THERE were seven races at Ludlow on Wednesday. Four were won by French-bred horses, one by a horse foaled in Germany while the other two races went to horses carrying an IRE suffix, both of whom had a northern connection.
The first of the pair to strike was the Philip Hobbs-trained Dolphin Square who, as the 7/4 favourite, won the three-mile handicap hurdle in the hands of his Downpatrick-born owner, David Maxwell.
It was a good week for the London property investor who partnered his own Paul Nicholls-trained Cat Tiger to victory over timber at Plumpton on Sunday while his colours were also carried to victory that afternoon in the men’s open at Larkhill by the Angus Cheleda-ridden Shantou Flyer. (See page 69 for a full round-up of British point-to-point action.)
In the second division of the concluding mares’ bumper at Ludlow, the honours went to the Hughie Morrison-trained, Tom O’Brien-ridden Miss Austen who had finished third on her only other start at Taunton in March. She won by an impressive nine and a half lengths.
The Fame And Glory five-year-old was bred in Co Down by Cookstown-based dental surgeon Jane Doran. The bay is out of the unraced Lord Americo mare Swap Shop whose 2013 gelding, I’m To Blame, resumed winning ways when following up four second-place finishes with victory in the two-mile, six-furlong beginners’ chase at Musselburgh last Friday. This was a sixth win in 11 starts for the Keith Dalgleish-trained bay whose dam is a half-sister to the Grade 1 hurdle and chase winner Aran Concerto (by Zaffaran).
Jane’s father Danny also bred a winner in the period under review when the Tom Lacey-trained Dorking Cock justified favouritism in a two-mile handicap chase at Chepstow on Monday. The six-year-old, who was recording his first win over fences to go with two over hurdles, is by Winged Love out of the Cadoual mare Kiss Jolie. The Dorans have retained Swap Shop’s yearling colt by Diamond Lad and her three-year-old filly by Sageburg and have also held on to Kiss Jolie’s yearling filly by Doyen.
The above-mentioned I’m To Blame is owned by Paul and Clare Rooney and was purchased on their behalf as a three-year-old at Goffs UK’s 2016 Spring Sale in Doncaster by Kevin Ross Bloodstock. The Newtownabbey agency also signed for the bumper winner at Naas on Sunday, the Noel Meade-trained Thedevilscoachman, when acting for owner Joe Duke.
Plumpton specialist scores in Sussex again
THE William Porter-bred Ramore Will displayed his liking for Plumpton on Sunday when landing the near two-and-a-half-mile handicap chase for the Chris Gordon yard.
This was a second win over fences for the nine-year-old Tikkanen gelding whose first had come at the east Sussex track in September 2017. Half of the grey’s four victories over hurdles were also recorded at Plumpton. Ramore Will is one of just four foals out of the unraced Silver Patriarch mare Gill Hill Lady.
On the flat, the Pat Turley-bred Almurr provided the Phillip Makin yard with its first winner of 2020 when landing a division of the six-furlong handicap. The four-year-old Dandy Man gelding (out of Passion Planet, by Medicean) was partnered by Co Cork-born Ben Curtis who, by Wednesday, had already ridden 13 winners since the new year.
On Wednesday, the Hardys of Kilkeel-bred Los Camachos (Camacho – Illuminise, by Grand Lodge) won the concluding six-furlong handicap for amateurs at Kempton under Zoe Harris while, further north at Newcastle, the Gerry Cumiskey-bred Reckless Endeavour (Kodiac – Red Fanfare, by First Trump) scored over a similar trip in the hands of Hollie Doyle.
On the jockey front, Brian Hughes edged one ahead of National Hunt championship rival Richard Johnson on Monday when landing a double at Ayr where the reigning champion partnered one winner. However, with wins at Taunton and Ludlow, Johnson was back in front by one (108-107) by close of play on Wednesday.
Wins
Danny McMenamin also rode a winner at Ayr, while, on the flat, there were wins for Darragh Keenan at Lingfield on Saturday and for Barry McHugh at Newcastle on Wednesday. Further afield, Patsy Cosgrave notched up win number four of the 2019/20 season in the United Arab Emirates with victory on the Saeed bin Suroor-trained Major Partnership in a listed handicap (worth £78,947.37 to the winner) at Meydan last Thursday week.
Point action back at Tyrella in two weeks
THE 2019/20 point-to-point season in the northern region resumes this day fortnight, Saturday, January 25th, with the first of two East Down Hunt meetings at Tyrella.
Among the winners on good to firm ground at the corresponding fixture last year was Whatsupwithyou who, on his only start since that five-year-old geldings’ maiden, landed a maiden hurdle at Ascot last month for the Ben Pauling yard.
Whatsupwithyou, then trained by Denis Murphy, was ridden at Tyrella by Jamie Codd who brought up a double in the open on Gordon Elliott’s charge Kruzhlinin. The German-bred Sholokhov gelding was to end last season as the joint-champion horse with 13 victories to his credit.