14 April 2008 Cheshire - Alpraham
Beautiful Dawn: the most impressive winner of the day
Last Saturday's rescheduled Cheshire meeting at Alpraham took place in glorious sunshine. The new entrance onto the course worked well but the crowd was down on previous years, rearranged meetings always seem to suffer with runners and crowds, and only 27 runners contested 7 races, with the final race a walkover. It was a good day for punters with every favourite going in, so not such a good day for the bookies.
The most impressive winner on the card was the Heidi Brookshaw trained Beautiful Dawn, who never came off the bit under Sammie Beddoes to win very easily by 12 lengths from Castleford. The gelding is owned jointly by Nev Jones from Bangor-on-Dee and Elaine Fearnall from Whitchurch. Brookshaw said afterwards that her charge was progressing nicely, and added that she was running her horse next in a Novice Hunter Chase at Bangor-on-Dee. This was Sammie Beddoes last winner at Alpraham as she will be retiring at the end of the season.
Nantwich trainer Gary Hanmer took the training honours with a double at his local course. The first leg came in the Open Maiden with Chase The Dream who, despite bolting on the way down to the start, won comfortably under Stuart Ross by 8 lengths from Ancient Mariner with Oscar Churton in the plate. The Dream's End gelding is owned by Don Constable from Market Drayton. Hanmer described the winner as a complete nutter with loads of ability.
Hanmer completed the second leg of his double with Tinarana Lord, in the Men's Open, who was given a brilliant ride by Richard Burton to beat Flashy Boy by 3 lengths. The son of Teamster has to be held up until the last possible moment and Burton carried out Hanmer's instructions to the letter, taking up the running on the run to the last fence.
Hanmer thinks a lot of the winner, speaking afterwards he said: "He relished the conditions today. Burtie gave him a great ride, as he has to be held up until the very last minute. I may run him next in a Hunter Chase at Stratford. At the moment Border Fusion will be my runner in the Bangor Final, a race that he won last year, but if it came up soft at Bangor then Tinarana Lord would definitely run." The winner is owned in partnership with the trainer's mother, Gwyneth Hanmer, by Brenda Shaw from the Nantwich area and by Norma Burke from Wolverhampton.
The riding honours on the day, however, belonged to Kelsall based Stuart Ross who completed a treble aboard Tommy Two Shoes in the Members, for owner John Donald, Chase The Dreams in the Open Maiden, and St Philips Girl who walked over in the two and a half mile Young Horse Maiden.
Step And Run, trained at Enville by Diana Williams, ridden by the trainer's daughter Jane won their third Ladies Open in a month when making every yard to win by 5 lengths from Immy Robinson on Rebel Army. Williams said afterwards that her charge had earned a rest after this race.
Richard Edwards, who used to be the traveling head lad for trainer Alan Bailey at Sandy Brow Stables at Tarporley, leases a few boxes from the new master of Sandy Brow, well known showjumper Robert Walker, and trained a winner in his own right from the famous yard when Festival Time, under Harry Challenor, easily won the Restricted by 25 lengths from Corston Jigtime. The winner is owned locally by Gillian Milner from Tarporley.