Event reports

REPORT: SURREY UNION AT PEPER HAROW - SATURDAY 11TH MAY

Peper Harow hosted the Surrey Union for the final meeting for the South East area Point-to-Point season.

The opening race of the day for Veteran and Novice Riders was won comfortably by Stage One for owner/jockey Daniel Cherriman, finishing 10 lengths ahead of Moscow Blaze (James Ward). Provincial Pride (Elysia Vaughan) finished third with Head Spin (Bertie Symonds) fourth.

The Restricted saw one of the outsiders of the four-runner affair take victory, as 6/1 shot September Fields (Rupert Stearn) followed up his Easter Monday maiden victory at Aldington with a three-length triumph over Tim Underwood's Bluebell Sally (Phil York). Bluebell Sally had looked like she was going to challenge September Fields, who had led from the start of the race, at the penultimate fence but as they turned back up the centre of the course towards the finishing line, September Fields pulled clear again. Mark Bradstock's Damby's Star (Lily Bradstock) finished third.

The Men's Open saw five runners make their way to the start including Franks A Million, Strollawaynow, and Timmie Roe, but it was the Alan Hill-trained and Charlie Case-ridden The Gunner Brady (pictured) who came away victorious, having led from the fall of the starter's flag. The Gunner Brady had crossed the finishing line before his nearest rival Strollawaynow had jumped the final fence, with Franks A Million a further 15 lengths further back. However, celebrations were muted as news filtered through that Timmie Roe had been fatally injured in a fall at the open ditch.

The Ladies' Open proved to be the first leg of a double for trainer Martin Wanless, as Big Man Doe, ridden by leading jockey Gina Andrews, took up the running at the final fence from the Ed Turner-trained Kriss William (Rosie Turner) with Tim Underwood's Streets of London (Rilly Goschen) a further two lengths behind in third.

The second part of Wanless's double was nearly spoiled in the Open Maiden. Fab Vinnie, under jockey Jack Savage, had been held behind the early leaders – Francesca Nimmo's On Parole and Pam Tetley's Flaggan – but was asked to take up the running at the penultimate fence. Coming into the final fence, Fab Vinnie looked to run out and having been pulled back to face the fence, tried to refuse. With Jack Savage performing a miraculous display of horsemanship to get back into the saddle, having looked as if he'd be unseated as the pair negotiated the fence, Fab Vinnie was urged on again and able to deny On Parole (Alice Stevens), who thought their luck had changed, by a length.

Wanless came close to picking up a treble in the concluding Conditions Race but was deprived by a front-running performance by Nigel Padfield's Knockedoutloaded (Gina Andrews), who still had a three-length advantage over Lake Balaton (Jack Savage) at the winning post. Bardista (Alex Vaughan-Jones) was the only other finisher, as Cowards Close and Shanoule Wood both pulled up and Cheltenham Mati fell.