REVIEW
Axe Vale
Stafford Cross
Sunday 7th May 2006
by Granville Taylor
Extensive watering produced remarkably good
going for the Axe Vale meeting. A leading National Hunt trainer
described the ground at Stafford Cross as “much better than
Worcester”, where he had raced the night before, writes
Granville Taylor.
Investor Relations followed up his recent
Upcott Cross Ladies’ victory by winning the Mixed Open in the
fastest time of the day. Taunton hunter chase winner Highway Oak
was sent off favourite, and after making the early running was in
trouble some way out, eventually finishing fourth. Investor
Relations shook off the attentions of Saint Romble (Kathering
Hobbs) in the home straight, stretching clear to win by eight
lengths. Winning rider Tabitha Cave said that she had never sat on
the horse before, and had come in for the ride to replace his
former winning jockey Tanya Newman, who had announced her
retirement from race riding after the Upcott Cross race. Investor
Relations is owned by Mike Tozer and trained at Woolminstone, near
Crewkerne by Tanya’s sister Chloe.
The Hobbs family occupied the winner’s
enclosure after the Novice Riders’ race. This time it was the
turn of sixteen year old Diana Hobbs who steered Wave Rock home to
win by a length from the strong finishing Just Sally with Atavistic
a neck away in third. Ex-chaser Wave Rock was giving his young
rider her third winner in her first season of race riding. Now
studying for “A” levels at King’s College,
Taunton, Diana gets on well with Wave Rock, having ridden him on
the gallops at home since she was ten years old.
No Way A Lady may be small, but she is very
game and came home unchallenged to win the Restricted in the hands
of Darren Edwards at 25-1. The race changed shape at the twelfth
fence when Dursey Island crashed out through the wing and the
favourite Brown Cockle was hampered and pulled up. Polly
Gundry’s mount Betterware Boy was also pulled up before the
next, and quickly dismounted. Pacemaker Sanderstead weakened on the
final bend, and when her closest rival Polly Come Back took a heavy
fall two out, it was all plain sailing for No Way A Lady. The home
bred mare is jointly owned by mother and daughter Carol and Kelli
Lawrence, and trained by Carol at Burrington near Umberleigh.
There was a much closer finish to the Maiden,
with front running Gunville just lasting home from the fast
finishing Simon’s Seat. Owned by Frances Bishop, Gunville was
ridden by her 22 year old son Tom, who completes his final year at
Exeter University this summer.
Sliema also attempted to make all the running
in the Intermediate, but was reeled in by Millards Lad crossing the
last. The winner is proving to be a very smart recruit to pointing
this year, and is now unbeaten in three outings. Millards Lad is
owned by Terry Evans and trained at Dunster by Aaron Bateman.
Winning jockey James Tudor now occupies second place behind Richard
Burton in the Men’s title race with twenty one winners.
Jamie Snowden is also enjoying a successful
season and took his tally of pointing winners to fifteen (plus ten
under rules) when Rachel Fear’s Up To The Minute just
overcame Redberry Holly to win the Hunt race. Beadnell Bay almost
made it a double for Snowden in the Confined, but could not
withstand the late flourish of Dick Westacott’s good old
servant Sir William. Winning rider Richard Woollacott said
afterwards that his mount, “did not jump as well as usual,
but just kept going”.
RESULTS
Hunt race
1 Up To The Minute (Mr J Snowden)
2 Redberry Holly (Miss P Gundry)
3 Curragh Gold (Miss E Tory)
5 ran: 4l, dist; 5mins 59
Confined 1 Sir William
(Mr R Woollacott)
2 Beadnell Bay (Mr J Snowden)
4 ran: 4l; only two finished 6Mins 3
Mixed Open 1 Investor
Relations ( Miss T Cave)
2 Saint Romble (Miss K Hobbs)
3 Wink and Whisper (Miss E Tory)
5 ran: 8l, 15l: 5mins 53
Intermediate 1 Millards
Lad (Mr J Tudor)
2 Sliema (Mr N Wilmington)
3 Gone To Lunch (Mr N Harris)
5 ran: 3l, 2l: 6mins 1
Novice Riders’ 1
Wave Rock (Miss D Hobbs)
2 Just Sally (Mr B Robarts)
3 Atavistic (Miss R Booth)
10 ran: 1l, neck: 6mins 3
Restricted 1 No Way A
Lady (Mr D Edwards)
2 Tory Blue (Miss E Tory)
3 Sanderstead (Mr A Charles-Jones)
8 ran: 25l, dist: 6mins 1
Maiden 1 Gunville (Mr T
Bishop)
2 Simon’s Seat (Mr D Alers-Hankey)
3 Blue Magnum (Miss P Gundry)
8 ran: 1l, 15l: 5mins 59
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