18 May 2009 Report: Golden Valley - Bredwardine
by Brian Lee
DHU LOCH: a Royal winner
photo: Alun Sedgmore
Eighteen year old Tom David from Llanharry, riding The Princess Royal's Dhu Loch, won the first division of the young horse Maiden race at the Golden Valley Point-To-Point Steeplechases at Bredwardine and in so doing chalked-up his first ever double.
Dhu Loch, the 5-2 favourite and well placed throughout, took up the running four fences from the finish to win comfortably by six lengths from Jolly Rock.
Princess Anne and her daughter Zara Phillips, who trains the horse, said they were delighted with the mare's success. Princess Anne told me in the paddock after the race that the mare had "made a more determined effort this time.'' Dhu Loch had finished second in her previous race at Ystradowen.
Earlier, Tom, who this week joins Tim Vaughan's Vale of Glamorgan yard as stable amateur, had won division two of the Restricted on outsider Wizard Time. He got home by a short head from L'Homme Sauvage with Bizarre Native just a neck away in third place. The first four home were all qualified with Welsh hunts. Wizard Time, who according to his trainer Jonathan Tudor ''has had problems'' is owned jointly by Jonathan's father William and William Corrigan.
Amongst the Welsh riders in the wars was Tom David's 16 year old brother Evan, who was rushed to Hereford Hospital with facial injuries after falling from Bred To Win in a division of the maiden and sustained a broken nose and a badly bruised eye socket.
John Mathias also ended up in hospital after being knocked unconscious when falling from Opal Ridge in the Men's Open won by Novi Sad. The two fancied horses in this race both came to grief. Bowdens Lane fell four out when looking to be skating up and Burntoakboy, a winner 24 hours later, ran through a wing early in the race.
In the Ladies' Open, Grasp, ridden by Sue Sharratt, scored by one and a half lengths from the Welsh challenger It's Definite ridden by Jody Hughes. As the horse did not travel well throughout, Jody did well to get her mount so close to the winner.
Sirrell Griffiths, owner/trainer of the 1990 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Norton's Coin, had his first winner between the flags for many years when his U B Carefull romped home a ten lengths winner under West Wales's Marc Barber in the second division of the young horse maiden.
Sirrell told me he bought the horse for just 800 guineas at the Doncaster Sales last August and Mrs Griffiths said:" We named him U B Carefull because everytime I went to go into the stable Sirrell would say to me: "You be careful.''
