17 April 2009 Preview: Worcestershire - Chaddesley Corbett
KIAMA: a potential Lady Dudley Cup winner?
Ask any Point-to-Point enthusiast which race they would most like to win and inevitably they will answer - The Lady Dudley Cup.
This race has been the centrepiece of the Worcestershire Point-to-Point since 1897 and this year's race has attracted 29 entries with challengers expected from Wales and the West Country.
Cannon Bridge, Distant Thunder, Fresh Love, Whistling Straits and Who Else Knew all have obvious claims, while Saint Reverien, Wickford and Long Night have place possibilities.
The big race is run over 3 miles and 2 furlongs and the extra distance just tips the scales in favour of Kiama, Top Benefit or Gaelsbob.
The former jumped brilliantly at Maisemore and that has to stand her in good stead in this company while Top Benefit is open to improvement and will need to do so if Julie Houldey's yard wants to take this race for the second year running.
Gaelsbob is a top class Pointer but connections may have been aiming too high when they ran in the Foxhunters at Cheltenham recently but he has a course success to his credit and will relish every yard of this trip.
Half of the 12 horses entered for the Members come from three families based near Himbleton who have been stalwarts of this meeting for a number of years.
Bill Jones and Hi Tech Man represent Katherine Smith-Maxwell's yard while Petit Lord and Royal Katidoki are owned by her sister Angela Rucker. They could be opposed by Haggle Twins and Unmistakably who carries the colours of their sister Christine Banks but Petit Lord is sure to acquit himself well and just gets the vote.
The meeting has attracted 196 entries but declarations will obviously be dependent on ground conditions, which were described as good on Monday evening. That description could encourage Andy Hobbs to run Ice Cool Benny in the Confined but this race asks more of him than others have in the past.
Casalani and Honest Endeavour are both trained locally and the latter came out on top when they met at Bitterley last week, but in a truer run race over a longer distance Casalani could turn the tables.
40 horses have been entered for the Restricted and 60 in the Maiden. With so many owners keen to run, good going could result in both these races being divided on the day. The chances of The Howardian have to be respected in the Restricted, while Babysitter is one for the shortlist in the Maiden.
Entry is £10 per person, under 16s free of charge.
