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| Enjoying Ladies evening at Fontwell, Rebecca,Sally,Faye, Lisa |
Ladies evening at Fontwell, a course that’s been rested for a few months and now ready to take on some terrific jump racing through the winter months.
And it started with a bang, Champion jockey Richard Johnson the bit between his teeth gathering three winners to maintain his nine winners
lead over young contender Sam Twiston Davies.
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| Champion jockey Richard Johnson |
Starting off with a good run in the first a conditioning
handicap hurdle over two miles three furlongs, Johnson bought home Jim Best’s
Red Orator the 6/4 fav by two and a half lengths from Gary Moore’s Shalanzi.
‘We knew if he could produce his Stratford form he would run
well, he has battled down hard in the end to win the race nicely, Jim Best had
confidence in him, he is a nice straight forward sort of horse.
The ex Mark Johnston horse seems to be on the improve, has
had broken blood vessel problems in the past, but now seems to be on the up with his
fourth win out of fifteen starts.
Another horse hailing out of a flat yard was Richards second
winner of the evening Satellite formally out of the William Haggas yard,the seven year old took
the two mile one furlong novices hurdle in fine form beating Tarkeur out of the
Simon Hodgson yard by a commanding thirteen lengths.
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| Satellite |
The pace was taken on at a strong rate Harry Cobden taking
the Colin Tizzards Ivor’s Queen out I front stringing the four runner field out
from early on.
A certain disrespect of the hurdle out in the back straight
caused the leader to fall leaving the eventual winner out on his own sooner than
he would have liked.
‘The pace was fine for my horse, but until the lead horse
fell I wasn’t really very confident in my fella, he done well out in front,
just a little earlier than I wold of liked.’
With only his third run over
hurdles and has won also on soft ground. The going at the West Sussex course
being good to firm,the five year old seems an improving and versatile sort.
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| Improvement possibly need for this nice looking gelding, the plan would possibly be a nice race at Kempton in the Autumn |
The owners of the Danehill Dancer five-year-old Paul and
Louise Bowtell mentioned
‘the victory seemed a bit hollow really with the fall
of the Tizzards horse, but I believe he is up know so I feel a little better. I
wasn’t really confident in our fella at the start, he worked himself up a bit,
but he has battled away nicely in the end.’
Improvement possibly need for this
nice looking gelding, the plan would possibly be a nice race at Kempton in the
Autumn, so well worth a sharpen of the note book pencil on this one.
The Champ did not
have to wait that long for his third winner of the evening, the fourth race a
two mile five furlong handicap Dickie Johnson bought home the top weight Pied
Du Roi out of the Charlie Longsdon yard a length in front of Richie McLernon on
Wyndcrest.
‘This horse is a big sort that has needed time, to be fair to the
owners they have given him that time and he has rewarded them this evening.’
The horse a good second to Definite Future at Worcester in a very competitive
race a month back still seemed to make mistakes and had to be hard driven by
the jockey to claim his prize.
‘Fontwell wouldn’t really be the course he would prefer really, but he would be a horse with
improvement that could be nice.’
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| Pied Du Roi,Wyndcrest |
Not many options for the six-year-old this time of year, has
caused the trainer to think hard on his entries for this one, but the right
race and the right night has given the horse a chance. One to follow if the
improvement continues.
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| ‘Fontwell wouldn’t really be the course he would prefer really, but he would be a horse with improvement that could be nice.' |
The two mile one furlong handicap chase saw seven go to
post, 6/4 fav Spring steel trained by Alexandra Dunn in Taunton and ridden by
Rhys Flint win the race by two and a half lengths from Vexillum out of the Neil
Mulholland yard, with creditable ease.
‘He has been a little lucky here today,
made mistakes and struggled a little with his wind makes me feel he may need
further, he may need a bit more of a galloping track really so he can get into
his rhythm.'
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| Spring steel |
Jake Hodson on David Bridgewater’s The Yank seemed to fall
on the flat just after jumping the second last after running a positive sort of
race, on asking Rhys if he saw how the horse fell, that could have given him a race
towards the end.
‘Fences this time of year need jumping really, they are a
little stiff, and it seems he has crumpled on landing.’ Jumping the name of the
game, the yank would be one to watch.
The trainer from Taunton with twenty six horses in training
who often graces the West Sussex course mentioned, ‘he is lovely horse to have,
he has won three times for us and we are lucky to have him.’ Non-committal on the
seven-year-olds future the trainer who describes her yard as a boutique yard,
small and select with top class facilities is certainly one to note at her
lucky track Fontwell.
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Non-committal on the seven-year-olds future the trainer who describes her yard as a boutique yard, small and select with top class facilities is certainly one to note at her lucky track Fontwell.
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With all equestrian fans one eye was surly on Rio for the
Olympic games, already gold in the dressage,and Show jumping that was extremely
successful in London 2012, one-man Nick Skelton who is on form for gold in Rio is eagerly being watched by his sons, on form themselves with a winner in the
two mile one furlong handicap hurdle.
Excellent team, aptly named in the
circumstances led well at the last, driven out by Harry Skelton to take the win
from Ben Pauling’s Itsnowcato.
The well suited four-year-old on his first win after a
string of seconds seemed to relish the fast ground the jockey mentioning, ‘he
has very good attitude and is as tough as old boots, he is now a type that
could do well with a small penalty in handicaps, but he has given his owners
some great fun which it’s all about.’
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| Excellent team |
All eyes on Rio Friday that certainly would be leading to a positive start to the weekend for the family.
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| The well suited four-year-old on his first win after a string of seconds seemed to relish the fast ground. |
The penultimate race, and last over obstacles for the well
attended meeting at Fontwell came in the shape of the two mile five furlongs’
handicap hurdle for four year olds and upwards.
Again a family affair, Gary Moore saddling 5/2 shot Royal
Battalion to take on a six runner field. Son Jamie Moore in the saddle,the
five-year-old by sea the stars made mistakes three out but was ridden firmly by
Moore to take the race by a length and a half from the favourite Breaking Bits
trained by Jamie Snowden.
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| Breaking Bits,First Avenue,Royal Battalion |
The horse owned by the ever popular Heart of the South
Racing has given the syndicate ownership some great fun winning two from
eighteen starts.
‘It was a moderate race won by a moderate horse,’, mentioned
the jockey. ‘It’s great to give something back to the owners who have been
good supporters of us in the past, and win a local track is as big of a winner
as if at Cheltenham.’
A brother to fame and glory and costing £450’000 as a
yearling the horse may not have scored the heights as hoped, but a win early
doors of the season should not be sniffed at and maybe one you would see at the
track in the near future.
The final race of the evening, the two mile one furlong
national hunt flat race, four runners went to post, taken along at a good pace by
Phil York on Kabanga Bay, the race coming around the bend opened up to be very competitive, unusually so for races that are in most cases sown up from three
furlongs out.
Deise Diamond ridden by Trevor Whelan and trained by Neil
King stayed on well in the end to take the race by half a length from the
Moore’s Jezzebelle.
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| Deise Diamond , Jezzebelle |
‘This fella has had good standing with a nice placing at
Galway, the pace was good for us but the lead horse fell away slightly before
I would have liked really so I have been made to take it up before I could get
him to gallop.’
The five-year-old gelding looked a little green at the
finish and would surly come on for his run, the race one of the classiest
bumpers you would find this season at Fontwell, and would not surprise if it threw
up a few nice horse from the field as the season progresses.
The winner though
untried over a hurdles certainly looks the type with some time, the jockey
mentioning that the horse would be crying out for a trip.
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| 'I have been made to take it up before I could get him to gallop.’ |
A tough type, and certainly one to add to the notebooks for
later in the season, as with the rest
Jezzebelle, Kabanga Bay and Pull the Trigger.
Music on ladies evening to finish,
With Live music from Abba Revival, Waterloo to Mamma Mia at
Fontwell Park the Winner takes it all.
As if you were not aware,at the time of publish, Nick Skelton won his individual gold in Rio o Big Star.
A massive congratulations to the Skelton family, who have given so much to the equestrian industry.
