17 March 2008 South Wold - Brocklesby Park
Charlie Johnston: recorded his first winner aboard Monte Cristo
"Good old mother!" Alex Vaughan-Jones's tribute after landing the Confined maiden on Lord of The Knar, trained by his mother Alice for herself and Gary Luck, who was unable to be present. "He's far too nice to send to Gerald!" laughed Alice, referring to the fact that she also has horses with Gerald Bailey.
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The Novice Riders' contest was won by Monte Cristo, an initial success for 17-year-old Charlie Johnston on his first ride back after breaking his collar bone at Friars Haugh six weeks earlier. It was also a first training triumph for Charlie's mother Deidre, whose husband Mark was saddling runners at Lingfield, and who had taken her charge to Middleham High Moor for his final workout in Wednesday's strong winds.
"He clouted the fourth last," said Charlie, "but then I looked either side of me and both horses were being pushed along, and I thought ‘we've got a bit of a chance here'."
Charlie is currently doing ‘A' levels with a view to following in his father's footsteps and becoming a vet, "but this takes priority," he grinned.
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Out To Lunch, third past the post in the Novice race, was disqualified when rider Ian Smith failed to weigh in. He was fined £60.
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Steve Magee continued his good run by taking the Confined on Roger Jackson's Flying Spur, a former Pipe inmate who was bought privately out of an ad in "Horse & Hound" and has benefited from being in a small yard.
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Steve's comment to Dickie Barrett, rider of runner-up Teeton Bollinger, the hot favourite, "You didn't jump the last two very well," was immediately countered with "We didn't jump the first 16 very well either."
Bollinger had spent his day at the races giving connections a hard time. A twitch was required to hold him while a plate was being replaced just prior to the race, and Dickie reported that he was later being incredibly fractious in the lorry.
Nor was owner Joan Tice feeling at her best, having felt unwell the previous evening and been unable to get much sleep.
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"I'm very glad you're an articulate young man so that you can tell us what happened." Jane Starkey, trainer of Men's Open winner Buckby Lane, to jockey Sam Waley-Cohen after all bar the run-in was invisible to spectators due to the sea-fret which enveloped the course.
By this time, the mist which prevailed all day and had prevented commentator Iain Mackenzie from seeing the whole track during any of the four races had worsened to the extent that the stewards had no option but to call off the meeting on safety grounds.
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One complaint from the organisers of this meeting, and from many others up and down the country, is the failure of owners to either return the trophy which they won the previous year or to hand it back looking the worse for wear and as though it hadn't been cleaned in the 12 months in their possession, as happened here.
Those for whom winning is run-of-the-mill should remember that for some owners, it may be the only victory they ever enjoy, and to receive a tarnished trophy, or worse still no trophy at all, will be bitterly disappointing.
