East Sussex & Romney
Marsh
Catsfield
Sunday 10th April 2011
by Simon McInnes
This is an example of how pleasant an
afternoon it is at Catsfield, as long as you go not expecting to
see any future stars in action. There are six races, you have three
bets, all of which come second. In addition, you identify a horse
which has a cracking chance of being second to the odds-on
favourite in a five runner race, and do not back it without the
favourite, at 11/4, so it duly comes second to the favourite. And a
jolly splendid local pie does a grand job for lunch. So a lovely
afternoon is had by all. That is how nice Catsfield really is.
Going: Firm, Good to Firm places. The number
of runners suggested that people were happy enough with it, and the
thick covering of grass surely helped.
Race 1: Friar House Antique Jewellry
Members
1: Tirol Livit 2: Delgany Gale 3: Soldershire
Winner owned: Yoni Sharp, trained: Philip Sharp, ridden: Oliver
Wedmore
Tirol Livit: One of the unconsidered outsiders, he has not really
achieved anything of note pointing, and had found the fences too
confusing in both runs this year. His rider, posting a first ever
win, hung in contention and proved quite effective in the finish,
when he needed to be. Delgany Gale: Below par in two earlier runs
this season, proved to be so again, as this race should have been
landed with ease once the favourite fell, but he was completely
outdone by the winner without any excuses. Soldershire: Gets ever
more batty with age (especially at this course), and dropped from
first and apparently having good fun to fourth and struggling as a
consequence of trying to dodge out into the horsebox park after
fence eleven. Ridden by the twin brother of winning jockey, he is
not really the ideal mount for a pilot making his debut - although
Wedmore Q did seem to be getting louder support than his twin from
the young ladies in the crowd... The Hardy Bishop: Making his
seasonal debut, he had not offered much in a handful of Irish and
British runs, but was posting a big show, until he ran out of steam
at the fifteenth, from which point he dropped out so quickly that
we are left wondering that we may have seen all that he has to
offer, which is not enough. Sam Whiskey: Has proven he can run a
bit, and also that the fences are an issue, as he has form this
season of UU2. Today he seemed to be ill at ease on the ground and
was fifth and not going especially well when he fell at the
fourteenth.
Race 2: Lady Devenport Memorial South East
Hunts Club Members, Novice and Veteran Riders
1: Flowersoftherarest 2: Reflex Blue 3: Ouragan Lagrange
Winner owned: Huntin Shootin Fishin Partnership, trained: David
Phelan, ridden: Freddie Mitchell
Flowersoftherarest: This was an easier task than his recent
convincing Godstone win, and only the ground could really be posed
as a reason to be against him. It did not set a problem, and he won
extremely comfortably. Reflex Blue: A wily fourteen year old who
knows what a win is, and all the best ways to avoid it, his own
self preservation instinct makes him a safe carriage, and it was
not a surprise that he managed to wriggle is way into being a
distant best of the rest, just as the winner crossed the line, far,
far ahead. Ouragan Lagrange: Won a hurdle for Gary Moore, and
threatened to repeat that a couple of times, his switch to pointing
has been outstandingly unsuccessful, with two pulled ups and a
refusal - his jumping under rules was decidedly dodgy as well.
Completing here was a sign of progress, but not one you can trust
him to repeat. Mr Moneymatters: Got especially sweaty in the
paddock, but still won best turned out. He led for most of the
first couple of miles, but had no more to give when the winner
passed him, and faded enough for the other pair of finishers to
reel him in. Strath Gallant: Carrying a debut rider, he unseated at
the eighth. The Unseating Of The Debut Jockey has been a rite of
passage rarely ignored in the south-east this season, and
Soldershire had made a strong effort to do the same in race
one.
Race 3: NFU Mutual, Flimwell Mixed Open
1: Master T 2: Aughlea Bridge 3: Captain Crackers
Winner owned: Mr & Mrs P Bull, trained: Suzy Bull, ridden:
Peter Bull
Master T: Never a horse to have complete faith in, he was able to
accommodate odds-on backers today due to the paucity of opposition,
a skill which he manages to utilise at least once a season. His
ability to go on fast ground helps a lot, and if it stays dry he
will get one or two more 'hard to throw away' chances before the
end of term. Aughlea Bridge: Ran very promisingly on debut at
Detling in the depths of dreary January, but his failure to pick up
a win is becoming worrying. He got outpaced early on the fast
ground today, and it does not appear that this going is the answer.
Anyone have an idea what might be? Captain Crackers: Although his
only win was a seller, he managed to get rated 106 over hurdles,
and stayed fairly well, so it was disappointing that after a clear
round (he fell on his pointing debut), he could not get a bit more
competitive with the first two than was the case here - he handled
fast ground under rules. Orfeo Conti: Has either pulled up or
finished fourth this season, and he got round to be fourth again,
but could just as easily have pulled up, as he was thoroughly
tailed off.
Race 4: Oliver Beswick Hand Made Jumps South
East Hunts Club Members Conditions
1: Vote For Doodle 2: Ilikehimmac 3: Mr Tee Pee
Winner owned: Mrs Victoria Phelan, trained: David Phelan, ridden:
Tom Cannon
Vote For Doodle: Hung on by a neck in the closest finish of the
day, and all season he seems to have inspired the horses against
him to run to the peak of their ability. Perhaps the others just do
not like the look of him, but for humans, he has posted a very
honourable season of three wins and two seconds from just six
races. Ilikehimmac: Makes the frame often, and posts the odd win,
but also departs every now and then, and a series of blunders in
the race kept rider Paul Blagg on his toes - although he was
helping to set a frenetic pace. He went down fighting, but the
mistakes cost him dear - again. Mr Tee Pee: In the vanguard and
going well, he was awkward at the twelfth and lost his jumping
direction for the rest of the race - sort of a Wigwam Bam! The
first pair only really shook him off at the fourth last, but he was
labouring to stay in touch up at the time, and currently he is a
shadow of his prolific former self. Glenbower Woods: Like Mr Tee
Pee, but more so. Two years ago, this would have been meat and
drink to him, but he was unable to get himself in the race and
eventually pulled up. He is only ten, so has time to turn it
around, but it is now two straight seasons of miserable results.
Balableu: Stayed in touch until the eleventh, but was then tailed
off very quickly, and soon pulled up. New Lodge Express: Ran
exactly the same as Balableu, pulling up at the same time.
Race 5: Nick Mills Memorial Restricted
1: Oscarsfriend 2: Timmies Gone 3: Arvakur
Winner owned: C Skilton & TH McMillan, trained: Chris Lawson,
ridden: Jody Sole
Oscarsfriend: Had not run since winning an Irish maiden in Feb10,
after coming second on debut the previous May. In the paddock he
looked fittish, but perhaps 96.2% ready, rather than 100%. Due to
the terrible opposition, the market was happy with that, and he was
backed in from second favourite to be the clear jolly (at least on
some boards). He led, cruising, at the thirteenth, and had his
rider not phaffed around on the run in, presumably to give him as
easy a race as possible, the margin would have been much greater
than the official length and a half. He looks like a decent horse
in the making. But not a prolific racer. Timmies Gone: Took ten
attempts to win in Ireland, and only had one near miss along the
way. He had run twice in Britain, not with great noteworthiness,
and although Oscarsfriend outclassed him here, he can take credit
for his persistence as the winning rider seemed determined to give
him a chance. Arvakur: Was officially beaten only six lengths in
third, which shows perhaps how weakly the first two finished, as he
was tailed off at the third last. He has not achieved much this
season, and not too much should be read into him making the frame.
Some Story: A 15 year old veteran of many a distant placed run at a
higher level, he looks to be past it now, even though he did not
win his maiden until 2008. Gemini Jim: Won a shocking two and a
half miler at Godstone, and was not a popular favourite in the
betting here, presumably because some people in the crowd saw how
little kudos his win carried. He was with the first two when he
came under pressure at fence thirteen and was dropping off them
when pulled up not long after.
Race 6: Grants Cherry Brandy Open Maiden
1: Inspired Forever 2: Mr Maybe 3: Saddlers Blaze
Winner owned: Mrs N Coe, trained: Chris Lawson, ridden: Jody
Sole
Inspired Forever: Should be more accurately named Inspired Fornow,
although he has put some iffy early jumping behind him to look like
an improved performer in his last two races. Whether he entirely
enjoyed the fast conditions was debatable, but he won a fairly poor
maiden with a certain degree of authority. Mr Maybe: Sets the
benchmark for this race low, as close to the off he was challenging
to be favourite, despite the racecard form showing that he had only
managed to complete in one of his last seven. Agreed he ran better
last time, but it still ended in an unseated. With as clear a round
as anyone is likely to get from him he was still not good enough.
Saddlers Blaze: Poodled around with an admirable ignorance or
denial of futility but never looked as if he was going to put in a
threat to the winner, and made the frame based on staying power
alone. He was placed in the 2m 5f maiden hunter chase at the
Folkestone evening meeting last May, and given his fairly sound
jumping and slow indomitability, you could not rule out a repeat of
that achievement in 2011. Mortar: As late as the second last he
looked the only danger to the winner, but that threat was fading
with every stride, and in the end he tied up so badly that he
failed to be placed. After a moderately encouraging first point,
this was another backward step (after falling last time). Kanga
Gold: Occasionally shows a glimpse of promise that raises the
possibility of him doing something a bit better, but fifth here,
even not beaten horribly far, is not one of those days, and he is
becoming a bit too much of a perennial in maidens for comfort. He's
Up The Road: Had been gradually finishing in better positions race
by race, and was second, albeit not impressively, at Penshurst last
time. He was totally off his game here (the ground, presumably),
and was tailed off when pulling up at the fourteenth. Marge Ana:
Failed to get beyond the first on debut, but did not shed her
jockey until the tenth today. At that rate of progress, a
completion could happen in the next two runs. Karrie Wong: There
was a vague recollection of her having an eye-catching educational
back in 2009, but she had not run since and did not complete a lap
before pulling up, so even if that past memory has any basis in
reality, it seems to have become irrelevant now.