THE reigning, and multiple, Fuller’s men’s champion, Will Biddick, became the first British amateur to record 500 successes, between point-to-points and track races in Ireland and Britain, when landing the mares’ maiden at Chipley Park on Sunday, January 26th.

Biddick’s record-achieving mount was the six-year-old Flemensfirth mare Minella Beag who was having her third start, and first this season, for trainer Ed Walker. The bay was bred in Co Tipperary by John Nallen out of the Definite Article mare, Minella Lady.

Biddick (33) had initiated a double in the restricted on the British-bred Sylvies Dance, which he trains himself, while he saddled two other winners in the Mariah McGuinness-ridden Emperor Renard (intermediate) and the Ella Orttewell-partnered Silsol (novice riders’ conditions race). Emperor Renard was one of four Irish-bred winners on the seven-race card at this Tiverton Foxhounds’ meeting. The final one was the Chris Barber-trained, Martin McIntyre-ridden Le Tueur who landed the open maiden as the 2/1 favourite. Another by Flemensfirth, this five-year-old, who was trained here last season by Liam Kenny, was bred by Gregg Stafford out of the Barathea mare, Golden Odyssey.

Irish-bred

Six of the winners at Cocklebarrow that afternoon were Irish-bred including the Linda Delahooke-owned and trained Risky Gold, who brought up a double for Liam Harrison in the restricted.

Both maiden winners carried an IRE suffix. The Golden Rebel, who won the two-and-a-half-miler for younger horses for trainer Julie Wadland and rider Sam Lee, is a six-year-old Gold Well gelding. The former track performer Panic And Run (by Roderic O’Connor), who ran away with the seven-year-old and upwards maiden over three miles, was a first runner as a trainer for former jockey, Willie Twiston-Davies, and a first winner for rider Finn Lambert.

The four Irish-bred winners on the six-race card at Higham included the 10-year-old Court Cave gelding Just Cause whose victory in the men’s open initiated a double for rider Rupert Stearn and trainer James Owen.

There were also six races and a quartet of Irish-bred winners at Thorpe Lodge. The middle leg of a treble for Jack Andrews came on the Milan gelding King Of The Clothe, who finished alone in the men’s open, while the hat-trick came up in the concluding three-mile maiden on the Stuart Morris-trained Minella Wizard. The latter, a five-year-old Shirocco gelding, won by four and a half lengths from the odds-on favourite Mammoth who was ridden by Andrews’s sister Gina.

She had earlier landed the restricted on the seven-year-old Dubai Destination gelding Dubai Quest who is trained by her husband Tom Ellis, as is King Of The Clothe.

There were three Irish-bred winners on the seven-race card at Friars Haugh including Dream Over who brought up a treble for rider Nick Orpwood and a double for trainer Victoria McKie in the two-and-a-half-mile maiden. Another five-year-old by Shirocco, this mare is out of Wicket Maiden (by Tiger Hill).

The 11-year-old Presenting gelding Killer Crow provided rider Kit Alexander with the first leg of a double when winning the men’s open.