came back on me, I knew it was
holding ground and one thing this fella dose is stay and stay, and once they
came past me, he took hold again.’
The jockey on a possible treble for the
afternoon when riding useful maiden Bozo's Copse in the Intermediate last race....
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| Garstin
The smallest field of the day,the five horse running of the
Men’s open saw the younger brother of top flat jockey George Baker, Zach bring
the John Bryan trained Temlebraden home
by ten lengths from Real Milan. The useful ex two and a half mile hurdler
seemed to relish the sticky going, with the Wiltshire downs now based in
glorious sunlight.
‘We managed to have a breather know and then in front, and
from two out he pinged it, and we haven’t seen another horse after that. He’s
jumped very slick and tidy and that’s what nicked the race for him really.’
The nine year old usually ridden by Paddy Bryan, was a spare
ride for Baker who said ‘it’s a shame for Paddy, but alas his loss is my gain.
He’ll probably be back here in two weeks time though’
Templebraden
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Unbeknown by the young Baker, lady luck would be on his side
again in the last. The Intermediate race.
A quality field of fourteen runners
went to post, with such horses such as Bonzo’s Copse and Mr Simpkins, already in the frame this season. But it
was plain to see the testing going that had been giving a lot of good
contender’s trouble all afternoon, soon had the field well strung out. You too
Pet came to the last, certain of victory, when going through the fence, unshipping his rider, this left Mr Simpkins and Sam Waley-Cohen, who had not had
a great afternoon. Tackler and Only Time’ll Tell to battle for the paces.
Cohen’s horse fell, this caused destruction in behind as horses got bought down
and tripped by the struggling horses on the floor. Thankfully all horses walked
away from the carnage. But this left ‘Lucky’ Baker to nick the race on Green Winter, again trained out of the
Bryan stable.
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| Third placed horse Turtle Boys |
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| Second placed horse The Governor The eight year old stayer, with a run at the course at the beginning of the year. A thirty length second to Ask the Weatherman, was now himself a distance winner beating second placed horse The Governor. ‘I’ve seen the replay of the race and can’t believe how far back I was. But this horse kept on going, and I’ve seen the trouble up in front and have tried to pick my ground, without giving myself too much to do if something was close to me. But that’s a good afternoon for me, I’m off to Cocklebarrow tomorrow for the first time, so hope some of the luck travels with me to there.’
On a good note. All fallers from the day made it home. The
sun came out, so we all live to fight another day.
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