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Super-sub Nick Pearce made it three wins from three rides for trainer Gerald Bailey this year when taking over from owner Richard Hunnisett, who had a heavy fall in the opening race, to land the 4m Mixed Open, the Midlands area Feature race, on The King Of Angels. Nick was also maintaining his 100% record for Richard, with a career two out of two.

"I've finally won it, and I've weighed in so that's it," exclaimed a delighted Nick, whose two most recent rides in the contest have not had the happiest of results. Last year Teeton Bollinger was controversially disqualified and demoted to second, and in 2005 Teeton Fizz looked to have shared the spoils but was deemed to have gone down by a short-head.

The King Of Angels was runner-up in Uttoxeter's Summer National in 2009 when trained by Jonjo O'Neill, so stamina was not a doubt. "He can be an old rogue, and Nick gave him a wonderful ride," enthused Richard, who sauntered into the winner's enclosure with a glass in one hand and a large cigar in the other, while Gerald's wife Caroline laughed "He got used to being bullied when he was ridden by McCoy!"

"He's as clever as they come," Nick pointed out to Richard. "I don't think we'd ever teach him anything."

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"That's mum's Christmas present sorted." Nick's mother will apparently be getting the picnic rug which her son received as a memento for his winning ride.

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Richard's fall came in the opening Club members' race for ten-year-olds and up. His mount Van Ness, who was taken down early, became thoroughly het up by two needless false starts, and a wayward jump at the first gave Richard no chance of staying on board.

The standard of starting throughout the afternoon could best be described as woeful, with the legitimate getaways in both the opener and the four-miler being no improvement on the aborted attempts which had preceded them, while the Restricted start was also extremely ragged.

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Van Ness's mishap was just the beginning of a chapter of incidents in the race, as the first fence had to be bypassed on the next two occasions. The organisers had done an excellent job with watering the actual track but the run-throughs had not received the same treatment, with the result that both Unmistakably and Lord Snow slipped up and several of the other riders also reported their horses to have problems with their footing.

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The race itself went to Mendo, yet another winner for the Hutchinson family, owner Susan, trainer Patrick and rider Gemma. Mendo was having his first outing for five weeks, having been entered on a few occasions but left in his box due to the fast ground. He was picked up very cheaply by the Hutchinsons out of Noel Chance's yard after a sale for a six figure sum reportedly fell through when he failed the vet. He has scars to show on his belly for colic operations, but they have in no way affected his performance.

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Gemma is finding that riding in races is far less stressful than trying to organise her fiancé Tim Lane, whom she marries in August. "He's done nothing about a suit," she sighed, "so he'll probably turn up in jeans."

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Ride of the day was undoubtedly that of Will Telfer, who won the Restricted on Doug and Pauline Harkin's Doctor Kingsley. The chestnut, described by Pauline as "a bit of a monkey" and more forthrightly by Doug as "a dog," was off the bridle as early as the third fence, but Will's perseverance paid off and a flying leap at the last sealed victory.

Unfortunately Doctor Kingsley was found to be marked, and as it was a second offence the stewards had no option but to fine the jockey £150, which is the minimum permissible penalty.

"When we got him we were told we had to run him in blinkers but he turned himself inside out," said Pauline. Doctor Kingsley now wears earplugs, and these, along with some TLC, have helped him to settle better. "It's like Pony Club camp at home," she laughed, "as we've got Polos and sacks of carrots about the place."

"He's a stone better at Whitfield but we couldn't have run him on that," she continued, referring to ground which those who had walked the Grafton track said was very firm.

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The Harkins had won the corresponding race the previous year with Unoitmakessense, so the large trophy was already in their possession. "I ran out of silver polish when I was cleaning it ready to return," confessed Pauline, "so I was hoping that whoever won it wouldn't notice it wasn't as clean as it should be. Thank goodness it's us!"

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Henry Kinchin retired in style, punching the air as he triumphed on his final ride between the flags. Henry took the Open Maiden on Eric Jay's Park Run, one of just two Pointers this season trained by Jo Pearson, who formerly looked after those belonging to Clive and Eileen Bennett.

Henry, who rode his first winner on Lambrini Gold at Dunthrop in 2005, will now be concentrating on his expanding photography business, 1st Class Images. The company is the official Dingley photographer, so there will be no excuse for not having an excellent pictorial record of his swansong!

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Prior to the victory of The King Of Angels, Gerald Bailey had legged up his son Johnny to win the Confined on Richard Bowers's home-bred Pennytino, the mare's fourth success of the campaign. "We haven't done much with her this week because I thought she'd gone over the top," Caroline Bailey admitted.

Pennytino will now be turned out for the summer, although her connections might do well to keep her under lock and key, as her devoted groom Micky Holmes is leaving the Baileys' employ to train as a farrier. "I think I'll take her with me," he grinned. "I'm sure I could get her in the car!"

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Patrick Millington, who rode his first winner in 1974, long before any of the day's other winning riders was born, took the Confined Maiden, which was run at a snail's pace, on his Davids City, a poor performer on the flat and over hurdles when trained by Geoff Harker. "He was very headstrong when I got him, and it took me six months to get him to settle, but he's getting better with every race," explained Patrick, who has a rotavated strip on which to keep his horses going in the dry conditions.

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