17 January 2012 Preview: Burton - North Carlton
by Emma Forman
The Midlands Area Point-to-Point racing season will get underway on Sunday with the Burton Point-to-Point which will take place at North Carlton racecourse on the Lincolnshire Showground.
The course is situated one mile north of Lincoln and the entrance is off Tillbridge Lane (A1500), use gate 6. For satellite navigation systems the post code is LN2 2NA.
Racegoers may get the chance to see a potential Cheltenham Festival runner if Oedipe makes the journey down from David Easterby's yard in Yorkshire, to contest the Just Automobiles Solutions of Lincoln Mens Open race. Oedipe won three times last season including in this race where he gave rider Jack Greenall his first winner. Greenall's ultimate ambition for this season would be to contest the Christie's Foxhunter Steeple Chase at Cheltenham and a win here could put Oedipe on course for that goal.
In the FP Watson Chemists-sponsored Ladies Race another North Carlton course winner Pass The Parsel may line up. This horse, who changed hands at Ascot sales in June, finished second here last year and should at least be able to run into a place on Sunday.
Junction 4 Pallets of Doncaster have kindly sponsored the Confined Hunts race. Judy Wilson's horse Walter's Laddie should have the class to score here. He is however a quirky character who ended an eight race losing sequence last season when winning at Dingley. Early Wings and Sovereign Quest are others who could run well.
Local owner Milson Robinson has enjoyed five winners at North Carlton since racing began there in 2009 and has a good chance of taking the Brewin Dolphin sponsored Restricted Race with Dontupsettherythm. This seven-year-old gelding, who won a Maiden race in Ireland, also has some form under National Hunt Rules in the UK and has a very good chance of scoring in this race. Ordelia won a Maiden race at Garthorpe last season for Antonia Bealby and may give a good account of herself in this contest.
The Robinson family also have course winner Menchikov entered in the opening LUHC Members Race and he could be the one to beat. Paradise Bay has some form in Ladies races and should run well for Chloe Kirkby.
Racing concludes with two divisions of the Maiden race sponsored by Hodgson Elkington and Blue Sky Mortgages. Many of the horses in these races are fairly inexperienced at this stage in the season. One horse that does have some form is Tom Strawson's mount Regal Reign in division two. This eight-year-old was placed second in a Maiden Point-to-Point in 2011, and was also second behind the useful The Strawberry One in a Novice Hurdle race.
The last of the seven races is scheduled for 3.30pm. The big screen will once again be in use and there will be hot and cold food outlets in addition to a selection of quality trade stands. Admission is £5 for the car park and then £5 per person with children under sixteen free.
For going updates and meeting information, call Talking Point on 09068 44 60 61. For a list of entries via fax, call 09068 44 99 88. Alls cost 61p/min plus network extras.
