A warm and sunny afternoon at picturesque Flete Park in South Devon saw a packed car park and brought out the picnickers able to enjoy a grandstand view of the action from the hill side.
The good to soft ground produced competitive racing, attracting a total of 34 runners in the six races. Darren Edwards has been a regular recipient of the Devon & Cornwall Area jockeys title and added to his 300 plus career winner with a double at Flete thanks to Jubertilee and Miltown Bridge.
Dean Summersby’s string had been out of sorts earlier in the year but have sprung back recently and the promising six-year-old Jubertilee added to his Kilworthy maiden win with a smart performance to win the Olympic Plant & Tool Hire sponsored Restricted.” He is improving all the time, I rode him yesterday and he felt great but Hilary Hutchinson normally rides him and does all the work with him, ” said the trainer as owner Mike Bickell explained the unusual naming of his Mahler gelding. “ He was bought at the time of the Queen’s jubilee. My grandson is called Bertie so we put it together and came up with Jubertilee”.
Miltown Bridge completed the rider’s double in the Hassall Law Maiden, but this was something of a chance ride. Arron Butterfield would have ridden but went to hospital with a suspected broken wrist during the morning resulting in a late call up for Edwards. The winner is owned and trained by Gordon Chambers who also acts as secretary and treasurer of the Devon & Cornwall point to point Association. He said, “I bought him in Ireland last summer. He stays well and he is half brother to Alan King’s good stayer Wholestone. He is for sale.”
From The Heart was bidding for his fourth win of the season in the Totnes & Bridgetown Races Co Ltd Ladies’ Open but failed to cope by half a length with the veteran Wotzizname who stayed on gamely under Megan Bevan. The 19-year-old rider works for the Harry Fry yard and rode her first hunter chase winner this month at Taunton. Wotzizname is trained at Cranmore near Shepton Mallet by Diane Ward for owner Lucy Gould and could be aimed at a Newton Abbot hunter chase.
Templier D’Habert was left well clear to win the Francis Clark Maiden after Our Dylan parted company with Darren Andrews at the penultimate. The six-year-old, owned by Jacqui McCullough and trained by Leslie Jefford, gave Anna Johnston her second winner in seven days. “We went a nice gallop and got into a lovely rhythm,” said the rider. “He was very light when we got him from France through TJ Racing last summer. We call him Bert,” said Lisa Jefford.
Darren Andrews, deputising for the injured Josh Newman, was the unlucky jockey on Our Dylan and just failed to gain consolation as Stratton Oakmont’s late thrust was denied by front running Funky Sensation in the Marchand Petit Conditions race. “I thought it was a bit soft for him and he always jumps a little bit to the left. Two and a half suits him and he may go to the Cheltenham evening meeting,” reported jockey Jake Bament, who was in the colours of his parents, Barnstaple based Helen and Peter. “Mum rides him out every day,” he added.
It has been a frustrating time for Josh Newman since his fall in the Aintree Foxhunters and he missed a winning ride on his regular mount Minimalistic in the RBC Brewin Dolphin Veteran Horse Conditions race. Martin “Fly” McIntyre picked up this ride and enjoyed a trouble free round to beat This Breac (Amy Bennallick). Edward and Sue Darke’s consistent 11-year-old was following up his course win two weeks ago.