STEVENSTONE
VAUTERHILL, HIGH BICKINGTON
Bank Holiday Monday 2nd May 2005
by Lee Glanville
Jennifer Congdon and Guy
Weatherley each rode a double at the Stevenstone point to point at
Vauterhill on Bank Holiday Monday - the Congdon family training
three winners in all.
Their band wagon got under way
in the members where Jennifer had promised to give up the ride on
Possible Pardon to her boyfriend Liam Burns. But when the lorry
left their yard at Horwood near Barnstaple, his riders' permit had
not come through from the Jockey Club, held up by Bank Holiday
post. A spell on the computer located a Jockey Club official who
traced it and phoned through permission to ride just before
declarations closed.
Burns' first ride of the season
was a winning one, Possible Pardon getting home five lengths ahead
of Sanderstead - and in the end, denying Jennifer a treble! No one
was more surprised than dad, trainer Andrew Congdon, when Bess
Roberts' Chapners Cross (Jennifer Congdon) won the nine runner
Intermediate. The horse has not been in form this season and was
ridden just to complete the course, held up with the aid of a
Dexter ring bit and visor! He jumped his way to the front on the
last circuit to beat Caundle Chase (Will White) by three quarters
of a length. "We always thought he wanted good ground not soft,"
Andrew said.
Jennifer doubled up on the same
owner's The Quarry Man, in the first division of the maiden. He is
an inexperienced horse who had been a good second at Ottery St
Mary, before finding a two and a half mile maiden at Trebudannon
far too quick.
The family thought they were on
the way to a four timer as Oh So Naughty (Sue Young) was cruising
only to tip up with a circuit to go in the second division of the
maiden. He may run again at Holnicote on Saturday. Tony and Pauline
Geering trained the winner, Vero Beach, ridden by Richard
Darke.
Guy Weatherley took his area
winners tally to 12 with a double, taking the two runner mixed open
by a distance on Ballysicyos, and the Confined on the 15 year old
Stepaside Boy. Stepaside Boy beat Horizon Hill (Liam Heard) who won
his maiden on Saturday and stepped up two grades for this race.
Tim Dennis took the Restricted
on Chester Charlie - the horse, by Un Desperado, has won twice and
been third three times this season - but picked up a £65 fine
from the stewards for his use of the whip.
Results
Members: 1, Possible Pardon, L
Burns; 2, Sanderstead, L Heard'; 3, First Officer, T Dennis. Five
ran, 5l, 12l, 6.43.
Restricted: 1, Chester Charlie,
T Dennis; 2, O'Ech, I Chanin; 3, Joli Christmas, W White. Eight
ran, 4l, 1l, 6.53.
Mixed open: 1, Ballysicyos, G
Weatherley; 2, Province, W White. Two ran, dist, 6.47.
Confined: 1, Stepaside Boy, G
Weatherley; 2, Horizon Hill, L Heard; 3, Maximus, D Wright.Six ran,
1l, 15l, 6.42.
Intermediate: 1, Chapners Cross,
Miss J Congdon; 2, Caudle Chase, W White; 3, Barton Rose, I Chanin.
Nine ran, 3/4l, 1/2l, 6.45.
Maiden Division One: 1, The
Quarry Man, Miss J Congdon; 2, Charliebob, R Hawker; 3, Slippery
Friend, R Darke. 11 ran, 4l, 6l, 6.47.
Division Two: 1, Vero Beach, R
Darke; 2, High Rocker, L Heard; 3, Finbar, Miss L Gardner. 10 ran,
25l, 25l, 6.57.
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