30 December 2009 Scene & Heard: Cambridgeshire Harriers Hunt Club - Cottenham
by Carolyn Tanner
CEDRUS LIBANI: impressive once again at Cottenham
photo: Steve Hunt
The Mens Open, the first in the Brightwells Order of Excellence series, went the way of William and Angela Rucker's Cedrus Libani, who gave a stone to runner-up Forget The Ref when making all the running in the hands of Richard Burton.
"I feel really guilty deserting our local meeting," confessed Angela [the Ruckers live about five miles from Chaddesley Corbett, where the Harkaway Club meeting was taking place], "but I walked it yesterday and it was frozen rock hard in places." William, meanwhile, who had spent three hours on his tractor ("which hasn't got a door on it!" he smiled) working their gallop at home, then did a six hour round trip to Cottenham to check that the ground would be suitable for their classy performer.
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The bad weather which had resulted in many horses missing some work proved ideal for Big Moment, who took the Ladies' Open under another well-judged ride from Claire Douglas. "The gallop has been frozen so we couldn't work him even if we'd wanted to," smiled trainer Jenny Gordon, whose charge tends to throw in the towel when hard work looms, unless he is really fresh.
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It was a jubilant Michael Gates who welcomed his 3m Maiden winner Crack At Dawn back into the unsaddling enclosure. "This is the one we were waiting for," he explained. "The BHA said I needed one more winner before they could grant me a permit." Michael and his wife Karin own Comfort Park Stud at Stratford-upon-Avon, and have numerous youngsters ready to run in bumpers and hurdles, as well as half a dozen for Pointing.
Crack At Dawn, well handled by 18-year-old Jonny England, kept his line round the final bend to take advantage of the scenic route taken by the clear leader Monkerty Tunkerty.
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The Gates/England partnership doubled up in the 2m4f Maiden with Mr Johnson, who had finished third on this track three weeks earlier. "I ran him at Black Forest Lodge with a tongue-tie, which was a mistake," admitted Michael, whose knowledge was gained from the time spent with the renowned Arthur (W A) Stephenson, for whom he rode nearly 30 winners as a conditional.
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Ride of the day surely belonged to Adam Wedge on Aztec Warrior in the Men's Open. Few riders would have managed to complete, having given up with either exasperation or exhaustion, but Adam pushed and shoved for the whole of the three miles, eventually persuading his mount to finish a never-nearer third.
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"Anyone who runs a horse in the first race without waiting to see how it rides needs his head examined." Trainer David Kemp, one hour before the first race.
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"I got that wrong, didn't I?" David again, after his charge Where's My Baby had only just failed to catch Start Royal in the opening Members' Conditions race. It was David's father Malcolm who had persuaded his son that the ground was perfectly raceable and that Where's My Baby should take his chance.
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"He missed a bit of work last week, and he's been a b*****d to ride at home, so I had to run him," said Start Royal's trainer Alan Hill. "We've got away with it, just - we've done it ugly, as they say." The five-year-old, now unbeaten in three runs between the flags, had taken a strong hold which had not helped James Tudor's state of health, the jockey having been struck down with a sickness bug the previous day.
Plans for Start Royal are undecided, with Alan pointing out that his wife Lawney was keen to get him into her licensed yard.
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The failed eventer High Toby's racing career has gone full circle with regard to connections. In the 06/07 National Hunt season he was ridden over hurdles by Phil York for his father Ray, who sold him to Eric George. Having had a year off he is now in Phil's yard, and his Restricted victory was his second in Eric's colours.
His jumping was not the most fluent, but, explained Phil, he was spooking at the fence shadows. "He's normally a good jumper, and though he's not the quickest he gallops and gallops - he needs soft ground and three and a half miles."
Phil had been asked to partner Goscar Rock in this race, but Peter and Lisa Hall had fitted in with his plan to ride High Toby and had left their course winner at home. "That meant High Toby had to win or I'd have looked really stupid!" grinned Phil.
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"One leg looks like a banana and the other one like a plum." Noel Quinlan's assessment of his wife Jo's The Railway Man, who gave their son Jack a winning debut in the Novice Riders' race. The ex-Arthur Moore gelding, who in his heyday won a Grade 1 Chase in Ireland, was left clear when the challenging Lease Back went lame after jumping the last. Given that his delicate legs stand up to racing, his target is the Aintree Fox Hunter Chase.
