11 May 2011 Landmarks: May 7th & 8th
by Carolyn Tanner
CAUGHT IN TIME: an historic 250th win for Phil York
photo: Neale Blackburn
Phil York recorded his 250th career success, including 24 under Rules, at Kingston Blount on Saturday when taking the Intermediate on the Karen Lawther-trained Caught In Time. Phil had made the trip up the M40 from Peper Harow, where he had earlier won the Hunt race on Lillie Lou.
Phil, who celebrates his 45th birthday this week, opened his account in 1995 on Paco's Boy at Tweseldown. He runs a successful yard in Surrey, and is always in demand to partner horses from outside stables. He is currently just one behind Richard Burton in the national championship, and will be riding at Bredwardine and Whitfield this weekend in a bid to boost his tally.
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George Henderson, who won the Conditions race on Dream Garden at Garthorpe on Sunday, completed his first double when Say No walked over in the Novices Championship. He went on to record a treble courtesy of Aztec Warrior in the Men's Open, and just for good measure made it a four-timer on The Luder in the Club Members. All four winners are owned by his father James and trained by Antonia Bealby.
George, 18, is currently on a gap year and has been working for Hughie Morrison at East Ilsley. At the end of May he is going travelling in South America for two or three months prior to starting at Reading University in October to read Business Economics.
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There was an initial double at Higham on Saturday for last year's Harley Racing novice champion Ed Turner, who won the Men's Open on Parrain and the CA Club Members on Basic Fact. The latter perhaps owed Ed a favour, having broken his collarbone when falling on the same track in January, but it was somewhat ungallant of the rider to have pinched the mount back from his girlfriend Rosie Thorogood, who had triumphed on him two weeks previously!
Ed combines doing the horses, under the supervision of their owner, his grandfather Joe, with assisting his brother Ben in farming 1,000 acres. His one regret is that time no longer allows him to play as much cricket as he would like to - he played for the Suffolk youth team between the ages of 13 and 19.
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Adin Abroad, trained by Andrew Nicholls, gave 20-year-old Will Milburn his first winner in the young horse Maiden at Easingwold on Saturday. Will had his first ride at 18 but was out of action last year after breaking his pelvis in a pre-season fall at home.
Will, who works for an online sports shop, has hunted since the age of eight, and rides out for Andrew several times a week. He has been a keen Point-to-Point follower all his life and now writes website previews and reports for the Yorkshire area.
"It was nice to beat two Easterbys," he laughed, referring to the fact that the pair in second and third were respectively trained by Cherry Coward and her brother David Easterby, and unsurprisingly he admitted to having "a bit of a sore head" on Sunday following his post-race celebrations.
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Former eventer and showjumper Jonny Creswell, 23, who rode three winners in Ireland in the 2009-10 season, made a successful British debut between the flags when winning the Restricted at Aspatria on Saturday on Dodgey Dream. He has no background in racing but became interested when taken to Downpatrick by a girlfriend, long since departed from his life!
Prior to Saturday's victory he had had two Bumper rides in Britain for the winner's owner-trainer Ian Duncan, who is also a qualified vet, and who has relocated to Coylton, near Ayr.
"Ian is very loyal and a good man to work for. If he gets more horses I'll come over and work full-time for him," said Jonny, while of Dodgey Dream he enthused "He gallops, and he's a really safe jumper, so I'd love to ride him in a Hunter Chase."
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Aspatria was also the venue for a winning debut for Rachael McDonald, 19, who won the Ladies' Open on Badger Foot. She is the fifth member of trainer Lucinda Russell's staff to score on the seven-year-old this season. "Seeing the boys riding him made me want to do it even more," she admitted, "and I'm very grateful to Lucinda for giving me the opportunity."
Rachael took part in the Common Ridings and rode out for Stuart Coltherd while she was still at school, and she has now been based with Lucinda since she was 16. As a work rider, she is used to partnering a variety of horses, but admits that her favourite is Quito du Tresor, whom she looks after every day.
In three weeks time she is off to Australia, partly to holiday but also to work. She is hoping to be back in September and is looking forward to riding between the flags again next season, although not on Badger Foot, who is likely to return to racing under Rules.
