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| Workbench |
A two day meet at Fontwell park starts with a bang, and
still a month off until November 5th.
The main race on the card the £8.900 Fullers London Pride
Handicap chase saw the eight-year-old Workbench out of the Dan Skelton yard take the
prize for the third year running beating Tom Scudamore on David Pipes Purple
‘N’ Gold by a length.
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Workbench out of the Dan Skelton yard take the prize for the third year running beating Tom Scudamore on David Pipes Purple ‘N’ Gold by a length.
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The yard favourite on his sixth win from thirty-six runs
took on the challenge well from the pipe contender, staying on over the last to
take the race.
‘This horse is a real dude’ mentioned Harry Skelton on board
the horse. ‘These older horses seem to love the figure of eight track, he came
around the bottom bend like a pony, handled it all very well. It’s great really
because everyone has time for this fella.’
The horse set for this race would be the owners Mr Lake gold
cup outing, and it was impressive to see the popular horse win.
The Skelton clan now settling into the real business of the
jump season are pleased with how things are going at present, very little
I suppose will top their father’s gold medal in Rio, but each day will come one
after the other for this popular combination.
‘The owners can now enjoy the rest
of the season with this fella, now we have bagged this race it’s a long season
and as long as they all race and jump well we can’t ask for much else.’
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| Workbench |
The impressive double of the day came in the form of the
young jockey who lying fifteen winners behind Richard Johnson rode two very
nice horses out of two impressive yards.
Sam Twiston-Davies rode the first of
his double out of his governors’ yard Paul Nicholls.
Frodon took the four
runner two and a half mile novices chase in impressive fashion, the
four-year-old with bottom weight was always in charge from three fences out
beating Nick Henderson’s Clean Sheet by five lengths, the seven-year-old coming
from the John McManus portfolio.
'This was plan B for the horse really, we wanted to see if he
would get the two mile five, and from that think about him for the Paddy Power, he jumped and stayed the distance well so I can see no reason why he wouldn’t
be in the running.’
The horse now three wins from six starts looks the improving
type, Twiston-Davies mentioning with more racing and schooling this
four-year-old gets. The better he will become.
A nice race to pick up in his
early days and is surly one that would be in the Master of Ditcheat’s mind as
the season continues.
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| Frodon |
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| Young Dillon |
Sam Twiston-Davies second winner of the afternoon and his
sixty first of the season came in the form of Young Dillon, trained by Dr
Richard Newland, the young jockey had to wait to the last race to bring the seven-year-old
home by five lengths from the favourite generous Chef.
The 9/2 shot off top weight of 11st 12 lbs seemed to ease
past the five other competitors from three out, and stayed on well up the east
Sussex tracks inclined finish.
‘It wasn’t the strongest of races, but he has
jumped well and done it nicely in the end, he has enjoyed the ground better
here today which has helped.’
The
horse now on four runs from eleven starts, pulled up a month back at Cartmel on
good to soft ground, the ground riding well at good seemed to be more to his
liking.
Not a world beater but a win none the less off a big weight and out of
a quality yard was well worth the wait from the second race to the last for the
young jockey.
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| 'This was plan B for the horse really, we wanted to see if he would get the two mile five.' |
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| 'He has enjoyed the ground better here today which has helped.’ |
The jockey mentioned it made life very easy for him to ride
for yards of such quality.’ Riding for the guvnor, Mr Newland and dad makes it
very enjoyable for me, and I have some nice rides here tomorrow also.’
This graduate from the pony racing circuit will be the
future of the jumping game for sure, with names such as Coleman, Scudamore and
Twiston-Davies in the mix national hunt racing looks rosy indeed.
Controversy came in the shape of the penultimate race of the
afternoon, the three miles one-furlong conditional Jockey Chase.
A circuit into the race Kieron Edgar on David Dennis’s
Indiana Bay was pulled up in difficult on the bend just after the finish line,
the nine-year-old sadly going down.
Horses coming up the straight for the
second time for this distance race being instructed to miss the two fences along
the straight, coming wide around the past the stricken horse, Clerk of the
course Ed Arkle showing no hesitation to stop the race.
The health and safety of horses, Jockey and ground staff was
enough to stop the race mentioned Arkle, Jockey Ciaran Gethings who was leading
at the time on Peter Bowen's Stumble Head mentioned,’ My fella was really going
well, and was for sure to be in the mix at the end. I have never seen anything
like it really, and I should reckon it was the same for a lot of people really,
a sad thing.’
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| Jockey Ciaran Gethings on Stumble Head |
Indeed, a sad thing, Indiana Bay suffering a heart attack
not being able to be saved.
The race void surly gave controversy to the
afternoon, clerk of the course Ed Arkle doing the right thing for all in concern.
Who says that these guys go to the races for a good lunch
only, to make calls like this shows why we have quality in charge of our
British racecourses.
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| Clerk of the course Ed Arkle showing no hesitation to stop the race. |
The other races of this six race card started off the
afternoon with a two mile one-furlong Juvenile maiden hurdle.
Fontwells favourite trainer and owners, Gary Moore and Heat of the south racings Sisania took the race by two lengths, the 10/11 favourite beating 33/1 shot
Marmot.
The three-year-old on his maiden win from five starts still
looks like there is more improving to do, but the popular syndicate would
rejoice in another trip to the winners enclosure, and this Matercraftsman
youngster with a fair bit of flat racing form, surely looks the type that would
go on again.
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| Sisania took the race by two lengths, the 10/11 favourite beating 33/1 shot Marmot. |
The two mile one-furlong handicap hurdle, another favourite
went in, beating another 33/1 shot.
Highgrove Percy ridden by amateur James King
took the race by two lengths from Istimraar out of the Alexandra Dunn’s yard.
The horse only running six days previous when second at
Market Rasen stayed on well when ridden out.
‘He has really got into his rhythm
well and took the race very professionally, with his allowance and my claim it
has made it a tidy win for him today I think next week he was due to race off
the mark of 122 so a good win today.’
The three-year-old winning three of his five runs over
obstacles looks to be a horse that could improve over handicap form and should
be one to keep in the notebooks.
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| 'I think next week he was due to race off the mark of 122 so a good win today.’ |
Another day to go at Fontwell, and after the mix and match
of the first day of a two day meet, what is to come from another seven races at
the East Sussex track.
