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Paddy's Tern for another win?
photo: Sweet Photography

Fanatical Wales rugby supporter Gordy Edwards, who has been training Pointers for 35 years and has saddled well over 100 winners, is showing no signs of losing his enthusiasm for the sport and is gearing up for another season from his yard at Somerwood, near Shrewsbury.

Gordy, whose riding career in Points and under Rules also yielded a century of victories, is a member of a family steeped in equestrian success. His late brother Roy was a leading National Hunt jockey and his sister Sheila (Crow) can claim a Cheltenham Foxhunters' scorer in Cappa Bleu among her countless training triumphs, while brother Charles's interests lie in the show-jumping world.

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As usual the yard has a mix of youngsters and experienced performers, and two who come into the latter category are Paddy's Tern and Magnetic Pole. After spending the summer with owner Derek Pugh, Paddy's Tern, who scored at Flagg last season under Will Kinsey, is back at Somerwood and working well. He likes the mud so could be out early if conditions are suitable, with Black Forest Lodge and Chaddesley the options which Gordy is considering.

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Magnetic Pole won three races under Gordy's care before being sent to run under Rules with Richard Lee, for whom he won two Chases. His National Hunt career was curtailed by injury but he has recovered well after a summer out and the intention will be for him to run in Ladies' Opens, with the lighter weights being an asset to his stamina limitations.

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Home-breds have always played a large part in the Edwards set-up, and this year there are no fewer than five who come into that bracket, although whether any of them can match the ability of the outstanding Scally Muire, trained by Gordy to win 25 races for his mother Alice, remains to be seen. The mare is now commemorated by the trophy for the North West area feature race, which this season is the AGA Ladies' Open at the North Staffordshire on April 7.

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Gunner Be Bee holds the distinction of being the only horse to beat My Flora in the past two campaigns, and the eight-year-old, who has managed only three outings to date, returns after a year off. Bred by Gordy's wife Sarah and owned by John Wilson, best man at their wedding, he enjoyed some eventing success before being re-routed to Pointing. A possible trip to Alnwick is being mooted as a starting point.

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Sarah (nee Hopkins) is herself a winning rider between the flags, and she rides out in the mornings before going off to her day job as a head-hunter. She has an unraced five-year-old half-brother (by Sir Harry Lewis) to Gunner Be Bee, who is set to make his debut this season. He was thought to be too weak last season so was turned away and given time to strengthen and mature. He is on the market.

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Since hanging up her racing saddle, Sarah has become a dab hand at dressage, but the same cannot be said for Classic Wife, bred from Sarah's good Ladies' horse Jacobs Wife. A career showing her slower paces was not the answer, so she has left the arena in the hope that racing will suit her better. She is being leased to Derek Pugh. "It will not take much to improve on her dressage scores," admitted Sarah, adding "she was ‘never dangerous' in a couple of outings earlier this year!"

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Another unraced home-bred is a four-year-old by Exit To Nowhere out of Musical Vocation. She belongs to Liz Bayley, who combines her racing interests with running a Reiki practice, and has been known to use her healing powers on the horses as well.

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Last, but not least, of the home-breds is Spring Francais, who belongs to Gordy's cousin, Dennis Edwards. "He's always liked a good-looking filly!" laughed Sarah, although this one's neurotic tendencies would have tested the most patient man! She obviously has some ability, and connections hope that the key to her has been her friendship with a 36-year-old pony. She lives out with her companion Bubbles, and the only way she will eat is to share her food with him. Needless to say he looks magnificent, far belying his years!

Ironically Spring Francais is the only one of Gordy's Pointers who will not eat Dennis's ‘Spoonley Haylage', so the word ‘women!' can often be heard when owner and trainer are in discussion about her!

She will be aimed at Chaddesley on December 27th with Tom Bellamy in the plate, if his riding arrangements with David Pipe allow.

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Floating Cloud's school report says ‘Needs to improve!' She is sweet-natured and easy to do but has yet to display a smidgen of the form shown by her prolific dam, Squirrellsdaughter.

Also looking to emulate a good dam is Derek Pugh's home-bred Emma's Lad, out of Shady Emma. He has had a few educational runs under Rules with Trevor Wall.

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A new owner to the yard is Dicky ‘Steamclean' Sykes, who has a five-year-old by Humbel out of Yourabeaut, a half-sister to Tough Test, ten times successful for Dawn Goodfellow and Jonjo O'Neill. The chestnut, who was bought by Dicky from Liam Burke, has benefited from a summer of dressage and jumping, and could be in action on the season's opening day at Cottenham.

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Head girl Charlotte White will be reunited with Maddy Lewis, on whom she had been looking to record her debut success at Flagg until a parting of the ways at the final fence. Maddy goes particularly well for Charlotte, who is determined to make amends this season.

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The girl power theme continues with the return to the yard of Jenny Lane (plus Luke Lively), who will be taking on the role of assistant trainer to Gordy. Having graduated with honours from Harper Adams College, Jenny spent the summer working for Richard Lee. Luke Lively proved a safe, if sometimes unenthusiastic, conveyance for her first campaign, but became more competitive once he got his favoured faster ground. Jenny's mother Christine has been team chasing him in the closed season.

There will be friendly rivalry between Jenny and Charlotte, who will share the rides on Magnetic Pole, as both will be aiming to win the area's leading lady novice title in 2012.

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Will Kinsey will again ride for the yard when available, and there will be rides also for Phil Nichols, a student at Harper Adams, whose mother Polly (nee Mumford) rode with great success. Phil has already proved an asset to the yard, riding out, schooling and qualifying, and he will divide his time between riding in the North West and for his mother in the South Midlands area.

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