Larkhill

SOMERSET-based Rose Loxton recorded a first training treble last Sunday at Larkhill which was completed in the nine-runner Connolly’s Red Mills men’s open by Shantou Flyer, one of four Irish-bred winners on the nine-race card.

The 10-year-old Shantou gelding, who was sent off the 8/11 favourite, was having his first start since finishing second in last year’s Cheltenham Foxhunters.

He was ridden on that occasion by his owner, Downpatrick-born David Maxwell, but with that London property investor was engaged at Plumpton (where he won the novices’ hurdle on his own Paul Nicholls-trained Cat Tiger), so the ride on the Tom McCarthy-bred Shantou Flyer went to Alex Cheleda.

A former conditional who only started pointing this season, Cheleda (20), who is based with Nicholls, initiated a double when landing division one of the opening conditions race on the Loxton-trained French-bred Chameron. The Co Galway-born handler then saddled the Natalie Parker-ridden Virak, another French-bred, to win the Skinner’s ladies’ open.

Multiple scorers

The following five-year-old and upwards maiden over three miles was divided with the honours in division one going to the James King-partnered newcomer Fedelta. This six-year-old Flemensfirth gelding, who is trained by Francesca Nimmo for Trevor Hemmings, is a full-brother to five winners including the multiple scorers Noble Endeavor, Minella Daddy and Planet Nine. All were bred by Robert McCarthy out of the unraced Old Vic mare Old Moon.

Eleven horses went to post for the novice rider conditions race where the winner by 30 lengths was the Sally Randell-trained 14-year-old My Murphy who was partnered by the three-year-older Albi Tufnell.

The Presenting gelding started out here with Liam Burke for whom he won a maiden at Ballynoe in April 2011. He then embarked on a track career, winning three hurdles and three chases, before returning to the point-to-point sphere in the autumn of 2017, landing an open at Templenacarriga on his second start and placing in hunters’ chases the following spring. He has proven an ideal purchase for a novice rider.

Co Meath-born Martin McIntyre got off the mark for the season in the concluding two-and-a-half-mile maiden on the Stowaway gelding Thechaseison who is trained by Chris Barber for his mother Charlotte.

The five-year-old, who was making his British debut having run four times here last spring for Sean Doyle, was bred by Christopher Maye out of the Beneficial mare Spring Flower, dam also of the three-time winner Mister Don (by Presenting).

Cottenham

THE Harkaway Club meeting which was due to be held at Chaddesley Corbett on Friday, December 27th had to be called off because of waterlogging but there were no such problems two days later at Cottenham where, on good ground, there were five Irish-bred winners on the seven-race card.

The shortest-priced of the quintet was Ravished who, as the 8/11 favourite, saw off the 33/1 chance, Knockedoutloaded, by 18 lengths in the ladies’ open. The 2008 Oscar gelding, who was ridden by Harriet Tucker, is trained by Nantwich-based Co Cork native Joe O’Shea who gave £8,000 for the bay at Ascot in May.

This was a second win from three starts this season for the Ted Kelly-bred Ravished who landed a Skinner’s ladies qualifier at this venue in November under Immy Robinson.

Also on the mark at this Cambridgeshire Harriers’ fixture was Co Offaly-born, Somerset-based bloodstock agent Tom Malone who sent out the French-bred Art Mauresque to win the 10-runner men’s open in the hands of Will Biddick. This was just a second success at the track for Biddick, the reigning and seven-time men’s champion.

Tom Ellis completed a training double when his wife, the six-time ladies’ champion Gina Andrews, landed the concluding four, five- and six-year-old maiden over two and a half miles on Oscars Fame who was having his first start for the Marton yard.

The 2014 Fame And Glory gelding was bred by the late Peter Magnier and also Co Kilkenny trainer Mags Mullins who saddled him to finish ninth of 12 in a bumper at the Punchestown Festival in May. He is out of the Oscar mare Oscars Joy who won a bumper and a maiden hurdle for the pair from just five starts.

Andrews’s brother Jack initiated the Ellis double in the restricted on the 2015 French-bred gelding Fumet D’Oudairies who was trained in Co Wexford last season by Liz Doyle. The bay, who won his maiden on his British debut at Cottenham in mid-November, was purchased by his present connections for just £800 at the Spring Sale in Doncaster last May.

The 12-runner open maiden over three miles was won by the 6/1 shot Fiddler Of Dooney, another who was making his British debut. The 2013 Yeats gelding, who is trained by James Owen and was ridden by Alex Chadwick, won by a neck from the two-year younger fellow Irish-bred Quinta do Mar.

A half-brother to the ill-fated, three-time winner Resolute Bay (by Presenting), Fiddler Of Dooney was previously trained here by Dot Love for whom he was placed three times between the flags. The bay was bred by Thomas Hayes out of the bumper-winning Good Thyne mare Anniesthyne.

The other Irish-bred winners were the 2013 Ask gelding Laser Beam (club members’ conditions race) and the 2007 Old Vic gelding Call Me Vic (Countryside Alliance club members’ novice riders conditions race).

THE first hunters’ chase of the British season took place on Tuesday at Taunton where the powerful team of trainer Philip Rowley and rider Alex Edwards claimed the honours with Wishing And Hoping.

The 10-year-old Beneficial gelding kept jumping out to his left but, in the colours of Trish Andrews, disputed or made all the running to score by five lengths from Bishops Road, with Mustmeetalady a neck back in third. The David Maxwell-owned and ridden favourite, Captain Cattisock, who disputed the lead in the early stages, was a further two lengths adrift in fourth.

Wishing And Hoping, who was bred by Brendan Murphy out of Desperately Hoping (by Un Desperado), an own-sister to the Grade 1 Drinmore Novice Chase winner Nil Desperandum, won a bumper, two hurdles and a chase when trained by Alan King. The bay, who won both his point-to-point starts in the spring, finished alone when making his seasonal debut in a 12-runner open at Ffos Las early last month.

SKY Sports Racing and ITV Racing presenter Luke Harvey is always keen to promote the sport and share his experiences of point-to-pointing with viewers.

Sadly, on Monday, while covering racing at Chepstow, Harvey had to speak of the fatal fall suffered by his Raised With Praise in the restricted the previous afternoon at Larkhill. The seven-year-old Getaway gelding, nicknamed ‘Eric’, won a maiden at the same venue early last month on his only other start for the former jockey.

“It’s amazing how attached you can get to horses,” Harvey told Mike Cattermole in the Sky Sports Racing studio. “You sort of invest a lot of emotional effort, physical effort as well. You know that they’re there to do a job but you cannot help fall in love with them and, if you’ve only got one … it was an upsetting day all round really.”