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Saint Reverien: all went according to plan

Alison Dare, with the Fakenham cheers still ringing in her ears following Twenty Degrees's victory the previous day, kept the momentum going saddling Emmet Hotel to win the Restricted under women's championship leader Polly Gundry.

"He was very bolshie when he first arrived - wouldn't go into the stable, wouldn't go near the mounting block, wouldn't do anything," reported Alison, "but he just needed squaring up, and now he's as good as gold - just like Twenty Degrees."

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Alison's eventful couple of days was to become even more so when she left the course. While waiting in the horsebox for the traffic lights at the nearby crossroads to turn green, a loose horse, still with saddle and weight cloth in place, suddenly galloped across the front of the lorry and up the Worcester road. With no sign of any pursuers, Alison decided she ought to follow it, which she did for about four miles until it turned into a gateway. "Every time we went round a corner or over a hill I expected to see it lying through someone's windscreen," she admitted. Eventually another racegoer stopped to assist, and having ascertained that help was on its way, Alison was able to continue her journey home.

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Emmet Hotel's owner Bruce Akerman was awaiting news of his grandson Rory, who was having his first ride on Quickswood at Barbury, but sadly there was no family double to celebrate, Rory having no chance of staying on board when his mount blundered badly at the sixth.

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Somebody has at last found a method of keeping Len Vickery quiet - train him a winner. The normally voluble Len was reduced to an emotional speechless onlooker when Kiama, trained for him and wife Rose by Polly Gundry, won the Mares' Maiden Division One. "She'll be my old hack one day," smiled Rose, herself a former very successful rider who travels to the Devon yard twice a week to ride the mare.

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Overheard. "Oh bugger, if I'd seen earlier that one's mother was named after me, I'd have backed it." A racegoer, presumably with the same name, spots too late that Kiama's dam is called Catriona.

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"I'm just the stableboy and shit-shoveller." A modest Ed Walker, who has more than just a hand in the training of the 20 horses he and Polly Gundry have in their yard. Ed takes charge of the operation during the time when Polly pursues her day job as a nutritionist with feed company Spillers.

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"It makes a change when it works," laughed trainer Andy Hobbs after Saint Reverien had landed the Confined. Prior to the race, Andy had outlined his plan, reasoning that as his charge had been unwilling to overtake the pair ahead of him at Thorpe he might as well kick for home earlier on this occasion. "If he's 20 lengths clear two out and wins by a length, I'll be happy," Andy declared. Saint Reverien could never get that far clear, but Adrian Wintle had him in front entering the straight and the three length advantage he held at the penultimate was maintained to the line.

After weighing in Adrian dashed off to Haydock to partner Andy's charge Royal Hector in the Hunter Chase, but pulled up his mount a mile from home when tailing off.

Andy later sent out Ben Ryan to take the Confined Maiden Division One, the first leg of a double for jockey Nick Oliver.

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Fortunately Nigel Lilley, a much travelled Point-to-Point enthusiast and owner of Nick's second winner, Confined Maiden Division Two winner King Shaadi, has better taste in horses than he does in hats. A friend gave Nigel a bobble hat in his racing colours, but it was conspicuous by its absence. "Every time I've worn it something's gone wrong," explained Nigel, "so I left it at home." After this, it may never see light of day again.

King Shaadi's very able trainer Caroline Walker proved her good judgement of a horse when buying him and the Chaddesley winner Mr Cee for only 800 and 500gns respectively. "Nigel couldn't decide which one he liked best," she explained, "so he decided to take a half-share in both of them."

Caroline had given the huge King Shaadi last season off to give him time to mature, and her decision looks set to pay dividends.

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"Do you think he looks fit?" called out Ben Tulloch to a paddock watcher as he led his charge Moonoki around prior to the Ladies' Open. Ben answered his own question when Moonoki, who was well backed, landed the spoils under Claire Allen. Moonoki, who like all Ben's horses had been badly hit by a virus last season, had at one stage nearly died of colic. His resolution, though, has never been in doubt. "I've never had a horse with as many guts as him," Ben said.

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Division Two of the Mares' Maiden went to Dave Mansell on No Virtue. After failing by 1,000gns to reach her 12,000 reserve at Doncaster last year, owner Steve Flook brought her home, and he sent her away for some good keep in the summer. "She's the easiest, quietest horse I've ever had," he said, "but the people she went to said she was a real bitch and they couldn't do anything with her. When they came to see her after she came back here they couldn't believe it was the same horse."

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Nicky Sheppard, happily on the mend after her hunting accident - "I'm walking with a stick now, rather than crutches," she confirmed - had gone to Barbury with son Stan for the pony racing, so it was husband Matt who saddled Rae Jones's Lough Ennel (Liam Payter) to win the Men's Open. "Winning doesn't matter to Rae - she just wants her horses to come back safe," said Nicky, "but she's great with the celebrations afterwards!"

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There was a delay before the seventh race while the air ambulance was called to transport Charlie Wadland to hospital. Charlie took a heavy fall from Danzie Grove, and it was feared he had suffered a neck injury, but although battered and bruised, nothing was broken and he was allowed home that evening. "I did think they could have flown me back," he said in mock indignation. "Julie [his partner Julie Marles] was allowed to come with me, and she could enjoy the view, but I never got to look out because I was lying on a board so all I could see was sky!"

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The effort made by the Clerk of the Course and his helpers to beat the frost was Herculean, over half the course having been covered overnight.

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