News

Gina Andrews, 19 on February 3, had further cause for celebration two days later, recording her first treble and in addition registering her 50th career success on the third of the trio, Batalov in the older horse Maiden.

The chestnut was purchased out of Daniel O'Connell's yard by Anthony Howland Jackson on the recommendation of Carol Lawrence and Sam Cooper, who have horses with the Bansha, Co Tipperary, handler. He is now trained at the Andrews' yard for Anthony, a long-time great supporter of East Anglian racing who is currently battling illness.

"All the best horses are ones I don't look at before I buy," smiled Anthony, referring to his star performer St Gregory, who was bought unseen and who carried the well-known green and white colours in 20 of his 24 triumphs between the flags.

"I was looking forward to riding him after Ampton [where he finished third] but he didn't jump very well today," admitted Gina, who needs a second Horseheath three-timer to equal her father Simon's two course trebles.

*************

Just over an hour earlier Gina had taken the Ladies' Open on Mid Div And Creep, scoring her seventh course victory and dubbed "The Queen of Horseheath" by commentator Matt Coleman. The anticipated battle with Hoo La Baloo, last seen when finishing second in the 2010 Bet365 Gold Cup, failed to materialise, the latter, having challenged running down the hill, fading tamely three out and eventually finishing fourth. "She's such a battler," was how Gina described Mid Div And Creep. "She was never going to let him go past."

"She's an absolute delight to train," said handler Alan Hill, pointing out that had the race been a handicap, Karen Exall's mare would have been getting around 50lbs from Hoo La Baloo, instead of which she was carrying a 7lb penalty while he got off scot free. A Maiden Hunter Chase at Leicester is likely to be next on the agenda.

************

Chloe Roddick will not recall her first visit to Horseheath with any pleasure. All she had to show for her seven hour round trip was a disappointing run from Hoo La Baloo, and to add insult to injury she was hit with a £75 fine for failing to ride out for third.

************

Gina, who has taken an early lead in the Ladies' Championship and who is rated by many as the best lady jockey in the country, had started the day by taking the Club Members' on Penny Rogers's Bluegun, a winner over hurdles for Philip Hobbs. "I'm more relieved than excited," admitted Simon [Andrews]. "I wasn't 100% sure he'd stay, and he really needs more cut in the ground. I'd like to think he'd be good enough to run in a Hunter Chase, but he'd need to improve on today."

"It spooked him when that one went through the wing," said Gina, referring to the nasty incident four out when Irish Rebel ran out and took The Rodeo Clown, who moving up on the inside, with him. The latter's rider James Owen, who was eventually unseated, was taken to hospital with broken bones in his foot. He is due to have an operation this week.

**************

James's misery was doubtless compounded when his intended mount in the following young horse Maiden, Joe Turner's Bavard Court, scored a surprise victory in the hands of Louise Allan. "I don't ride Maidens any more," laughed Louise, who enjoys considerable success on the Turners' Ladies' runners. "I'm too old!"

Bavard Court was with Michael Hourigan in Ireland and had one run for Tim Vaughan before joining the Turner yard in October. "He's too small for me to ride at home. Josh, who works for us, rides him so I can't take the credit," smiled Ed Turner. Ed is grounded in any case, having broken his collarbone in a Higham fall the previous week.

**************

Rookie trainer Caroline Fryer has hit the ground running, and she sent out her second winner of the campaign when Ballygalley Bob followed up his Ampton victory by winning the Dodson & Horrell Novice Riders' race under 27-year-old Dicky Collinson. "He's the best I've ridden," enthused Dicky, who was recommended to Caroline by Neil King, for whom he works.

It was a fourth success for Dicky, who was a conditional for a short time - "A bad one!" he commented drily - and his first since 2006, when he triumphed on Green Go in a Stratford Handicap Chase.

Between his two outings Ballygalley Bob has been hunted by joint-owner David Taylor. The good news for David, who works for feed company Baileys, was that he was taking the prize money from rivals Dodson & Horrell. The bad news was that he was also presented with a rug bearing the sponsor's name, which is unlikely to be seen on Ballygalley Bob but which Caroline will no doubt use for another of her charges!

*************

Caroline still has some boxes to fill at her Wymondham stable, and she did her prospects of finding new owners no harm by saddling another winner later in the afternoon. Her mother Sandra's Ide No Idea, who was bought at Doncaster the same day as Ballygalley Bob, took the Restricted under a well-timed ride from Rupert Stearn.

"He threw a splint in the autumn so that held us up a bit," explained Caroline, "but I thought I'd got the horses pretty fit. He's a real fairy at home," she added of Ide No Idea. "He's a windy, spooky, Jack-the-Lad, but he just takes the mickey."

Rupert and Caroline live only about a mile apart, but the jockey does not ride out at the yard, sitting on the horses only when they are taken to school at Newmarket.

*************

"He's a Rolls Royce!" exclaimed Richard Hunnisett after Denvale - "the love of the yard," said trainer Gerald Bailey - had landed the Men's Open for the second successive year despite being fully 25 lengths down jumping the final ditch. "Those young lads were going too fast for me," Richard told Gerald, whose instructions had been "Get a flier at the start and make all!"

The veteran pair, whose ages total well over 60, started to eat up the ground running down the hill, and once they hit the front entering the straight the result was never in doubt.

"Every year I think about giving up, and then I decide to give it one more go," smiled Richard, who learned to ride at the age of 21 and started Pointing in 1995, winning the Cottesmore Hunt race on Shipmate. His tally between the flags now stands at 55.

*************

"I want one like that, not the Maidens you keep giving me." Johnny Bailey's plea to his father for an armchair ride would have been even more heartfelt after the closing Maiden, when Gerald's Polirock d'Aron became one of the day's few fallers!

************

East Anglia's "Jockey of the Month" award for January was presented by Pam King to Ben Rivett, who has been deputising successfully on the horses trained, and usually ridden, by the sidelined David Kemp.

************

Welcome spectator (1). Guy Wilson, whose wife Sue sadly passed away the previous weekend, was present to see James Pine finish a creditable third in the Men's Open for Mark Wall.

Welcome spectator (2). Kelly Keefe, who was hospitalised after a Cottenham fall and is sidelined for the remainder of the campaign, saw her Aughlea Bridge earn runner-up honours in the Men's Open under Tom Cannon.

Welcome spectator (3). Andrew Pennock, who took a crunching fall at Higham, legged up Jody Sole to finish second in the 8yo&up Maiden. Andrew, who admitted to being very badly bruised, was riding out again just three days after his spill.

Back to Top