04 September 2009 Popular mare Hartburn dies
by Carolyn Tanner
HARTBURN: winning her final Point-to-Point race, at Tranwell
The popular Northern-based mare Hartburn, who it was hoped would be retired to stud after fracturing a cannon bone at Hexham in June (as reported here recently), has sadly had to be put down. The complications which developed in the last few days meant that it was impossible to save her.
She was bred by her trainer Tim Reed's parents, and last season raced for the Rev Fiona Sample. A winner of ten races between the flags, the eight-year-old also triumphed in one Hunter Chase, and she gave an excellent account of herself in the pointtopoint.co.uk Champion Novices' (John Corbet Cup) at Stratford, where she held every chance until weakening after two out.
Bizarrely, another of Tim's charges, Lowlander, incurred a virtually identical injury on the same track two weeks earlier. He is due to have a final X-ray in a fortnight's time, but is currently sound, so it is hoped that he can resume his racing career in due course. Up-to-date news of his progress can be found on owner Guy Opperman's blog, http://guyopperman.blogspot.com/.
A third member of the Reed team, Knockholt, has been retired to the hunting field. Although the 14-year-old failed to score in Points, he has proved an invaluable tutor for several novice riders during his four campaigns in the amateur sport. He gave Tim's wife Emma, who had been out of the racing saddle for 14 years, a comeback ride in 2006, and last season was the debut mount for the Reeds' daughter Leila.
