The return of Pointing action to Fife for the first time since April 2019 saw the inaugural Leuchars Races fixture attract a bumper crowd to the brand new Pusk Farm course on Saturday, and this very picturesque venue has the potential to be one of the best tracks in the North.
Wooler raider Watch Law went down in the record books as the first winner at the track when easily following up a recent Overton success in the 3m Turcan Connell NPPA Area Conditions Race. Given another positive ride by Nick Orpwood on his favoured sound surface, the Jess McKie-trained ten-year-old recovered well from a bad mistake at the seventh to make all the running and never looked like being pegged back by Glory (Shay Halton) in the closing stages. He might go for the hat-trick at Witton Castle next Monday.
Fresh New Dawn employed his customary front-running role under Eloise Justice-Vose in the 2m4f House of Design Architects Novice Riders Conditions Race but was eventually overhauled by Shay Halton's mount Clapton Hill after two out and the latter held on well in a driving finish to score by one-and-a-half lengths. This made it three wins from the last four starts for Victor Thompson's charge who was bought privately from Ben Pauling when they were guests on the Luck On Sunday show on Racing TV last year.
Sean Cameron, 17, virtually secured the Northern Area Novice Riders title after recording a third win in a row on the Mike Smith-trained Western Run in the valuable 2m4f Pentland Land Rover Mixed Open Race. Given a supremely confident ride, his mount gradually reeled in pacesetting Fightfortheroses (Charlotte Tailford) from five out before taking it up on the climb between the last two fences and the ten-year-old powered up the run-in to score by three lengths.
Based at Galston near Kilmarnock, in-form dual purpose trainer Mike Smith has sent out four winners in the last week across all codes, comprising Just Dottie over hurdles at the Perth Festival (April 24), Western Run at Pusk, Glasses Up on the Flat at Ayr (April 28) and former Yorkshire pointer Buy Some Time over hurdles at the Punchestown Festival (April 29) - the latter being his most high profile success since becoming a trainer in 1996.
North Yorkshire handler Thomas Fife's 450-mile round trip paid off as 82-rated ex-Irish chaser and hurdler Bearwithmenow landed the 3m James Hambro & Partners Conditions Race in the hands of Natasha Cookson. The eight-year-old tracked Ashjan (Joanna Walton) from five out before hitting the front at the second last and then, after being headed at the last, rallied gamely to regain the initiative in the dying strides.
Following a string of placed efforts over the last two seasons, Norman Sanderson's mare She Is The Enemy finally got her head in front in the 2m4f Lucinda Russell Racing Maiden Race to give jockey Gregor Walkingshaw a long overdue first winner between the flags. The eight-year-old made virtually every yard of the running and forged clear from two out to beat Malton raider You Did (Joe Wright) by twenty-five lengths. Walkingshaw, 21, who has been working full-time at Lucinda Russell's Milnathort yard since 2019, plans to turn conditional later this year.
For the record, the winner's dam Queen Michaela won a 17-runner Ballydarragh Mares' Maiden as a six-year-old in her debut season in February 2012, while the winner is also related to Chanceofa Lifetime who won a Hexham Maiden, two hunters' chases and a Sedgefield handicap chase for Victor Thompson's yard between May 2013 and April 2016.
Last month's Askham Bryan Maiden winner Shalliorsharnti ((Eleanor Clark) walked over in the 3m Crusoe at Lower Largo Restricted Race.
The Butchery At Bowhouse-sponsored 138cm Open Pony Race was won by Silver (Freya Ainslie), with the minor placings filled by Hepplewood Summer Nights (Angus Dixon) and Scholland Croesan (Ayley Mair), while Dino Royale (Robyn Coulson) was followed home by Cookie (Lily Milburn) and Sunshine Surprise (Sienna Lamond) in the Campion Homes-sponsored 148cm Open Pony Race.
The final Northern Area meeting of the season is the Haydon at Hexham Racecourse on Saturday, May 17.