25 March 2008 Easter Saturday - Round Up
Stuart Morris: birthday celebrations were the main event
The main event of the day appeared not to be one of the 11 meetings, but Stuart Morris's 30th birthday bash, which took place that evening, and was described by Nick Pearce, in something of an understatement, as "Not a sensible sit-down dinner party."
One of those attending was Dickie Barrett, who had left Dingley unscathed with a winner under his belt (Cheyne in the Confined), but who incurred a minor injury at the party when grazing his arm after falling out of the wheelbarrow in which he was being pushed around by Tim Lane.
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Rookie trainer Nick Pearce, who was also celebrating his birthday, had earlier triumphed at Charing on Super Kay, the third time this season he has produced one of owner Simon Tindall's charges to win first time out.
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Tim Lane's generosity in buying a round of drinks in the Malt Shovel PH at Lambourn after riding at Siddington last week paid dividends at Kimble. "I went to Lambourn on Thursday to school some horses for Geoffrey Deacon, and Noel Chance, who had been in the pub, was watching," Tim explained. "I was managing to wrestle one almost to the ground, and he was obviously impressed by my skill because he asked if I'd ride Murphy's Cardinal for him. After we'd won, he said I'd only got the ride because I bought him a beer."
Tim also deputised successfully for Fred Hutsby, who has been unwell with pneumonia and pleurisy, on On Top. "Fred told me most things about the horse, such as what it had for breakfast and what kind of music it likes, but the one thing he forgot to say was that it hangs like a gate," grinned Tim.
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In 1990, Sue Sharratt rode her first winner on Oh To Be at Tatton Park, and received her trophy from Paul Dawes, representing his father Martin who sponsored the race. The occasion was vividly recalled at Sandon 18 years later, when Sue won the North Staffs members' race on Scotmail Too to provide the owner, none other than Paul Dawes, with his first success.
It was a 49th victory between the flags for the reigning North West area champion, who some 80 minutes later reached her half-century when guiding Christy Beamish to success in the area feature race, the Ladies' Open.
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"We still can't believe it now," said Michelle Taylor on Monday, two days after her Golden Jack had won two races at Badbury Rings, the Members' and the Ladies' Open. "We celebrated very well that night, and I said I was going to detox yesterday, but it didn't happen!"
The Members' race walkover actually gave more problems than Golden Jack's competitive outing, the 14-year-old, without his customary blinkers, unshipping Ryan Bliss on the way to the start. "Luckily Ryan kept hold of him," laughed Michelle, "because he'd have run off home if he'd let go." Home being a 20 minute hack from the course.
With Ryan unavailable to take the mount in the Men's Open, Michelle turned to Charlotte Tizzard to take the reins in the Ladies'. Golden Jack usually front-runs, but Charlotte, aware that Fleur de Nikos would make it, was content to sit in behind, being left clear when his rival departed four out. "Whether we'd have caught her, I don't know," admitted Michelle, "but it worked out all right in the end."
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After an X-ray at Swindon Hospital had revealed no sign of a fracture to the ankle injured at Cheltenham, Polly Gundry, who had herself removed the plaster and replaced it with strapping some days before, requested that a report be sent to the powers-that-be at Shaftesbury Avenue in the hope that she could ride at Kilworthy.
She was given the all-clear, and celebrated by taking the Mixed Open on Rockwithacaveman, who became the first horse this season to win five races. While mindful that she mustn't ask too much of the six-year-old, Polly admits that for the owner's sake she would love him to win the pointtopoint.co.uk/PPORA Young Horse championship (still sponsored by Weatherbys Chase).
"I'd booked other jockeys to ride my horses so I felt a bit bad telling them I'd be riding myself after all," admitted Polly. "Unfortunately I'd told Will Biddick that Kiama doesn't settle if something takes her on, so that's just what he did with Thoor Ballylee!" The latter finished fourth and Kiama fell two out, but there were no hard feelings, Will being booked to ride another of Polly's charges at Trebudannon on Monday.
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Not so lucky was reigning champion Claire Allen, who failed the concussion test she took on Tuesday and will have to sit next weekend out. Claire has in the meantime been considering alternative employment, and has decided that her ideal job would be as a presenter on Blue Peter!
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"I've tried every diet there is but I've perfected it at last - cornflakes in the morning, and two boiled eggs followed by a yoghurt in the evening." Graham Tawell, who won at High Easter on Suir Castle, his first success since landing the Oakley Members' race on Henfield in 1995, describes his eating routine for the past four months.
Graham, whose initial victory came at Kimble, where he was clerk of the course for 15 years, on Perpol in 1979, has held a licence every season since, so is unlikely now to alter his riding style to fulfil the hope of Suir Castle's Newmarket-based French trainer Geoffrey de la Sayette, with whom he spent a week riding out, and who told him "We will soon have you riding like Christophe Pieux."
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Nathan Moscrop, amateur to Ferdy Murphy, rode his first double at Hutton Rudby on Scenic Storm and Messager, both of whom may go to the Cheltenham Hunter Chase meeting in May. Nathan spent Cheltenham Festival week in Newmarket gaining his Category ‘B' licence, but it seems that he and his five colleagues found time between lessons to watch a race or several!
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Tom Ellis, whose ambition at the start of the season was to partner ten winners, is setting his sights a little higher after reaching his target at Dingley courtesy of a treble on the Jimmy Tarry-trained trio of The Hookie Bookie, Bobbies Ryde and Eydon Run.
The latter is a difficult ride both at home and on the track, and when he was left in front four out Tom's immediate thought was ‘Oh dear, I'm in for a lot of trouble here.' "I waited for Sarah Phizacklea [on Watchthespace] and she helped me over two out," he said, "but the horse thought about stopping at the gate [the entrance to the walkway] so I had to really ride him, and he popped the last like a show-jumper. He's got stacks of ability, so hopefully the penny will start to drop now."
