Golden Valley at BREDWARDINE

Saturday 13th May 2000
by Mal Davies

Good For A Loan caused a major upset to land odds of 25-1 in winning the Welsh Borders Area Championship Race. The Andrew Dalton ridden gelding had shown nothing in his previous runs this season but made all under an enterprising ride to score from Gold’N Shroud (Adrian Wintle) with Richard Burton’s Saywhen back in third. Hot favourite Chassagne slipped up on the very sharp bend into the home straight on the first circuit.

Both the National Men’s Jockey title challengers Julian Pritchard and Les Jefford were in action, and the score on the day was 1-1, leaving the Herefordshire rider still seven wins behind his rival.
Pritchard picked up a host of places but won only on old Nether Gobions in a poor three runner Open. The fourteen year old notched up his twentieth win between the flags, from forty nine races and can hardly have had a simpler task to justify his odds of 1-6.
Jefford, who had journeyed up from his West Country base for just one ride, had the trip made well worth his while on the impressive No Loss in one of the maidens. This one, off the track since a good second at Larkhill in January won by an official twenty lengths with Tedstone Fox, who will find easier tasks in this class, back in second.

Progressive mare Iron Pyrites won the Hunt Race for Steve Lloyd who was in the frame again in the first division of the Restricted, though his Another Wag was no match for Burton on Dunethna, with Pritchard filling the runner up slot on Missed Call.

Candy Thomas rode a brilliantly paced race on Sam Quale to take the second division of the Restricted, her horse staying on well to get up to beat Burton on Fountain Street with Pritchard on Black Oak back in third.

Alison Dare made it a quickfire double for trainer Dick Baimbridge when Rip Van Winkle followed up Nether Gobions’ success a win in the Ladies’. Dare’s gelding was never extended to win , though improving Tee Tee Too ran another good race to take second for Emma James.

The penultimate maiden fell to Tim Stephenson on Fontaine Again, who despite misbehaving in the paddock, made most of the running and never allowed the challenging pack to get to him, and the meeting ended with a long overdue maiden win for Pharpen and Andrew Dalton.