Thursday 7 April 2016

Higham closes 2016 with The Essex and Suffolk Hunt 2 April 2016



The final meeting of this season at Higham bought a bumper crowd, sunshine and quality fields.
Organizers very pleased with the turn out on the final meet ,helping balance out the only other two meetings at the course that just broke even.


Horses were plenty and headed by the appearance of the course specialist and quality point to pointer Broken Eagle from the Alan Hill yard.

The first race, a restricted race saw fourteen to post. The Helen Connors trained Our Milly Acres beating the useful David Kemp’s Hill of Gold by a neck. 
Again a seven year old by the top pointing stallion Milan, the consistent mare used her 5 lbs allowance to good stead to pick up this handy race.

Milly Acres  with T. Chatfeild-Roberts 
         
Hill of Gold leads Milly Acres over the last
The Men’s open cut up to only  four declared, other entries no doubt leaving the race as they knew course specialist Broken Eagle would be present.

                                                                    Broken Eagle Joe Hill

The eight year old ridden by Alan hill’s son  joe hill, made an impressive stance not like the one last time over course and distance, and pulled well away from the runner up Never Complain from the Marshall Yard.
A death defying, Desert Orchid style leap at the last caused a gasp from the crowd as the horse took the race by twenty lengths.




‘We came here today purely to get the horse qualified for the foxhunters at Aintree next season.’ Mentioned the trainer. ‘Possibly he’ll go to Cheltenham in a few weeks time for a shorter event at the Hunter Chase evening meeting.’


This impressive, regal looking eight year old looks the real deal. And with the Hill team behind him would hope to be aiming high.

                                                          Alan Hill, Broken Eagle, Joe Hill
The Ladies open was also a bit of a family affair. Sa Kaldoun trained by Ed Turner and ridden by Rose Turner took the race by beating Quinsman.
The nine year old, second at course and distance in March used his 7 lbs weight advantage over the runner up well. 
The versatile gelding by Sagacity showing he could stay on most surfaces given.
                                                                     Sa Kaldoun, led in by Ed Turner,Ridden by Rose Turner
                                                                           Sa Kaldoun
The sad part though of the race was the loss of the consistent Ellis/Andrews horse Sea Current during the race.

The fourth race of the meeting was that for Novice riders.
The very consistent Done a Runner, trained by Dale Peters made his fourth win of the season. The ten year old by Alderbrook, just done enough to beat Superior Fire from the Hutsby yard by a neck. Alan Hill’s El Toreros back twenty length’s in third.

                                                Superior Fire (nearside) Done a Runner (farside)

Both these horses would have to be taken seriously next time out. Both the winner and second placed horse having form on their side.

                                             Done a runner leads Superior Fire over the last

The open maiden race was the biggest amount of declared runners for the day, this causing the race to be split into two divisions.

The first division being taken by the Grissell trained and ridden Iskrabob. Trained and ridden by Rose Grissell herself.




The six year old by Tobugg seems to be the improving sort, running a twelve length second to Kingsfold Flare a few weeks back. 
The chestnut certainly liking the change in the ground would hopefully pick up a few more races before the season finale.




                                                               Iskrabob Miss R. Grissell

The second division saw the Andrew Pennock trained Torran Na Dtonn take the race. The eight year old seemed to have an easier race than that of the winner in division one, with Dicky Collinson in the saddle; the Fruits of Love gelding took the race with compatible ease from the Cundy trained horse On the Tangle.
                                                              Torran Na Dtonn, Mr R Collinson




This nice frame of a maiden looked the part in the winner’s enclosure, and would be surly one to look out for throughout the back end of the season.




The final race of the day went to the owner/jockey combination of Viking Ridge and Miss S Klug. The nine year old trained by Tom Morgan, ran on well from the field beating the fancied runner of the Turner’s Kriss William. 
Ten lengths separated the first and second, which thrilled the followers of both horse and jockey, as usually the grey by Cloudings is prone to the harsh mistake or two. Both outings this season just being out of the top three home.


 
  Viking Ridge, Ridden by Miss S. Klug