04 May 2009 Scene & Heard: Radnor & West Hereford (Day 1)
by Carolyn Tanner
"That was dreadful - the horse won the race, not the jockey," candidly confessed Paul Tolman, head lad to Alison Thorpe, after landing the Confined on No Virtue.
"Steve [Flook, No Virtue's owner-trainer] has been very good to me, but I missed the start, and thought as that would probably be my last ride for him I might as well go for it. Anyone could have won on her today."
Steve had been hoping to qualify No Virtue for the Connolly's Red Mills final at Cheltenham, but now that plan has come to naught the target is the Welsh Border feature race, the Confined, at Bredwardine on May 16.
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"I was offered £25,000 for her when she won the Hunt race here last year," said Steve, who paid £340 for No Virtue, "but I said why do I want £25,000 when I can look at her every day? What would I do with all that money?" Answers on a postcard.........
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Trainer and jockey failed to land this year's renewal of the Hunt race when Rumbury Grey narrowly went down to King Shaadi, who showed his preference for a right-hand track by exacting his revenge for defeat at Bitterley. He was partnered by the in-form Hannah Lewis, taking over from her husband Adrian Wintle, who had used up his allocation of three Hunt races.
King Shaadi had suffered a bad sprain of his off-hind fetlock in the autumn, and "If he hadn't come right by Christmas we wouldn't have run him this season," said owner Nigel Lilley, who was quick to credit trainer Caroline Griffiths for her handling of King Shaadi. "He hated people and other horses when we got him, but Caroline's worked wonders with him and he's much more even-tempered now," stressed Nigel.
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Jim Squires and Judith Healey, who have recently advertised The General Lee for sale, may think about upping the price after the seven-year-old's fine front-running victory under a positive ride from Lorna Brooke in the Ladies' Open at Cold Harbour. "He's a busy little horse who stays for ever, but he can't carry 12 stone," said trainer Phillip Rowley, who still considers his charge Nomadic Dreamer was robbed of victory at Siddington in March by a controversial judging decision.
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Richard Burton kept up his challenge for the national title by taking a disappointing Men's Open on the Sheila Crow-trained The Accordion Man. The original plan had been to run at Eyton on Monday, and it was only at 10.30 the previous evening that Sheila phoned owner David Rogers to inform him of the change of arrangements.
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We're Confused was pulled up in the Open by David Mansell but the championship leader went two ahead of Thomas Greenall [a lead which was increased to three by Monday evening] courtesy of The Herb, seeing a racecourse for the second time, in the Maiden, which was restricted to horses that had never raced under Rules. "The whole thing fazed him first time out," admitted Julie Houldey of the six-year-old, who can boast the smart performers Ladybank, Pensham and Sally Furlong among his ancestors, and who is now likely to go to Brightwells' Cheltenham Sale in a fortnight's time.
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"Otherwise referred to as ‘delinquent.'" John de Lisle Wells, owner-breeder of The Herb, explaining the correct pronounciation of his surname to the announcer.
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Helen Taylor, whose interest in hunting and Pointing stems from her grandmother, who used to be a puppy walker for the Ludlow, enjoyed her second success as an owner [Turn Card had won for her in January] when Sahara's Dream won the Mares' Maiden to give trainer Sarah-Jayne Davies her tenth triumph of the campaign and rider Jonathon Jarrett his 14th.
Sahara's Dream, who was bought as a three-year-old and broken in by Sarah-Jayne, gets fired up in the preliminaries, and was mounted on the course by Jonathon, who then cantered her to the start before putting his feet in the irons.
