Margie McLoone

THERE were 21 meetings in Britain over the Easter weekend with nine on Saturday when the mainly soft going at the Eggesford fixture at Upcott Cross in Devon attracted 65 runners in eight races, five of which were won by Irish-breds.

Trainer Dean Summersby and rider Darren Edwards landed the final three races on the card, the last, the five-runner confined, with the 1/5 shot Chosen Lucky. The six-year-old Well Chosen gelding, who is out of the Phardante mare Melville Rose, was winning for the sixth time in six starts since moving to Britain this season.

Following the intervention of the stewards, Nick Lawton completed a double in the two and a half-mile maiden for four, five and six-year-olds on the 2012 Robin des Pres gelding Jabbea.

Phil York recorded a short-priced treble at Charing where five of the six winners were Irish-bred including the five-year-old Publisher gelding Roll Of The Dice who initiated a double for trainer Nick Pearce when landing the three-mile maiden.

The fields were small at that Ashford Valley Tickham fixture, as they were at most meetings over the weekend including Higham where, in spite of watering, the going was described as good to firm.

However, the large crowd saw three Irish-bred winners on the six-race card with trainer Andrew Pennock and rider Evan David keeping up their good strike-rate when landing the three-mile maiden with the nine-year-old Morozov gelding Weve Got Company.

Ed Walker saddled three winners at Littlewindsor, one more than Jack Barber. Josh Newman rode two winners at this Seavington meeting as did Will Biddick while the father and son team of Alan and Joe Hill recorded a double at Kimble.

There were two winners apiece at Pyle for trainer David Brace and rider Bradley Gibbs and the Bowen brothers Michael and James. Another trainer to strike twice on Saturday was Ed Glassonbury who also rode both winners, including the four-year-old Westerner gelding Western Morning, one of four Irish-bred winners on the seven-race card.

MIXED OPEN

There were four Irish-bred winners too at Dingley where Shane Roche landed the two and a half-mile mixed open on the nine-year-old Flemensfirth gelding Curraigflemens. Among the five Irish-bred winners at Chaddesley Corbett was the 11-year-old Milan gelding Barel Of Laughs who, in claiming the three-mile, two-furlong men’s open for the Lady Dudley Cup, supplied rider Alex Edwards with the middle leg of a treble.

There were only two meetings on Easter Sunday with half of the six winners at Witton Castle carrying an IRE suffix. The 10-year-old Dr Fong gelding Sposalizio landed the men’s open to supply rider Chris Dawson with the first leg of a double.

Six of the seven winners at Andoversford, where there were small-sized fields on firm ground, were Irish-bred.

Three went to post in the ladies’ open for novice and veteran riders which was won by the 10-year-old Flemensfirth gelding Allerton who is owned, trained and ridden by Lilly Pinchin.

A hectic Easter for racing

Margie McLoone

THE most competitive meeting on Easter Monday was the Four Burrow fixture at Trebudannon in Cornwall where Ratoath’s Martin McIntyre recorded a double.

This was completed in the concluding three-mile maiden on the seven-year-old Double Eclipse gelding Every Breakin Wave, one of four Irish-bred winners on the seven-race card. McIntyre’s first winner of the afternoon, Captain Cattistock in the two and a half-mile maiden, provided the first leg of a training treble for Jack Barber.

Reigning men’s champion rider Will Biddick recorded a short-priced treble at the meeting, while there was another winner over the weekend for the in-form duo of Darren Edwards and Dean Summersby, the seven-year-old Mountain High gelding Air Glider scoring by a length in the two and a half-mile restricted.

Jack Andrews partnered two winners at Aldington including the Nick Pearce-trained Clondaw Nell who landed the three-runner maiden by 15 lengths. The six-year-old Oscar mare was one of four Irish-bred winners on the six-race card.

Another quartet of Irish-breds was on the mark at Paxford where Leo Mahon initiated a double in the two and a half-mile maiden for four, five and six-year-olds on the 2011 Royal Anthem gelding Antiphony.

All six races at Thorpe Lodge were won by Irish-breds although one, the 2012 Winged Love gelding Thomas Patrick, didn’t have a lot to do as he was unopposed in the four, five and six-year-old maiden. This ‘win’ brought up a treble for rider Tom Chatfeild-Roberts. Evan David and Andrew Pennock landed the two-runner restricted with the seven-year-old Gamut gelding Poyntzpass.

A treble for Irish-breds at Lockinge was completed in the concluding open maiden by the Katy Lyons-partnered Spessartine, a seven-year-old gelding by Duke Of Marmalade. This was another meeting where there were small fields due to the ground but still attended by large crowds.

There were six Irish-bred winners at both Charm Park and Lydstep, young James Bowen recording a double on the 12-year-old Winged Love gelding Universal Soldier (men’s open) and the six-year-old King’s Theatre gelding Tinkers Hill Tommy (intermediate).

There were doubles for both Alex Edwards and Leanda Tickle at Eyton-On-Severn where the six-race card saw four Irish-breds oblige. The 2013 Milan gelding Pontresina won the two and a half-mile maiden for four, five and six-year-olds under his trainer Ed Glassonbury, while Fred Timmis won the concluding, closely-fought three-mile maiden on the Sheila Crow-trained Baily Smile, a six-year-old gelding by Coroner.

Ryan Withey recorded a double at Kingston St Mary where among the three Irish-bred winners was the Ed Walker-trained Punter Friendly, a nine-year-old Turtle Island gelding who landed the club members’ conditions race under Josh Newman.

There were very small fields in six races at Hackwood Park where the four Irish-bred winners included Cobjay Away. The six-year-old by Stowaway initiated a training double for Francesca Nimmo when landing the mares’ maiden by a head under Alice Stevens.

The four-runner open maiden at this Vine and Craven meeting, where there were just 19 runners from an entry of 72, was won by the eight-year-old Brian Boru gelding Mr Conductor who was ridden by Nick Meek.