REVIEW PUCKERIDGE HORSEHEATH SATURDAY 30 MARCH 2002 by Richard Hall |
Horseheath is like a giant suet pudding bowl, with the
racecourse marked out along its one and three quarter mile rim. As we
walked it before racing, we felt like time travellers looking down on a
summer fayre from a bygone world. Children played on the swings and merry
go rounds, watched by adults seated around picnic tables laden with wine
and sandwiches. Huntsmen in traditional coats displayed their hounds
proudly in the paddock before leading them, horns a’blowing, on a canter
around the perimeter. Meanwhile cars kept streaming into the vast arena.
East Anglia’s biggest crowd of the season had gathered. With the memory of that great battle between Alpha Man and
Pampered Gale at the previous Horseheath meeting at the beginning of the
month, I was eagerly awaiting a return match. Both had been entered for
the Intermediate. My hopes were soon dashed, however, when connections of
Alpha Man chose to duck the contest and declare their charge for the
Members instead. Bookmakers duly installed him as the one to two favourite in
the four-runner field, and many saw it an opportunity to buy ammunition
for the more difficult contests ahead. Alpha
Man duly obliged, but the manner of his victory was hardly impressive.
He was helped by the early exits of both Mackoy
(unseated rider) and Ballad
(fell), leaving the inconsistent Thunderbird
as his only rival. Despite jumping badly left on occasions, Alpha Man led
throughout and, although the winning margin was five lengths, he looked a
tired horse on the run in. There didn’t appear to be much left in the
locker this time! Maybe he didn’t like the firmer going; maybe he
didn’t like making his own running? Either way he didn’t look half the
horse he did four weeks ago. Pampered
Gale,
on the other hand, easily landed the nine runner Intermediate for the J
Turner / A Sansome combination. Another opportunity to buy money, at six
to four on! Hunted around for the first circuit, he took closer order a
mile out, waited in the lead for a couple of fences, before changing up a
gear to come home with a cosy advantage and without having to be asked a
serious question. An eight year old, he is undoubtedly still improving and
has shown that he can act on all types of going. In my opinion he is
probably the best horse on the East Anglian circuit at present, and I
would love to see him tackle an Open, or even a Hunter Chase, before the
season ends. Imperial
Mist showed improved form to run on strongly to deprive Manna
Brave, who had been prominent throughout, for second. He may have been
a shade fortunate, however, as Society
Lad had come to join the leaders four from home and looked booked for
the runner up slot until depositing Annie Bowles through the wings of the
penultimate fence. After two odds on shots it was refreshing to have a five to
two favourite in the Ladies Open. Ruth’s
Boy very nearly landed the odds, having led for most of the final mile
and a half, but the gamble was thwarted by Prince
of Saints who defied his advancing years to provide the Turner’s
with a quick double. Borrow Mine,
under strong driving from Lisa Marriott, battled bravely on the run in but
was a neck short of collaring Ruth’s Boy for second. Senso,
having his sixth outing of the season, managed to avoid the fourth unseated
rider form figure of the year but, after racing prominently for the
first mile, showed he was unsuited by the firmer going as the pace
quickened, and was eventually pulled up. It was back to odds on again for the Men’s Open. This time
a less than generous two to five. Fair
Exchange never gave backers a moment’s worry though, making every
post a winning one to record his third Open success of the year in a very
fast six minutes sixteen seconds. Second favourite Weavers
Choice jumped badly, losing a length at virtually every fence, and
trailed in a disappointing fifth. The Restricted was probably the most competitive race of the
day, and it certainly provided the closest finish. Market leader Josh’s
Choice dropped out tamely when the race began in earnest. Second
favourite Mossy Buck was unruly leaving the paddock, kicking out at helpers
and reversing George Cooper into a wooden railing, and never looked as if
he wanted to be there. Third favourite, Marmalade
Mountain, was struggling after just a circuit and was another unable
to adjust to the change in going. Turning for home it looked as if Holy
Moses, who had caught Grey Fusilier in the last strides of a poor
Maiden on heavy going at Ampton a fortnight earlier, had the race at his
mercy. Jockey Rachel Barrow had taken up the running six out and injected
pace to leave the field strung out behind. Three fences out he held a
four-length lead and, despite a bad mistake at it, he still held a
two-length advantage over his only serious rival, Bruan. At the last the gap was still two lengths. Holy Moses
jumped it to the left, giving Andrew Sansome the little encouragement he
needed to ask Bruan to dig deeper. Two tired horses battled up the long
run in. Bruan ran straight. Holy Moses wandered to the left, clearly
tiring. At the post Bruan prevailed by a neck, giving his jockey a double
and completing a treble for the Turner stable. If the race does not take too much out of them, the first two
should be backed when turning out again. Both had failed to complete this
year before winning on their previous outings, and both had respectable
horses well behind them this time. Bruan, hitherto a suspected short
runner, will, I believe, be better still when returned to a less stamina
sapping course. Division One of the Maiden cut up badly and only three went
to post. It looked as if anybody could win it when, at good racing pace,
they jumped the twelfth as one. Before they reached the thirteenth,
however, Andrew Braithwaite had decided that his mount, the Sporborg
trained, five year old, debutant Mister
Ringa (much touted on the East Anglian website) would not benefit from
being pushed too hard. He eased off the throttle and pulled up two fences
later. This left the favourite, Stick
or Bust, to stay on stronger than the tiring outsider Teeton
Fizz and make it four out of four on the day for odds on backers. Division Two attracted a more respectable seven runners. It was another odds on victory though, this time in the shape of Teeton Priceless, who completed Andrew Sansome’s treble on the day. By far the pick of the paddock, she took up the lead two out and won a lot more comfortably than the official margin may suggest. Tell Monty ran in snatches but finished fast to grab second, just ahead of Dream Weaver who looked far from fully fit in the preliminaries. After running far too freely in his previous outings Paul Taiano finally managed to restrain Pharout, albeit in front, and his mount finished a respectable fourth. Only a six year old in his first season, he may benefit from the experience and could win a small maiden before long. |