Only twenty minutes from the heart of flat racings HQ
Newmarket, in a corner of the village of Cottenham the point to point fraturnaty celebrates yet another start of point to point season.
Two meetings for the sports followers
to go to on the opening day, this one and Black forest lodge a short way off
the A380 near Exeter.
Those coming over to the East of the country and Cottenham
were offered six races, small fields but packed in quality.
12:00 noon saw Sir Mark Prescott lower the starters flag for the PPORA
club members race, eight runners, within the pack Tommy Morgan’s Lough Inch, the
winner of the race last season and a horse that truly loves the Cottenham turf
winning several of his races at the track.
 |
| Lough Inch |
This season being no different, with regular jockey on board
Sam Davies Thomas, third in last seasons jockey’s championship the nine-year-old
seemed to command the opening salvo with an exhibition of front running and
jumping.
Both jockey and trainer Liz Harris seemed delighted by the
horse that owes both nothing over the years with his full of heart runs.
His
twelve length victory showing what a class team this is. The trainer, with a new addition to the family in tow
mentioned that this good to firm ground specialist will wait until the ground
is just to his liking before his next trip.
 |
| Liz Harris (left) seemed delighted by the horse that owes both nothing over the years with his full of heart runs |
The jockey going on with the day in controversial fashion.
New job in the bag with Dan Skelton, the jockey had to wait to the last for his second winner of the day on Extreme Appeal, a four-year-old out of the Kelly Morgan yard.
Again, a good clean front running jumping exhibition saw the horse in his second pointing season show what he is made of beating Dale peters of Mister Murch by seven lengths in the 4.5.6 year old open maiden.
‘Kelly has done a great job on this one as he used not to jump too great, today though spot on.’ And you would not of though it about this horse as he met all his obstacles just right.
The race though did throw up a few googlies in its
running.
First, John Mathias on Holy Dancer fell four out, the jockey
taken to hospital where it was reported he has a fractured pelvis, we all wish
John well, and a speedy recovery.
 |
| John Mathias on Holy Dancer |
Second, the runner up in the race Mr Murch, Dale Peters
reports he thinks this six-year-old grey if produces his home form at the races
could be something special, this and the winner need a strong highlight in the
notebooks.
 |
| Mr Murch, Dale Peters reports he thinks this six-year-old grey if produces his home form at the races could be something special |
Both jockeys in the race before the open maiden seeing
honours reversed and a trip to the steward’s room as Peters on All the sevens
and Davies-Thomas on Skipping on came to the last together, Dale Peters mount
edging over and pushing the drive of Davies Thomas and Skipping on over to the
stand rail.
 |
| All the sevens and Davies-Thomas on Skipping on came to the last together |
All the sevens kept the race, peters picking up a £75 fine
for careless riding. Sam Davies Thomas convinced without the interference he
would have made it a treble for the day. ‘Dale and I are good friends, it’s
racing and that’s that, no hard feelings,’ mentioned this young jockey who in
my opinion is a future champion point to point jockey. Not only tidy on a
horse, but well liked in the paddock this boy will go far to be sure.
 |
| ‘Dale and I are good friends, it’s racing and that’s that, no hard feelings.’ |
Another team destined for the bright lights are the
Oxfordshire based team of the Hill Family. Trainer Alan ever popular within the
sport saddled Consigliere to take the Men’s open in record time of 5 min 45
sec. Again, piloted by son Joe Hill another young jockey with a bright future
the thirteen-year-old showed dominance against the three other runners, bowling
in the eight lengths winner over Never complain from the local yard of the
Marshall’s.
 |
| Consigliere |
‘The horse owes us nothing.’ Mentioned the jockey who was
delighted with the horse that is a sturt supporter of the Ponting field.
‘Dad
and I have will now have a bit of a think where to go next but he has been a great
servant to us and we all think dearly of him.’
Not a big field to be up against but Never Complain in
second place is no slouch himself not being out of the first three in all his
seven runs. The only plip on the winners form being a creditable 11th
in the Cheltenham Foxhunters.
The ladies open saw a Bound for glory take the spoils
beating Gina Andrews on Sharp Suit by five lengths.
The ten-year-old trained by David Fitch-Peyton saw action on
the last day of the 2015-16 season winning the ladies open at Umberleigh. The horse again
coming out looking well for a brief rest to take the race with a show of front
running and positive jumping.
The horse twice a runner in the Aintree Foxhunters seems a
class act, (which I would say stands in the favour of the second place horse,
the Alan Hill Sharp Suit) this time ridden by Allie Sterling, regular jockey
Hannah Lewis only giving birth a few weeks ago.
Allie mentioned ‘ You would pay to
ride this one in the foxhunters he is that good, I should reckon Hannah is
dying to get back and ride him, it took effort for her not to be here today.’
 |
| The ladies open saw a Bound for glory take the spoils beating Gina Andrews on Sharp Suit by five lengths. |
 |
| David Fitch-Peyton |
Trainer David Fitch-Peyton who is doing his trainer modules
as we speak was very happy with the performance and will now plan the ten-year
olds path for the season ahead. A yard with good horses and a professional
attitude would surely be a head turner wherever you see a runner entered.
 |
| Ride of the day in my mind must go to the reigning ladies champion Gina Andrews |
Ride of the day in my mind must go to the reigning ladies
champion Gina Andrews on the second horse Sharp Suit, who needed all the jockey’s
skill and persuasion to challenged Bound for Glory at the last.
Four out, minds were cast back to the AP McCoy days for pushing
on a horse to the untrained eye a no hoper, to a near victory.
Andrews putting
up her stall to other contenders for her crown what was needed to take her on.
She did not have to wait long though to get her 2016-17
campaign off to a winning start as she partnered Celtic Silver trained by
husband Tom Ellis, though very much I reckon a team affair to victory in the
Restricted.
The seven-year-old grey took an easy victory by twelve
lengths from Scorpion Star.
‘He’d make a good ladies horse as he is not that big,
but it was good to have that sort of opener to progress him on.’ Mentioned
the jockey
 |
| Celtic Silver |
 |
| Tom Ellis |
The trainer also impressed with the relative ease of his
win, mentioning it took a little of the pressure off getting the first win out
of the way.
‘We are very busy at the moment, plenty of horses in, pointers,
breakers and others so we are hard at it.’
But this duo certainly will not shy
off from that and continue to grow and will be defiantly a team important to
this winters game.
Another class meeting, the next one on new years eve.
Next
weekend another quality meet as the
Point to point owners club meet at Barbury opens its account for the new
season.
Images, Podcasts from this meeting can be also seen at
