Another day of racing at Fontwell.
Seven races on the card,
over an inch of rain falling on the East Sussex course since the last race from
the previous days racing put the going from good, to soft ground causing a
number of runners to withdraw.
But this didn’t dampen the spirits of the winning jockey from the
last on the Friday, Sam Twiston Davies riding a double on the first day of the
two day meet at Fontwell picked up the reins where he left off, riding again for
Richard Newland he steered top weight Desert Sensation home by ten lengths in
the three mile one furlong handicap hurdle.
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| Desert Sensation |
Leading from two out the four-year-old lengthened well up
the hill Acadian following up.
‘My fella really appreciated the ground on the
softer side, and Mr Newlands horses are really well at the moment.’
The
Authorized gelding off top weight of 11st 12 lbs picked up his first ever trip
into the winners enclosure and certainly looked the part. With the jockey who over
the two days has had three wins from four rides.
And it did not stop there,the four runner novices chase
over two miles three saw the young contender on board Paul Nicholls More Bucks
who romped home by eight lengths from Tanit River.
The six-year-old well bred by Presenting out of a Epervier
Blue mare lost his only danger two out, Agincourt Reef unshipping Josh
Moore two out.
‘He has jumped around here well,’ mentioned the jockey. ‘he
has had a year off with a leg injury, the ground with a little more give than yesterday
has helped him, but it has given him confidence, now we have to see what mark he
is off next time to see where to go with him.’
The horses class certainly saw him through on this occasion,
the yard mentioning that there were no high plans for him, but rest assure the
master of Ditcheat would have a goal in site.
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| ‘My fella really appreciated the ground on the softer side, and Mr Newlands horses are really well at the moment.’ |
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| 'It has given him confidence, now we have to see what mark he is off next time to see where to go with him.’ |
Aidan Coleman riding Midnight Shot out of the Charlie
Longsdon yard took the two mile three furlongs’ handicap hurdle.
The
six-year-old, 7/4 favourite made all of the race to win unchallenged beating
Dan Skelton’s Zarib by four lengths.
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| Midnight Shot |
‘He is a very straight forward type really, and the yard is
really well at the moment so it was nice to get the win on him.’
The yard
certainly on good form taking a listed bumper in Ireland the day before with
Snow Leopardess, team Longsdon certainly is finding the path as the season
develops.
And it didn’t stop there for the Coleman-Longsdon
combination, as Tinted Rose took the last the two mile one national hunt flat
race by four lengths from Faheem out of the Lydia Richards yard.
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| Tinted Rose |
The four-year-old filly progressing through her races
certainly looks the type to start her hurdling, the stable reporting she has
been schooling well at home.
‘She isn’t the biggest of horses but certainly
looks the type and should have more improvement yet.'
The jockey now on his 52nd winner of the season
ten behind Sam Twiston-Davies mentioned ‘she has made the most of her
allowances today being a mare,and has the right attitude so she is a nice
type.’ Nice type indeed and is certainly one for the notebooks.
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| ‘He is a very straight forward type really, and the yard is really well at the moment.' |
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| ‘She isn’t the biggest of horses but certainly looks the type and should have more improvement yet.' |
The two and half mile handicap chase was again short of
runners, four going to the start, local trainer Gary Moore sending Anthony to post the
2/1 favourite.
Sam Twiston Davies on Richard Newlands Top Cat Henry challenging
the eventual winner two out only to receive a bump from the six-year-old
showing that the ups and downs of jump racing for the young jockey were still
very much apparent.
This left Wilton Milan from the Skelton yard to chase home
the winner only getting to four lengths from him by the winning line.
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| Anthony |
‘It was a bit of a messy race really but he has done it well
in the end, all the horses were having a bit of a wander due to the surface
being a little bit greasy, it can’t be helped really with the amount of rain we
have had in in the last twelve hours.’
The report from the yard was all is well for the Horsham
trainer, and as well as Fontwell no horse or jockey out of the Moore yard
should be ignored. (on writing this Ryan Moore winning the Prix de l’arc on Found is a
definite sign.)
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| ‘It was a bit of a messy race really but he has done it well in the end.' |
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| Affaire D’Honneur |
Keeping on a French theme, Affaire D’Honneur took the two
mile three furlongs’ novices hurdle beating Laoch Beagby a commanding eight
lengths.
The Harry Whittington 3/10 favourite, the banker for the afternoon
took the race up three out and was pushed clear of the four other runners by
Gavin Sheenan to take his maiden race from four starts.
‘He has run in some nice races at the end of last season,
running a nice race at Newbury, so he has deserved that win. He is a nice horse
and today the plan was to get his head in front, that done there is a plan for
him for further on but today is what we were concentrating on, if we had been
beaten then it was back to the drawing board.’
The horse made it difficult for Sheenan up the straight
having a look about so he has had to work hard, but out of a yard that goes
from strength to strength as the seasons/months go forward the horse seems to
be well liked by the Sparsholt trainer, and is one to red ink I feel in the
notebooks.
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| 'He is a nice horse and today the plan was to get his head in front.' |
The conditional handicap chase over two and a half miles, a
little more non-controversial that the previous days conditional race, went to the Anthony
Honeyball yard with the six-year-old Unify ridden by Harry Cobden.
I say non-controversial, up the straight the 8/11
favourite and second placed horse Highbury High came very close causing the
stewards to have a look if it was the winner that caused the infringement, the
winning margin only being ¾ of a length.
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| up the straight the 8/11 favourite and second placed horse Highbury High came very close causing the stewards to have a look if it was the winner that caused the infringement, |
Neil Mullholland trainer of Highbury High was happy to
concede as he thought it was his horse doing the movement towards the far side
rail, his grey horse more likely shying from the mass din from the crowd
willing the favourite home.
The stewards redeemed the race as placings unaltered
Highbury High’s jockey Jordan Canavan being cautioned by the stewards as to further conduct.
The winner now on two wins from eighteen starts looks as if
he could win again as now having his second victory on the bounce in no less
than five days, could he be out a week later for the three timer? One to note.
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| Unify |
So as all horses travel home from thirteen races over two
days racing at the West Sussex track, a lot has been learnt and seen.
And as the
Autumn sets in, the jump game now gathers momentum the question is.
Have we seen
something here at Fontwell that will be a star of this seasons National Hunt game,
remember Cue card??
Blogs and images from both days racing can be seen at
