They say it’s never over until the fat lady sings. The proverbial fat lady sang the Welsh season out this weekend with the final gathering at the Pembrokeshire meeting and the pointing public in Wales packed away their picnic baskets, camping chairs and waterproofs for another year. Not that waterproofs were needed as on a Bank Holiday weekend that was bathed in sunshine, the organisers of the meeting faced a battle against the elements to provide a good racing surface. Only, it seems, in Wales can we make the move from facing cancellation for waterlogged ground to applying water to the course in just over four weeks.
In that intervening period Osian Radford has been a busy boy kicking in the winners for David Brace and following a double on the card this Sunday has now parked himself firmly in the number one spot of the Welsh Gentleman Riders Championship. The author isn’t ashamed to admit that her maths is not good enough to calculate the winner of the overall Welsh Title as it will be a close race between Osian and Ellie Williams who have both had a very successful run of weekends.
On Sunday, Osian was in the winner’s enclosure on two occasions, both times wearing the red and black colours of David Brace. The first leg of his double came aboard that gallant campaigner Looksnowtlikebrian, who has certainly been busy of late and is possibly looking forward to putting his hooves up for the summer, then in the Men’s Open contest with Hitdroadjack and Zac Baker back in second. Emtidaad made up the minor placings.
Classic Concorde then followed up with a win in the Conditions (Level 3) contest at the end of the day. The Shantou gelding was scoring his fourth win between the flags he has some way to go to catch his stablemate up as his tally now stands at eight.
The opening race had gone the way of the Barber family and Dr Des the odds-on favourite with Osian picking up a few more points for his title quest in second aboard Solva Showdown.
It was a day well worth the journey for Luke Price as he came home holding a treble on the day. Itsnotcosiownhim took the Restricted, reinforcing co-owner David Van Pouckes belief that he should have purchased a point to pointer years ago, Spencer Moon walked over in the Ladies Open for Ellie Williams and Stopbeatingyourgums took the maiden giving James King a double on the day. Walkovers no longer count towards Championship Points so Ellie’s place could not improve from that technical victory.
It was good to see Hedgehopper filling second place again and hopefully this will encourage Shan and Ross Farr to carry on with their already lengthy connection with Welsh Point to Pointing.
A postscript to the event is that popular jockey Scott Malson has decided that he has changed for the last time in the male tent and will be hanging up his boots. Scott has been a likeable and popular figure on the Welsh circuit and he and his partner Jodie Hughes have always maintained their enthusiasm for the sport. Every jockey’s career is dictated to by the rides he can gather; in the modern sport with owners, trainers and horses travelling the length and breadth of the country jockeys also have to do the same and the market for rides is fiercely competitive. In previous times when Welsh jockeys and horses competed primarily in Wales Scott’s career would have been far more illustrious and lucrative there is no doubt.
As the season winds down nationally and horses head out for their few months of holidays, thanks must go to every person involved in organising and running a meeting. The work is the same if ten horses attend or a hundred and it is fair to say that the average racegoer has no idea what that work involves. Being governed by the BHA means that legalities must be adhered to, the correct provisions put in place and the services of hundreds of volunteers are needed every season.
To anyone who has sat beside a fence, sold a race card, cut a bundle of birch or collected gate money we owe our thanks. But most of all we owe our thanks to the brave men, women and horses who provide us with the sport. Not all will have seen the season through unscathed, sadly, for many reasons there are some we will not see again. But to you all, Thank You.