Ange des Malberaux may have been the oldest horse in the three runner Brends Hotel sponsored Mixed Open run over four miles one furlong, but the Heidi Stevens trained 14-year-old outsider of the trio seemed to relish the fast ground to score unchallenged from Joey Steel after odds-on favourite Minella Jab had failed to sparkle.
It was the winner’s second run of the season following a hunter chase outing at Cheltenham last month. The veteran ex-chaser is owned by Brayford vet Brian McCreesh, and was ridden by his wife who rides under her maiden name Heidi Stevens. “Nobody was keen to make it and I couldn’t hold him, but he found it so easy. He got injured at Trebudannon last April so has had a lay off until recently,” reported Heidi.
The Dean Summersby yard continued their successful winning spree with a double, on the heels of a recent Upcott Cross four-timer. Russian Invasion (Darren Edwards) was defying a 5lbs penalty for his Parham win when taking the James Pryce Tractors Restricted with a hard fought success over Boys Will Be Boys (George Hiscock) and Alkademon (Henry Moore).The scene in the unsaddling area however featured the runner up’s rider George Hiscock. The popular Dorset based 32-year-old, with 30 career winners in the saddle, announced his retirement from the saddle only for his weighing room colleagues to drench him with buckets of water. Maybe the “cold shower” was welcome on a warm afternoon.
Dorrells Pierji completed the Summersby/Edwards double in the PPORA Conditions race for eight-year-olds and over. The French bred 11-year-old recorded a very fast official time (5 mins 39 secs) in beating course winner Skilful Lord (Will Biddick) and the favourite Captain MC (James King). Dorrells Pierji, who has wins on his CV for Willie Mullins and Dan Skelton in his younger days, has taken time to find his form after joining his current yard this season. “He has had loads of issues to sort out but living out in the field has helped. The hood has made a big difference as well, plus the better ground. He did it so easy today”, said the Lifton based trainer who now has the lead for one of the National trainers’ titles.
Anna Johnston is also in the running for a National title. She put herself level with Natasha Cookson for the Novice Ladies’ award with a smooth success on Walkin Out in the PJ Hobbs and NFU Mutual Conditions race. This shrewdly placed mare was winning her third successive Conditions race in the space of three weeks. “She travelled well and I was able to take a good lead,” reported the rider. The mare, in the colours of John Dorse, was achieving a landmark century of winners to be sent out by trainer Leslie Jefford. She may head for a Newton Abbot hunter chase next.
The closest finish of the day came in the South Molton Transport Maiden when seven-year-old mare Share A Moment just edged out Cockspur Balla by a short head to put jockey Martin (Fly) McIntyre into double figures for the season. The Irish born jockey had reached a career total of 100 point-to-point winners last month. Share A Moment had shown very little in Ireland for her previous trainer Michael Hourigan. She is now owned and trained by farrier Ryan Chapman at St Mawgan, Cornwall who said. “I bought her privately after she was led out unsold at Doncaster sales. The two and a half miles was too sharp at Flete (where she was behind two subsequent winners) and we were waiting for better ground. We train her on the beach at Mawgan Porth.”
David Pipe’s Moodofthemoment had dead heated at the Axe Vale last month when giving 19-year-old Luke Morris his first winner. The pair followed up with an outright success here to land odds of 4-7 at the expense of Grove Ash (Shannon Holmes) in the Totnes & Bridgetown Races Company Conditions event. The winner was hanging left up the finishing hill before a relieved rider was able to celebrate with a victory salute passing the post.