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FULLY LOADED: first horse to register four wins this season
photo: Tim Holt

Suzy Berry and Jack Barber rode doubles at Badbury Rings, where a large crowd turned out to see top-class Point-to-Point racing and a wealth of Countryside attractions.

Suzy, 24, led off with Long Night, who passed pacesetter Sandyzar at the penultimate and stayed on strongly in the Conditions race. Long Night won seven races, including an Exeter Hunter Chase, for his former trainer Marie McGuinness before joining Suzy's North Petherton yard for this season.

"Long Night needed freshening up and Suzy's father, Tony Berry, is Joint Master of the Taunton Vale Foxhounds, which meant the horse would get plenty of opportunity to go hunting", explained joint owners John Durse and Mike Roe.

Suzy adopted similar tactics on Ladies Open winner Matako, who led off the final bend after being held up in rear for much of the race. A ferocious puller in his early career, Matako has learned to settle for Suzy and has now won four of his last six races. "He's got lots of gears, but I think he's proved that he can stay today", said Charterhouse Owner/Trainer Pat Bryant, who is contemplating a Novice Hunter Chase for his seven-year-old.

Jack Barber doubled up on Le Duc (Mens Open) and My Minds Maid (Maiden), both trained at Seaborough, Dorset, by his grandfather, Richard Barber.

Le Duc survived two blunders - "down on his nose at the third last and did well to stand up", thought Jack - before easing home from the second last, whilst My Minds Maid held off stable companion Bless My Soul and James Young's Heynewboy after the three horses were all in with a chance at the last. "That's my first winner as an owner", smiled Jack's mother, Sarah Barber. "I bought her from Chris and Emma Barber in May and she was my first ever runner when she ran at Buckfastleigh a fortnight ago".

Fully Loaded returned to winning ways in the Novice Riders race to became the first horse to win four races this season. Partnered by Dulverton rider Lucy Pugsley, 18, Fully Loaded came from way off the pace for a facile success after picking off his rivals one by one.

Lucy takes it in turns with her sister Emma to partner Fully Loaded and stable companion El Hombre Del Rio, so Emma is likely to be in the plate when the latter takes his chance at the East Devon at Ottery St Mary on Saturday.

Rocklandslad had little difficulty landing the Connolly's Red Mills Intermediate race under Nick Williams; David and Lynn Cullimore's seven-year-old led over the last six fences and readily eased home, despite not being fluent at some of his fences. Trained at Malmesbury by former six-time National Champion Rider Alison Dare, who was a regular visitor to Badbury Rings during her riding career, Rocklandslad has now won the last three of his four races since being bought via Martin Oliver 12 months ago.

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