07 April 2008 Essex & Suffolk - Higham
Bering Gifts: from the red-hot Alan Hill yard
An excellent entry of 141 horses has been received for Saturday's Essex & Suffolk meeting at Higham and there is every chance that there will be seven races rather than the scheduled six, as the closing Open Maiden, set for a 5.10pm start, has 33 engaged and a maximum field size of 15.
The steeplechasing gets under way at 2.00pm with a 17-entry Hunt Club Members but will be preceded by two pony races at 1.00pm and 1.15pm. There will be a 50 minute gap before race two, the Restricted, to allow time for a hound parade.
Beet de Bob, already a dual Higham Ladies' Open winner this year, may bid to complete the hat-trick but has some useful rivals among his 25 potential opponents, not least the brilliant recent Horseheath winner, Frosty Run, and Bering Gifts, from the red-hot Alan Hill yard.
The 20-entry Volkswagen Touareg Men's Open could see the reappearance of another recent course and distance scorer Bob Justice, the only horse to lower the colours of Caveman this season. But Bob Justice barely gets the trip and may get collared in the closing stages by Bee An Bee, one of the South East's top horses of the campaign.
Admission will be charged at £10 per head with children under 17 free. The ground is currently on the fast side and course officials are expecting to water the course in the coming week.
