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PARKINSON (right): winning the Novice Riders' Final
photo: Sweet Photography

The Turner family, paying a first visit to Tabley, gained their reward for the 21 hours spent on the road at the weekend when Parkinson took the Dodson & Horrell PPORA Novice Riders' Championship Final in the hands of owner Joe Turner's grandson Ed.

"This was an easy journey - only four hours compared to six and a half yesterday," smiled Ed, referring to their fruitless trip to Bratton Down. Joe, Ed's mother Rose and sister Zoe, who led up Parkinson, were all on hand to cheer him home, but the missing member of the clan was elder brother Ben, who was in Paris on a stag weekend which had been arranged well before Ed's season had really got into gear.

Parkinson led at the last but jumped it slowly and his advantage was being eroded by Aztec Warrior as the line approached. "I could hear him coming," said Ed. "Another 100 yards and we might have been struggling." The winning Hurdler/Chaser was bought privately from Trevor Hemmings, but the fact that he had lost his way under Rules failed to deter his purchaser, who is the sport's winning-most owner of all time. "There was just something about him," Joe explained. "He looked the sort who would do our job nicely." "He's a lovely horse," added Ed, "but nobody rides him down the road because he spooks at everything!"

With just one weekend remaining Ed, 24, who had his first ride in 2008, looks to have achieved his ambition of winning the Harley Racing Novice Championship. His closest rival Lucy Pugsley, who is three points adrift, has no novice race in her area and is not planning to ride again before the Stratford Awards' lunch.

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Gary Hanmer was the busiest trainer on the day, saddling seven runners and taking home three winners, all partnered by Miles Seston. The duo took both divisions of the Open maiden with Glenteviot and Whitepark Legend and the Members' Conditions race with Ballyeightra Cross.

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Glenteviot, who was bred by Gary, was having only her fifth career run at the age of eight. "She wasn't a natural jumper so she went to Brian Baugh to run in a Bumper but got jarred up," Gary explained. "The following year she banged herself, and last year the yard had a gastric ulcer problem which basically wiped out the season." Like her half-brother Border Fusion, Glenteviot, a first success for owner John Crook, tends to get a bit worked up and had dropped Miles at the start on this course in April. Gary has her five-year-old full sister, who he describes as "a lot bigger," at home.

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Whitepark Legend was purchased as a 40th birthday present for Sarah Thomas by her father Roy. "He was lame when we got him but I took the chance because I was sure it was foot rather than tendon trouble," said Gary. "I was right, but what I didn't realise was that the foot problem was disguising a badly jarred shoulder."

The horse was proving to be disappointing but his run at Eyton gave connections more hope. "Will Telfer rode him and couldn't steer him so he gave him a couple of backhanders to try to straighten him up and he ran away," the trainer continued. "Will said he couldn't believe the change in gear."

To alleviate any problems, Whitepark Legend has been swimming and receiving ultrasound treatment from equine physio Carole Michaels.

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If Jake Greenall wants someone on whom to pin the blame for Premier Kadam's defeat by Ballyeightra Cross he need look no further than his brother Thomas. Thomas had ridden Ballyeightra Cross in a Hunter Chase and had advised Gary to "run him in a little Point-to-Point and he'll win nicely!"

Gary admitted to having big plans for the six-year-old and has persuaded owner Steve Evason that the right policy would be to turn him out until next season. Gary was quick to credit Miles with his handling of the chestnut , who he described as "quite tricky because he's got a high cruising speed. He's like a 17-year-old who's just passed his test and been given the keys to a Ferrari!"

The winner's breeder William O'Keeffe was soon on the phone to inform Gary that he had some younger relatives for sale. "Though he did say, surprisingly, that they wouldn't be the same price as this one was," Gary laughed.

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Miles had stayed overnight with fellow jockey Will Kinsey, and both riders were quick to point out that they had had an early night in readiness for next day's meeting. Where their story failed to tally, however, was when they both said it was the other one who had needed to be dragged to the gym that morning........

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"I hope I don't get the sack tomorrow," commented Joe Proctor after landing the Men's Open on Richard Hewitt's Le Seychellois. The young rider works in the Hanmer yard, where he is referred to as "jockey Joe," and had his boss's representative Noble Persian trailing in his wake.

Richard's fears that the course might have been over-watered proved unfounded, and Le Seychellois is now unbeaten in three outings at Tabley. He could next run in the Novice Riders' race at the Flint & Denbigh on May 29.

Richard, whose four-year-old son Scott rides Le Seychellois to the horse-walker and back at home, considers his charge to be not only the kindest, but the soundest, horse he has ever had. "He's got such cold legs that I sometimes wonder about his circulation," he smiled.

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If Joe needs a morale boost he need only speak to Gary and Karen's son Zac, whose racing knowledge is presently somewhat limited. Puzzled at hearing his parents voicing the opinion that there was no better jockey than A P McCoy, the seven-year-old commented "But I thought jockey Joe was the best."

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Another who likes it round Tabley is Lagosta, who retained the Ladies' Open trophy he won last year, again with Rachel Reynolds in the plate. "He's my pet, a real family horse," admitted owner-trainer Steve Graham, who was given Lagosta three years ago by Martin and Angela Roddis. "He's not got the best of legs but I know when he's fit because the fitter he gets the more he bites."

Steve is a course builder for several Point-to-Point tracks and had supplied the birch for the Tabley fences.

Rachel, who had damaged her shoulder when Lagosta fell with her at North Carlton in February, had little time for celebration. She does night duty in a care home, and was due back at work at 9.30 that evening.

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Petit Lord finished runner-up to Lagosta, but his rider Angela Rucker's colours were carried to victory in the ten-year-old and over contest by Jane Williams on Sweet Citizen, owned by her parents Peter and Diana. "We've only had two winners this year and they've both been in someone else's colours because we've left ours at home by mistake," laughed Jane.

Sweet Citizen has been suffering with a hock problem and had run just once previously this season. "We haven't been able to get him right," reported Diana. He had to be tacked up outside the lorry on this occasion, putting in what Jane termed "a right performance" when his girth was done up.

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Sweet Citizen's stablemate Step And Run has been retired. He won 14 races for the Williams family, including 11 Ladies' Opens, and gave Jane her 50th Point-to-Point success at Eyton in 2008.

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An interrupted night's sleep was not enough to prevent Richard Burton from winning the Restricted on Richard French's Enter Paradise, who was bought out of a field in Ireland last year by trainer Sheila Crow after some uninspiring runs between the flags there.

Richard's wife Hannah had given birth to their first child, Arabella, three days earlier and mother and daughter had arrived home the previous day. This was Richard's second success to celebrate fatherhood, the first having been Ice Tea in a Bangor Hunter Chase on Saturday.

Enter Paradise, who is reported by his handler to be highly-strung, owed his success to his rider's strength in the saddle, just scraping home by half a length from the novice-ridden Mercurial Girl.

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