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DEFINITE APPEAL: Jamie Corbett and his charge hold off Marfleet to score in the Club Members
photo: Grace Beresford

Andrew Richardson and Tristan Davidson shared the riding honours with doubles at Sunday's Haydon Point-to-Point, hosted by Hexham Racecourse.

The seven race card attracted a total of 68 runners, a figure bettered only once at the previous seven Northern Area meetings, on good to firm ground which had been extensively watered.

Desperate Bob provided Richardson with his first winner in the Northern Area for 12 months in the Haydon & North Tyne Members Race. After being sent on approaching two out, his mount stayed on well down the home straight to beat Up The Boreen by six lengths. The nine-year-old is trained by Richardson on the outskirts of Hexham for Throckley livery yard proprietor Michael Kavanagh who reported that his charge missed the 2010 campaign with a suspensory problem.

Temple Green landed a gamble and recorded the best time of the day when securing her third course success in the Intermediate Race to complete Richardson's double. After taking it up three out, Bill Aitchison's Double Trigger mare was always going better than Joseph and had a cosy four lengths to spare at the line.

Tristan Davidson has already retained the Area Men's Jockeys Championship and his record breaking season continued as a double on Spadestep and Link House Appeal lifted his career tally between the flags to 70. The Kevin Robson-trained gelding, Spadestep was still a close third approaching the final fence in the 2m4f Open Maiden Race but found another gear on the flat, forging clear in the last hundred yards to score by three lengths from the long time leader Shahramore, with Red Myst a further length away in third. The six-year-old finished third on all three outings in the South West last season before being bought for £2,500 at the Doncaster May Sales by Robson's mother-in-law, Margaret Armstrong. Robson's wife, Anne, felt that the youngster had clearly benefitted from a first time tongue-strap on only his second start for the yard.

Newton-by-the-Sea owner/trainer Victor Thompson sent out his tenth winner of the 2011 season with Link House Appeal in the Open Maiden Race. Thompson doesn't believe in keeping his horses wrapped up in cotton wool and the gelding is a prime example as this was his twelfth outing in the last five months. He recovered well from a mistake three out to head Trianconi at the last before repelling a late thrust from the favourite Murphys Beau by a length and a half. The seven-year-old, a full brother to Irish Pointing winner Serious Intent, had shown his first worthwhile form the previous week when finishing a head second to Merry Eric at Aspatria.

There was a popular first winner for 17-year-old Jamie Corbett on Definite Appeal in the NPPA Club Members Race. His mount quickened three lengths clear from Marfleet at the third from home and maintained that advantage to the last, but, after idling up the run-in, only held on by a rapidly diminishing head in a driving finish. The eight-year-old, owned and trained by Corbett's mother Susan who has stallions, Bahri, Millkom and Ferrule standing at her Girsonfield Stud Farm in Otterburn, was bought privately out of William Murphy's yard in Ireland after finishing fourth in a Downpatrick Hunter Chase on March 27th. Previously successful three times in Irish Points, the gelding is from the family of Scottish National winner Baronet.

Jacqueline Coward's decision to come to Hexham for one ride on Narciso rather than head south to Dingley was vindicated when her charge recorded a third victory at the track in the Mixed Open Race. Dix Villez tried hard to make every yard of the running under Adam Waugh before Coward's mount gradually reeled him in from two out and edged in front inside the last fifty yards to snatch a neck verdict. This was Coward's third winner of the weekend and she said of the diminutive Narciso, "He loves it round here and that was his 15th pointing win for me".

Another Dark Rum made it two wins from three starts this term in the Restricted Race. Always jumping and travelling well under Nick Orpwood, he quickened five lengths clear along with Maura My Love a mile from home. There was nothing much to choose between them until Orpwood's mount asserted his superiority from two out to score, going away, by ten lengths. John Leadbetter's progressive seven-year-old needs decent ground and might be kept on the go for the season-ending Border fixture at Hexham Racecourse on May 29th. Orpwood said of the winner, "He's a racing machine and having a horse like that under you makes it so much easier."

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