The young and enthusiastic members who comprise the Yorkshire Jockeys Club put on another successful running of Scarborough Races at Charm park near Wykeham on Sunday 2nd March. With all profits being donated to Racing Welfare and the Injured Jockeys Fund it was great that the spring sunshine brought out a large crowd of spectators who were treated to good fields featuring some classy performances and exciting finishes.
Training and riding honours on the day went to the team of Cherry Coward and Rosie Howarth who combined to pull off a double the first of which came courtesy of Ballydonagh Boy in the Ladies Open run in memory of Joanna Newitt and sponsored by Newitts.com. The betting market beforehand couldn't split the winner and the Eleanor Clark partnered Buster Valentine, who was making his seasonal reappearance after winning four times in 2024 and the race itself proved to be just as closely fought with the two matching strides whilst pulling clear of their rivals. When the latter blundered and unseated Eleanor three out Ballydonagh Boy, racing in the colours of the Richard Morris Racing Club, was left to come home 15 lengths clear of sole remaining rival Tap Tap Boom (Pippa Brown) and in doing so notch up an eleventh career success. The winning trainer was full of praise for jockey Rosie Howarth afterwards “she did a marvellous job and ran them into the ground” with the jockey adding” He's a wonderful jumper. I thought the ground may be too good for him today but he always tries his best and he's so honest”.
The Coward and Howarth team completed their double with Greater Glory in the concluding Clifton Timber maiden race for which a field of fourteen faced the starter. Sent off at odds of 4/1, having been placed on all his four previous outings, the winner was always prominent and was sent on by Rosie to take a few lengths lead after three out. The main challenger to emerge from the pack was the Jack Teal ridden mare Miss Tele who was staying on relentlessly and had got to within a length or two when tipping up at the last fence which left Greater Glory to come home 15 lengths clear of Bean Norty (Leah Cooper). The win took Rosie on to a career total of 25, which includes two under rules and she revealed afterwards that the day had been extra special. “I only live up the road and I’ve been riding for about ten years. Despite riding plenty of winners elsewhere these are my first at my local track. He's a lovely horse and very easy to deal with”. The delighted winning owner and trainer Cherry Coward added of the nine-year-old son of leading flat stallion Lope De Vega “He cost a lot of money as a foal but he's just had a lot of problems”.
The Wrigley Landon Properties Mens Open race saw a small but select field of six line up. The two at the head of the market were the Furness family's prolific winner Camdonian who came into it with eight wins from his ten point to point outings and the Bradley Gibbs trained and ridden Jet Of Magic, racing in the colours of owner Timothy Talbot who had chased home the leading Cheltenham fancy Music Drive last time out at Brocklesby Park. The race lived up to its promise as two fences from home five horses were within a couple of lengths of each other and three were in the air together over the last. Camdonian had always seemed to be on the back foot throughout and he couldn't find any extra on the run in which left Jet Of magic in a terrific driving finish with Red Delta and it was the latter who prevailed by a neck under a fine John Dawson ride. The winner is a six-year-old gelding by Ocovango who had been progressing his way steadily through the ranks before disappointing when upped in class in a Leicester hunter chase last time out. Owned by Yorkshire pointing stalwart Robin Tate, Red Delta is trained by daughter Fiona Needham who expressed herself absolutely delighted with the result. “He hated the gluey ground at Leicester but relished today's ground and the cheek pieces helped him concentrate. He'll probably go back hunter chasing again now but I’m not sure exactly where as yet”.
With the last two runnings of the Tattersalls Jockey Club Sales Four and Five Year Old Young Horse Series maiden race at this fixture having thrown up the top class horses Touch Me Not and Miami Magic who graduated with great success to racing under rules and have both been placed in Grade 1 races this season, everyone was on the lookout for another future star. With several well-bred newcomers lining up there was every chance that lightning would strike again and it was three of them who fought out the finish. The Dale Peters trained and ridden Karaka De Thaix was the one who headed the betting market and this proved to be the correct choice as the five year old Cokoriko gelding was always travelling well. Having taken up the running four out he looked in control of the race from there on and came home four lengths clear of March On Oxo (Toby McCain Mitchell) and Alan Bresil (Bradley Gibbs) who fought out the minor places.
Bought as a store the winner is owned in partnership by his trainer, rider and Toby Hunt and his next appearance will hopefully be in the sales ring. “We had him last year but gave him time to mature” said Dale afterwards, who also trained last year's winner Miami Magic “it was always the plan to come here. He's a lovely horse and will only get better”.
The opening contest of the day was the Moneyweb Conditions race (level 2) and the fourteen-runner field produced an extremely exciting finish. Cullin Hills, the first Yorkshire Horse to win the Connolly's Red Mills Leading Horse award, made her reappearance after missing last year and she took the field along from flagfall with a bold, front running display. Outsider Emir Sacree (Joe Wright) headed her and had a slight lead turning to the last with the pair hotly pursued by the favourite Glenmount who had almost taken himself out of contention with a bad blunder three out and it was he who found enough on the run in to notch up his fifth pointing success from nine runs under a great ride from James King, holding off the staying on Morozov Cocktail (Will Easterby) by a length with Cullin Hills (Paddy Barlow) completing a superb return a length and three quarters further back in third.
Glenmount is owned by the 360 Racing Club which comprises his trainer Julie Wadland and Paul Miller the new Chief Executive of the Point To Point Authority who commented afterwards “he hadn't jumped very well and after the blunder three out I thought his chance had gone so he did really well to get back and win. Julie does a great job with her small Warwickshire based stable” the winning jockey was also full of praise for the trainer “ a lot went wrong. It was a messy race and he was out of his comfort zone. All credit to Julie for getting him back and keeping him winning. He's a horse on the up”.
The Restricted race had a field of ten and looked a competitive heat on paper beforehand but produced an emphatic performance from Carriglux who took up the running three out before steadily pulling well clear of Hollywood Harmon (Pippa Brown). Owned by the Red Fox Syndicate the winner is both trained and ridden by Malton based Joe Wright who commented “He’s been a bit frustrating. He won his maiden very well two years ago but then picked up an injury at Duncombe Park which put him back. After getting brought down when clipping heels at Sheriff Hutton on his reappearance he ran second to Barton Snow at Askham Bryan. Hopefully he will go through the grades now and maybe end up in a hunter chase later in the season”. The winning ride took Joe onto a career total of 75 in point to points.
The next fixture in the Yorkshire Area season is the Hurworth at Skutterskelfe Park, Hutton Rudby four miles west of Stokesley on Saturday 15th March with the first race due off at 1pm.