Great weather and a good crowd, eight races to enjoy looking
over the Northamptonshire countryside bathed in yellow.
The Grafton Hunt point
to point at the Whitfield racecourse, the last one of the season gave a chance
for trainers looking for near to perfect going for their charges.This Showed
as each race was packed with quality and quantity throughout the afternoon.
As usual in most point to point meetings the first race is
reserved for a hunt members race, this meeting being no different saw five go
to post, last year’s winner of the race Fermat being sent off the 5/2
fav.
With a good pace from the off, the finish saw a true
race on the good ground from the last fence, as last year’s winner looking to make a
back to back brace of wins was beaten a head on the line by Christopher Henn’s
Midnight Monkey ridden by Nick Meek.
Mr John Connell the owner was delighted with the win mentioning that he
had been waiting for the better going for most of the season, and coming over
the last wasn’t too sure if he was going to get to the line.
‘This course takes more getting than you think, and Nick
Meek has ridden a brilliant race on him, getting a breather into him coming
down the hill, then allowing him to run up the straight.’
 |
| Christopher Henn’s Midnight Monkey ridden by Nick Meek. |
The jockey on his best ever season with six winners
mentioned he knew the horse well, riding most of his work and schooling.
' I
though from two out he didn’t have enough in him to get his head in front, but
he got his second wind and took me on from the last. I’m delighted for him as
he deserves the win.’
The eight-year-old by Midnight legend will possibly get on
the course one more time if a race becomes suitable the owner looking at
possibly Chaddersley Corbett in a few weeks’ time.
 |
| Midnight Monkey ridden by Nick Meek. |
The intermediate race saw the 1/3 on fav She’s Real take
on a good field of runners and take the race by four lengths from Franks a
Million from the Turner yard.
The eight-year-old mare ridden by Tom
Chatfield-Roberts, owned by his father John and trained by his aunt Helen Connors
maintained a good winning run for the season. The only dash in the season being
a poor run at the Cheltenham evening hunter chase meeting.
‘she settled better
today, at Cheltenham she was a bit keen which didn’t help her cause,as a mare
you can never really know what she is going to be, but today she did enough to
make it tell in the end.’
The family has six horses in training between two stables,
and looking to go to the sales in a few weeks’ time to add more to the tally.
This mare will would also be looking at getting another run into her before the end
of the season.
The jockey on nine winners for the season so far mentioned,
‘we didn’t start too early with her for one reason or another, but we have had
a lot of fun with her so we would be looking at possibly one more run.’
 |
| She’s Real |
A field of seven went to post for the ladies open, Alan hill
sending his well run nine year-old gelding Sharp Suit to post the fav for
the race.
With
Champion lady jockey Gina Andrews on board still looking to keep ahead of her
good friend and challenger Clare Hart in the leading female riders championship.
The horse by leading point to point sire Milan looked the class act and easily put aside the rest of the field coming home three lengths clear of Tabitha Worsely on Major Decision.
The horse by leading point to point sire Milan looked the class act and easily put aside the rest of the field coming home three lengths clear of Tabitha Worsely on Major Decision.
 |
| Alan hill sending his well run nine year-old gelding Sharp Suit to post the fav for the race. |
The horse in Blinkers jumping a little to the right over the
last two didn’t seem to bother the in form Andrews who mentioned, 'he has a
tendency to do that, that’s’ why we run him on right handed tracks so when he
jumps across fences he doesn’t lose too much ground.’
The horse having run with
and without blinkers seems to need them more as the year’s progress. But has
been a constant sort of horse from his maidens runs over the years. The jockey
mentioning that now he has become a good ladies horse.
Gina mentioned also that from her own yard that the runners
are getting thinner on the ground as the season draws to a close.
 |
| Sharp Suit |
The next two races, the novice riders race for five year
olds and over, and the restricted race were taken by the partnership of trainer
Francesca Nimmo and jockey Hugh Nugent.
The first of the quick-fire double Champagne Rian in the
novice riders race, the eight-year-old was sent off as favorite to take the
thirteen runner event.
‘This horse has run over the past three weekends winning at
Chaddersley last week. But we have changed a few things around with this horse,
he didn’t like the gallops and a few other things and it has seemed to have
worked.’ Mentioned the trainer who has still about a dozen horses in the yard at
present.
The jockey mentioning that the horse has just found his form
at the moment so it’s really nice to come to the close of the season full of
running, the rest of the season being a quite one.
 |
| Champagne Rian |
 |
| Clondaw Island |
Clondaw Island another eight-year-old out of the yard making
it a very successful meeting for the trainer and jockey taking the first
division of the split restricted race by two lengths form Dunara Castle.
The race run over two and a half miles was run at a strong
pace Francesca mentioning’ this horse is a tough sort, the pace was very strong
but steady towards the end, that’s helped him a little I think.’
The jockey confirming this by saying from tapes up the rest of the field went a good pace, playing into the gelding’s hands, ‘the race ran to his style
of racing really which suited me, I was able to get a second wind into him
which bought him home with not many challenging me from behind.’ The jockey who
rides out of both Francesca’s and Fred Hutsby’s yard seems to be an amateur
that will have plenty of ammunition for the 2016-17. ‘ It’s coming together
nicely for the back end of this season for me, next season I will be looking
forward to a lot. ‘One for the note books.
Division two of the restricted was taken by Phil York’s
seven-year-old mare Gersjoeycasey,beating Rose Grissell’s Barrafohona in a hard fought finish by a head.
‘she is a nice mare and will come on a lot for her runs,’
mentioned the jockey who turned fifty the week before.
The mare by Milan the top sire at present for pointers
already a dual winning horse when winning her maiden at Pepper Harrow in April
took the trainer/jockey to his 299th winning ride of his career the
jockey mentioning that he will focus firmly onto his 300th, then
after that it’s 301.
But rest assures this nobleman of the weighing room will
remain focused well into the future with his horses and with his pending milestone ahead of him will
not take his eye off the game.
 |
| Phil York’s seven-year-old mare Gersjoeycasey, (left) Tabithia Worsley on Barrafohona (right) |
The penultimate race of the afternoon, a maximum runner open
maiden was not a place for the faint of heart.
Fifteen maiden horse went to post, Sam Lee bringing his mother’s
Katesoneoneeight home by a commanding ten lengths from the Zac Baker’s ride
Gather round.
 |
| Sam Lee bringing his mother’s Katesoneoneeight home |
‘He isn’t the straightest forward of a horse to ride’
mentioned the jockey. ‘He gets worked up before the race and during and we
seemed to be going a slow pace that I have had to take the running from about a
circuit and a half out. But he jumped well today and it’s good to get a win out
of him.’
The young eighteen year old jockey mentioning that when he had his
first run he told his mum she should retire him, but she soon told him that he
was one of the most constant horses in the yard. Direction the young jockey is
most glad he took, and goes to show mums know best.
In his third season riding the young jockey surely knows
where he wants to be heading, giving high respect to those with experience in
the weighing room, and on nine winners in total now is one of many talented
juniors riding between the flags.
 |
| Katesoneoneeight |
One for the notebooks in the race would be the charge of Phil Bull,
Present Charm a six-year-old by Presenting, third in bottomless ground at
Northaw was sent off favorite for the race. Phil mentioning that the runs
would have done the young horse no harm at all. One to watch.
The final race of the day was for horses ten years or over,
in a conditions race,again a thrilling race to finish off the day.
Camellia
Henderson on board the twelve-year-old Shakalakaboomboom who bough home the veteran
a by two lengths form Dicky Collinson on The Admiral Benbow.
Coming to the last you would not of been mistaken to think
Collinson on his eleven year old could not lose the race, but a blunder at the last
saw the stuffing knocked out of the Andrew Pennock's charge, allowing Henderson
and Shak’s to take back the lead.
 |
| Coming to the last you would not of been mistaken to think Collinson on his eleven year old could not lose the race, but a blunder at the last saw the stuffing knocked out of the Andrew Pennock's charge, |
‘To be honest I thought we had been beaten, we had the same
issue here last time out my fella comes to the last, there’s one in front and
he has had enough. But to be fair he has stood off the last and that has helped
him and he has gone all the way to the line.’
The jockey who has just taken her
category A amateur licence out really would have liked to take the veteran off
to a hunter chase, ‘He is a horse that likes a number of weeks between each
race, so the season is running out on us. But next season I have three really
nice horses to ride, and with my Cat A out we can go from there.’
The horse ridden in blinkers for the first time ever in his
illustrious career had not been into a winner’s enclosure for a number of
years, the jockey mentioning that this may have just given him a little boost
that he needed.
‘I wish the ground was always like this
throughout the season, he doesn’t like the soft ground so maybe next year we
would not bring him out so early on.’
 |
| Camellia Henderson on board the twelve-year-old Shakalakaboomboom wins the ten year old and over conditions race WWW.MJAYPHOTOGRAPHY.CO.UK |
