IN addition to a full evening of hunter chase action at Fontwell on Thursday, May 16th, there were five other hunters’ chases throughout Britain since this column last appeared, up to including Tuesday past.

At that Fontwell fixture, six of the seven races were won by Irish-bred horses, the odd one out being the French-bred Monsieur Gibraltar who brought up a four-timer of hunter chase successes since being purchased by Downpatrick amateur rider David Maxwell.

The eight-year-old Spirit One gelding is trained for the London-based property investor by Irish-born Rose Loxton who also sent out the six-year-old Presenting gelding Earth Leader to win the maiden race over the same trip in the hands of Kanturk’s Bryan Carver. Those two winners were sent off favourite for their respective races as were three of the other five.

Mixed luck

Maxwell, who is closing in on a first amateur men’s National Hunt title, had mixed luck over the previous two days.

On Tuesday, May 14th, at Southwell, he landed the extended two-and-a-half-mile hunters’ chase on the Philip Hobbs-trained Ballotin, a French-bred eight-year-old who is by Enrique and out of a Jimble mare.

The following afternoon, the enthusiastic amateur was at Newton Abbot where he was beaten into second on his David Christie-trained Road To Riches in the hunters’ chase won by the Paul Nicholls-trained Old Vic gelding Southfield Vic. However, it wasn’t a wasted journey for Maxwell as, again in his own colours, he won the extended novices’ hurdle on the Hobbs-trained Shantou gelding Dolphin Square.

On Wednesday, May 8th, the hunters’ chase at Kelso was won by the 11-year-old Milan gelding Greensalt, while, a week later at Perth, the three-miler went to the similarly-aged Westerner gelding Mr Mecurial.

On Tuesday just past, the evening’s hunter chase at Huntingdon went to another 11-year-old, the Saffron Walden gelding Saffron Wells.

OVER the weekend of Saturday and Sunday, May 11th and 12th, there were eight point-to-point meetings in Britain, split evenly over the two days.

On course to land a sixth ladies’ title, and, perhaps, break the overall record number of wins recorded in a season, Gina Andrews rode doubles on both afternoons.

Her Saturday brace came at Peper Harow where all six winners were Irish-bred. Andrews landed the ladies’ open on the Martin Wanless-trained Millenary gelding Big Man Doe and the concluding conditions race with Nigel Padfield’s Knockedoutloaded, an 11-year-old gelding by Beneficial.

On the Sunday, Andrews was at Kingston Blount where, in spite of the watered ground being described as good, there was a poor turn-out for the seven races.

The four Irish-bred winners included the two horses who walked over, the four-year-old Arcadio gelding Go Get That in the younger horses’ maiden and the 15-year-old Rashar gelding Ravethebrave in the hunt members’ race.

Recorded a four-timer

Also on the Sunday, Darren Edwards was the man to follow at Trebudannon in Cornwall where he recorded a four-timer on the seven-race card, partnering three of the five Irish-bred winners.

Three of his winners were trained by Dean Summersby including Thewinnertakeitall who landed the concluding open maiden. The seven-year-old Definite Article gelding is out of the Roselier mare Kinsellas Rose.

Fermoy-born Shane Quinlan finished second in that maiden but had earlier landed the Jockey Club mares’ maiden over two and a half miles on the British-bred Tara Snipe.

Will Biddick, who notched up a double at Holnicote on Saturday, kept his seasonal tally ticking over when landing the opening maiden for younger horses over the same trip on the Ed Walker-trained Vincs Vinnie, a six-year-old by Vinnie Roe out of You’re A Native (by Saddlers’ Hall).

Over that weekend, there were doubles also for Ben Jones at Lower Machen on Saturday, for Jess Bedi at Sunday’s fixture in Easingwold (where five of the six winners were Irish-bred) and for Jack Tudor and Dale Peters at Garthorpe on the Sunday.

The going was given as good-to-soft at Saturday’s meeting in Chaddesley Corbett but none of the six races had more than five runners. Reigning champion trainer, Philip Rowley, and current men’s champion rider, Alex Edwards, combined to land the concluding four-runner maiden over three miles with The Odissey, a four-year-old gelding by September Storm out of the Lahib mare Like A Bolt. There was a first success for the team of owner/trainer/show horse producer Loraine Homer and her rider son Harry when Black Jack Rover landed the club members’ race for novice riders at that Wheatland meeting. Sadly the pair lost the 10-year-old Vinnie Roe gelding last weekend at Edgcote due to a severed tendon.

Lorraine and Harry are daughter and grandson of noted horseman David Tatlow who is now very much involved in the Irish showing scene and last week was on hand to witness the supreme hunter championship success at Balmoral Show of the Daphne Tierney-owned, Jane Bradbury-ridden Bloomfield Aristocratic.

Carver and O’Brien among the winners

WOMEN riders were to the fore at Hexham last Saturday as they partnered five of the seven winners at this Haydon Hunt meeting, six of whom were Irish-bred.

These included the Lesley Coltherd-trained Dutch Canyon who landed the five-runner open maiden under Lucy Brown. The nine-year-old Craigsteel gelding is out of the Lord Of Appeal mare Chitabe.

Also on Saturday, there were doubles for both Ben Jones and Zac Baker at Bredwardine where five of the seven winners carried an IRE suffix. Baker’s second success came in the Jockey Club mares’ maiden on the James Ridley-trained favourite Cashmoll, a six-year-old Ask bay who is out of the Witness Box mare Witness Daughter.

There were two Irish-bred winners on Sunday’s seven-race card at Bratton Down where none of the 10 entries in the opening younger horses’ maiden were declared and there was a walkover in the conditions race.

Seventeen-year-old Jack Tudor moved on to the 22-win mark with a treble while Kanturk’s Bryan Carver added to his seasonal tally of winners when the Mike Vanstone-trained Presenting gelding Lawsons Thorns won the restricted by 10 lengths from the favourite, Ichifoot.

All seven winners at Edgcote were bred in Ireland. Gina Andrews and Nathan Rahman recorded doubles at this Grafton Hunt fixture where the six-runner maiden was won by the Francesca Nimmo-trained 11/10 favourite, Hereditary Rule. Ridden by Co Galway native Tommie O’Brien, the four-year-old Imperial Monarch gelding is out of the Supreme Leader mare, Miss Ogan.

Five of the seven winners at Tabley were Irish-bred including the Hannah Mahon-trained seven-year-old Scorpion gelding An Scairp who initiated a double for Jack Andrews when landing the two-and-a-half-mile mixed open as the 4/7 favourite.

Huw Edwards also recorded a double at this Knutsford Races Club meeting on the Irish-bred pair Duke Arcadio (conditions race) and Rules Of War (restricted). Edwards rode the seven-year-old Wareed gelding Rules Of War for trainer Caroline Robinson whose daughter Immy missed the second half of the season having fractured her tibia in a fall with the same horse at Garthorpe in March. She is now back riding.

WILL Biddick, who was the British men’s champion for six years running until losing the title to Alex Edwards last season, further extended his lead over that rival in this year’s championship race when landing a treble at the mid-week meeting at Cothelstone on Wednesday, May 15th.

Biddick’s third success came in the concluding nine-runner open maiden on the Charlotte Budd-trained Taken By Force, a six-year-old Millenary gelding who is out of the Old Vic mare Along Came Polly. Fermoy’s Shane Quinlan claimed the five-runner men’s open on the Robert Hawker-trained, British-bred gelding Jack Snipe.