A warm, sunny day drew a large crowd to Kingston Blount in Oxfordshire and they were treated to 32 runners (from 48 individual horses entered) in the six races, including doubles for veteran owner-trainer Tim Underwood and champion jockey James King, a first win for Daniel Williams and a pleasing success for owner-trainer-rider Katie Featherstone, taking on and beating the big guns. Organisers had watered extensively to produce genuinely Good ground (Good to Firm in the odd place) which was praised by participants, and it is a shame that they weren’t rewarded for their honesty and regular updates in the lead-up to the meeting with more entries.
Tim Underwood’s double came in the first two races of the day, starting with his fellow veteran, 13-year-old Ask Nile in the J Passey and Son Vine & Craven Hunt Members Race, for which three went to post. Ask Nile was held up for most of the race, took second place three out, then quickened past leader Wireless Operator before the last, scooting clear up the inner under a fine ride from Heidi Palin and going on to score by six lengths. Odds-on favourite Caldwell Diamond jumped to the lead five out but stopped quickly and was pulled up before the last.
It was a third win in a row on Ask Nile for Heidi, who has struck up a good partnership with the horse this season. The 22-year-old, who works for Dan Skelton, was winning her tenth race of the season – four in points and six under rules, including four Hunter Chases. “Riding for Dan has helped me a lot,” Heidi confirmed. “I used to show jump, then went to the British Racing School, and went to work for Dan after that. It would be good to have more rides point-to-pointing – and Dan’s assistant Nick Pearce is helping with that, getting me the connection with Tim – but I’m always at Dan’s so can’t ride out for pointing yards.” Heidi admitted, “I’d like to turn professional eventually but want to get more experience first.”
Tim, resplendent in a canary yellow puffa jacket and mustard trousers, said of Ask Nile. “He won a bad race at Larkhill last season then hurt himself but has come back differently this season. I ride him myself in most of his work and have been impressed with him, although his wins haven’t been in great races. We don’t do much with him between races – he hasn’t been sat on since he won at Larkhill last week. We might go to Lockinge on Easter Monday next.”
Tim won the opener with a veteran horse, then took the seven-runner Connolly’s RED MILLS Maiden Race with a veteran jockey, the combined ages of Tim and Phil York, rider of Song Of My Father, being 136! The eight-year-old, a recent recruit from Ireland making his British pointing debut, was restrained in mid-division by ‘Yorky’ for most of the race before pulling himself into the lead in the back straight. Headed again by favourite King James (ridden by James King!) he re-took the lead definitively two out, pulling away to beat Bluescape by eight lengths. Constitution Grove was a remote 30 lengths third as King James stopped to nothing after the last.
It was a sixth win – including a Penshurst treble – of the season for the winning jockey, the ‘Peter Pan of Pointing’, who turns 59 in May. Asked how long he intends to continue, Yorky admitted, “I ain’t got a clue. I was going to work out a plan to retire and got down to four horses, but I’m now back up to six, so that plan hasn’t worked!” As for the length of his association with Tim, he replied, “That’s an interesting question. I couldn’t put a date on it but it’s a long time – he was one of the first people to give me outside rides.” Yorky also admitted to some trepidation about Song Of My Father’s form figures, saying, “There were quite a lot of letters, as well as comments like ‘blundered’, and ‘mistakes’. He needed skilful riding,” he added, tongue-in-cheek. The rider, who holds the record for course victories here, with 51 in total, joked about why he’s still at the top of his game, “It’s natural instinct and years of memory muscle. It seems to work!”
Tim didn’t share his jockey’s concerns about Song Of My Father, telling me, “We’ve been schooling him over fixed timber and I was confident he’d win if he got round. I didn’t pay much for him and like to buy horses I think I can improve. At this time of year, he could go through the grades, and he’ll also go to Lockinge next.” It was a first double for Tim since he achieved the feat here in May 2022, and just a fourth win of the season and he admitted, “About half my horses have been injured at some point.”
James King initiated his double on Alan Hill’s I K Brunel, who won the feature race, the Stonegate Farming Mixed Open Race, over the shorter distance of two miles and about five furlongs, and for which seven faced the starter. James was replacing the trainer’s sidelined daughter-in-law, Izzie, and rode an inspired race on the 11-year-old, gaining a deserved first success of the season after three visits to the runner-up spot. Always prominent, he let market rival Loughan make the running before jumping into the lead at the first fence in the back straight and soon extending his advantage, passing the post eight lengths in front. King Of Quinta was six lengths third, running a really good race for a Maiden. He looks one to note back in that grade.
The horse is owned by a group of well-known local pointing figures – the trainer and his wife Lawney, Maurice Thomas, Rodney and Gillie Mann and Lynn and Martin Redman – and it was a popular success. “Bloody brilliant… and you can quote me!” was Rodney’s reaction, while Alan exclaimed, “When he winged five out, he broke Loughan’s resistance.” It was left to Martin to speak to me in more detail about ‘I K’, who has now won six for the partnership. “What can I say about him?” he asked rhetorically. “The Hills found him for us, we’ve had loads of fun with him and it’s great to win at our local course. He’s run in both Foxhunters, although we’ll keep him pointing now. There’s another two-and-a-half mile Open at Kimble on Easter Saturday if that doesn’t come too soon.” As well as I K Brunel, Martin, Lynn and Maurice have horses under rules with the Hills and Robbie Llewellyn, including the progressive Loup De Maulde.
The King brace was completed by On Springs for Luca Morgan in The ParaCode Veteran Horse Conditions Race (Level 2), another race to see a field of seven. The well-backed ten-year-old, making his debut between the flags having raced under rules for Ben Pauling as recently as February, jumped off in the lead and never saw another horse, quickening clear down the back straight to win by fifteen lengths and two from joint-favourite Stranger Danger and No Rematch. The other joint favourite, Count Simon, was not on a going day and pulled up.
“I’ve had him less than six weeks”, confirmed Luca afterwards. “I bought him on ThoroughBid, for the same owners as (useful Hunter Chaser) Givega, because I won five races on him as a conditional – I was the only jockey he won with!” Luca intends to keep running On Springs on the quicker spring ground, saying, “All his form’s in the summer and he doesn’t do much at home, so I hope we can run him plenty.” It was a third win of the season, and fourth in total, for the 23-year-old trainer, who was champion conditional under rules before being forced to quit the saddle due to rising weight. “We’ve got a lot of pre-trainers and young horses to buy and sell and it’s great to have a few pointers as well,” added Luca, who is based near Henley-in-Arden in Warwickshire.
The winning jockey has now ridden 28 winners this season, four behind title rival Josh Newman but wouldn’t be drawn on his chances of winning a fourth championship, saying only. “I’ve still got lots of horses to ride and having been picking up some good spares – including today – but the more you think about it, the more likely your riding is to go out of the window!” James was one of many to praise the going, confirming, “They do a great job with the watering here and it’s been a lucky course for me over the past few seasons.”
Disappointingly, only two ran in the Jockey Club Opportunity Conditions Race (Level 3) for Grass Roots Riders, co-sponsored by Tim Underwood’s Print Concern company. However, Tim couldn’t make it a treble, his Presenting Point having to give best to the long odds-on 12-year-old Didero Vallis, a maiden success for 19-year-old rider Daniel Williams, eventually being beaten five lengths despite taking the race to the favourite and still being in front going to the second last.
It was a fourth pointing victory of the season for Didero Vallis’ trainer Olive Nicholls, like the jockey just 19 and therefore one of the youngest keepers in the sport, to go with a Hunter Chase success earlier in the week. Olive – in her second year training – has run six horses so far this season, and said with a smile, “There’s more ammo to come! (Stable star) Viroflay will go either to Punchestown or Cheltenham and, of my young horses, I think Boris Bee will be nice. He disappointed me (when unplaced at Bitterley) yesterday when I fancied him to run well.” Olive – who first spoke to me aged 15 of her desire to carve out a career as a trainer – confirmed, “Obviously there will be a time when I’ll want to go to Ditcheat (where her legendary father Paul trains), but I want to prove I can do it on my own first and I’m having fun. And let’s not forget that Olive remains one of the leading female amateur riders, with three wins between the flags and seven under rules this season.
Daniel, from Bristol and now based with Nicky Henderson at Seven Barrows, was delighted with his first win – from 21 rides – admitting, “It’s taken a while but I’m really enjoying it. I started out with Noel Fehily and rode a few pointers for him then started riding my own horse – Ballyadam Destiny – for Olive last season. We were second in the four-miler at the last meeting here. I’ve also been riding Didero Vallis in Hunter Chases and he’s a brilliant horse to learn on.
The Oakland Park Restricted Race attracted six runners although only Commander In Ten, owned, trained and ridden by Katie Featherstone, managed to finish. Monrocco Moonlight set a furious gallop, but Katie sat tight, gradually closing on the leader before taking command at the penultimate fence. The exhausted pacesetter refused at the last and odds-on favourite Ask Elli pulled up three out.
It was a British pointing debut for the eight-year-old Commander In Ten, who won twice between the flags in Ireland. “David Phelan found him for us, and we’ve only had him three or four weeks,” confirmed Katie afterwards. “He was used as a schoolmaster over there and is well-bred, although we thought he might need the run.” Katie, a true Corinthian in an increasingly professional sport, admitted, “I thought the leader was going fast although it’s quite hard to tell. Learning how to ride a race is the hardest part of the game when you only ride every few weeks like me – I want to get more rides, which is why we bought a second horse (to accompany Petite Mike, who won for Katie at Parham last week).” It was a sixth win, plus a walkover, for 29-year-old Katie, who had such a good season last year with Imperial Acolyte and Secret Cargo. “I work as a carer in the mornings, so I fit that around the horses. Mum (South East Area Secretary Nicky) and Dad have always had horses, but Dad wouldn’t let me race-ride initially, which is why I started late – I didn’t tell him when I had my first ride! I’d love to have a spin round Aintree one day.”