The long-time ambition of Clive Hitchings had been to win the Horse & Hound Cup, and the octogenarian owner’s wish was finally fulfilled when Secret Investor secured the coveted trophy by taking the Pertemps Network Champion Hunters’ Chase under a fine ride from Natalie Parker.
Clive and his wife Joan have enjoyed innumerable successes, both under Rules and between the flags, and their “yellow, blue spots” colours have been a familiar sight on West Midland area tracks for many years.
“I’m blown away by that,” admitted trainer Paul Nicholls of his charge, who numbers Newbury’s Denman Chase among his former victories. “He’s very talented, but he’s been a challenge because he’s had so many problems.”
The 11-year-old had never previously scored beyond three miles, and although he was slowing on the run-in he had enough in hand to hold off the favourite, the 2022 winner Vaucelet. A last-fence error by the latter made no difference to the result, while the strongly fancied Law Of Gold, who landed the prize in 2021, never travelled and was always trailing.
Natalie, who was formerly based with Philip Hobbs, is now starting her sixth season at the Nicholls yard, which she joined as a pupil-assistant, although with no expectation of getting any rides. Her first outing for the champion trainer was in 2018 on The Dellercheckout in an amateur hurdle, and the following year she won four Hunter Chases (in which sphere she has a remarkable 40% strike rate) for the stable on Southfield Vic. “I just ride for people I like,” she said, “and Clive has been a great supporter. This year he bought Ihandaya, who has won three times, for me to ride.”
“It’s been a brilliant week,” she continued. “On Tuesday my sister [Laura Jones] gave birth to a daughter, Amber, who had to spend a couple of days in intensive care, but she came out of hospital on the morning of Stratford, and she’s getting on fine.”
Secret Investor was a £175,000 purchase, which was £172,600 more than it had cost Fiona Needham to buy Sine Nomine, the winner of the pointtopoint.co.uk Champion Novices’ Chase (John Corbet Cup), at Doncaster as an unbroken three-year-old. “I wanted something to bring on, and I liked the breeding,” she explained. “We had a few other horses to look at but when we saw this head with the enormous ears looking over the stable door, that sold it to us!”
Jointly owned by Fiona and her father Robin, the grey was following in the hoofprints of the family’s Last Option, who won this race in 1998 and went on to Cheltenham Foxhunter glory four years later. “We were in two minds as to whether to run her,” admitted Robin, “as she would have preferred much softer ground.”
“She’s just full of herself and she does buck a lot,” pointed out her trainer, who was leading up. “There’s no malice in her, she’s just playful, and she’s only dropped me twice!” The mare lived up to Fiona’s comments by showing her well-being in the parade ring prior to the race.
By contrast, jockey John Dawson was adopting his usual laid-back attitude, and was content to bide his time at the rear of the field until taking closer order entering the final circuit. “She over-raced at Cheltenham,” noted Fiona, “so I told John, who rides her brilliantly, to get her settled, but I must admit I was getting slightly anxious when she still had ground to make up rounding the turn!”
Fiona also had one eye on proceedings at Catterick, where she is clerk of the course – “They very kindly let me off for the day” – but after the journey home to Yorkshire it was back to work with clerking duties at Hexham the following day.
There will be plenty of discussion over future plans in the Tate household over the summer months, with Robin considering Cheltenham as an option, but Fiona of the opinion that Sine Nomine is better suited to a flatter track such as Aintree. “And the women usually get their way!” laughed Robin.
An hour prior to Secret Investor’s victory, Paul Nicholls had seen his daughter Olive give his own Shantou Flyer a positive ride to win the Royal Equestrian Racing Club Ladies’ Open Championship. “I bought him from David Maxwell as a schoolmaster for a lad in the yard,” explained Paul, one of the licensed handlers who likes to give opportunities to his stable staff, “but then he moved to Harry Derham, so I thought ‘what am I going to do with this horse now?’”
What he did was to send the 13-year-old to Sam Loxton to train for Olive to ride. “I thought this was a big ask,” admitted Sam of the stout stayer, who prefers much softer ground, “but he loves racing and likes to get on with things. He hasn’t got a lot of patience, though, and can be grumpy! Hana Farndale, who’s leading up, weighs next to nothing and she rides him every day in a general purpose saddle.”
Olive and Magic Saint had to give best in the opening Jumping For Fun Open Hunters’ Chase to The Galloping Dentist at 45 The Green Partnership’s Kaproyale, who provided jockey Zac Baker with his 50th success under Rules. The grey, who had triumphed at Huntingdon ten days earlier, and who was running over two miles for the first time, looked to have blown his chance when blundering at the last, but he ran on strongly to win going away. “I think I let go of the handlebars,” grinned Zac. “I knew we were meeting it wrong, so I let him go and hoped for the best. He didn’t even break stride after the mistake.”
“We don’t have many Hunter Chasers in the yard,” said trainer Fran Poste’s husband Charlie, the duo’s Station Yard being well-known for producing quality youngsters, “but this one has turned into a top performer. He had one very naughty day since Huntingdon,” he added, “when he wouldn’t leave the yard, and Chris [Nimmo, Fran’s father] had to tack up another horse and come with me!” Chris is one of the owners, along with Nick and Denise Reynolds and the galloping dentist himself, Tim Sunderland, and his wife Katie.
John and Floss Symes’s Sixteen Letters, whose Aintree fall sidelined his trainer-rider Josh Newman for three weeks, went some way towards making amends when taking the White Swan Hotel Handicap, despite idling on the run-in. “He can have a look about when he’s in front,” said Josh, “but he’s not ungenuine, he just thinks that he’s finished when he hits the front!”
“His wind isn’t the best,” continued Josh, who has wrapped up the Point-to-Point trainers’ championship (6-14 horses), “so luckily he handles the better ground well, even though he’s a big heavy chap. He’s a gent at home, and leads the babies over the fences.”
Josh, who is a Somerset cricket supporter, started his summer of viewing on Sunday. Having taken an early fall at Bratton Down, he had time to get to Taunton for the second half of the T20 match against Essex, which the home side duly won!
Tom Ellis, champion trainer (15 or more horses) again, ended the campaign as he had begun it, with a winner. Vinnie Sparkles scored at Dunsmore in November, and Captain Biggles, under Tom’s wife Gina, signed off with victory in the Grace & Dotty Restricted Novices’ Hunters’ Chase, just getting the better of Raleagh Flora after a battle royal after the last. “I didn’t think I’d won,” confessed Gina, who had congratulated the runner-up’s rider, Charlie Marshall, as they pulled up.
Now owned by a syndicate comprising the jockey’s father Simon Andrews, Jane Chater, and Stephen and Julia Howlett, the grey, who is ridden at home by Jess Digweed, came from Olly Murphy along with Fairly Famous and Walkonthewildside. “Olly said they’d do us well, and they’ve been really lucky for us,” said Tom in understated fashion, the trio having won 12 races between them. “The drop in grade has helped Biggles get his confidence back. And there’s still a share available in him!”
Not to be outdone by his sister, Jack Andrews got his name on the score sheet when partnering Nigel Padfield’s Penniless to victory in the closing Visit Irish Store Sales With ITM Champion Point-to-Point Bumper. Bought from Sam Curling, the mare, described casually by Nigel as “one of the better ones I’ve had,” had pulled too hard in the Aintree Bumper, but was here held up in last place for much of the way before unleashing a run approaching the home turn which carried her to the front a furlong out.
The National Hunt Amateur champions, Freddie Gordon and Alice Stevens, received their awards during the evening. Both will be joining the Conditional ranks later in the year.