26 April 2010 Scene & Heard: West Norfolk - Fakenham
by Carolyn Tanner
Nick Pearce kept up his record of never having left Fakenham without a winner by completing a double and thus taking home two bags of the sausages to which he is so partial, presented by sponsors Musks to the victorious rider.
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Nick won the Conditions race on Duke Of Kentford, trained for father and son Ian and Tom Joule by Stuart Morris, who lives almost within walking distance of Clifton-on-Dunsmore but who had elected to forsake his local meeting in order to find the best possible ground for his charge. "He's been very nervy and we had to treat him with kid gloves last year," said Stuart of the winner. "We always dropped him out and switched him off, but this will have helped his confidence."
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"I thought he'd be a horrible b.....d to ride for, but he's not too bad." Nick's fear that Stuart, like any recently-retired jockey, would be a very difficult trainer to please proves unfounded.
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Peadar, trained by Nick for Simon Tindall, was an impressive winner of the Restricted. "It's taken a while for me to persuade Simon to run outside the [South East] area," revealed Nick, "so I hope now he'll do it a bit more often." Peadar was bought from breeder Denis Reddan and is considered by Simon's trainer in Ireland, Ian Ferguson, to have a bright future.
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Joe Turner's Ampton yard continued its run of good form with an Open race double. James Owen won the Men's on the ex-Francois Doumen Parrain, who got up to deny Ben Rivett a double by heading Took My Eye on the line, while Assassino followed up his High Easter success in the Ladies.
"He gets to the front so easily but then pricks his ears and does nothing," said the latter's partner Louise Allan. "I could hear Delightful Cliché coming back at me on the run-in and I thought ‘Oh no!'"
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Ben had earlier given Peter Hall's Made Welcome a fine ride to win the Hunts' race by the narrowest of margins. "She jumped fantastically, but I never thought I'd get there," admitted Ben, who lives just five minutes away from the course. "I was able to have a lie-in this morning, so maybe that made the difference," he laughed. Made Welcome, the last horse bred by the Queen Mother, has been suffering with a muscular problem. She is galloped at home by Peter's daughter Harriet, who had a few rides between the flags - "I wasn't very good, and I fell off here!" she smiled.
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The victory in the Maiden of Regal Ovation came as a surprise to everyone bar the Stearn family, who had been expecting a good showing. "The form book got it wrong last time," explained Simon Stearn. "It said he was tailed off but he wasn't very far behind when he fell at Guilsborough." Regal Ovation was bought at Tattersalls Newmarket Sales as a three-year-old out of Willie Muir's yard. "Although he didn't manage to win, he was one of Willie's best work horses," said Simon. "He's got a lot of speed." He is now likely to be put away until next season.
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Championship leader John Mathias, who had ridden two winners at Bonvilston the previous day, had a long trip from Wales for no reward. His only mount of the day, the Men's Open favourite More Trouble, who was being scrubbed along at the time, ran out on the final circuit.
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"He's in the shower - they don't have any in Wales." John's fellow riders explain his absence from the changing room to the steward who came to seek an explanation.
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Jockeys and trainers alike were unstinting in their praise for the perfect jumping ground produced by William Wales and his fellow clerk of the course Trevor Whales. "He should do the job professionally - it's amazing ground," was the comment from Nick Pearce.
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Overheard. Jockey, referring to the post-race entertainment: "I thought I was waiting till after the last to ride a camel, but I had one in that race as well."
