QH POINT-TO-POINT at GARTHORPE on Sunday 27th April [report by Emma Forman] Claire Lomas was guest of honour at the Quorn Point- to- Point where she was signing copies of her book “Finding My Feet” and raising funds for the Nicholls Spinal Injury Foundation. Claire was paralysed in a riding accident in 2007 and spoke on the P.A. about her life before and after her injuries. On the track where Brian Crawford and his team had done an excellent job to produce “good” ground during the recent dry spell, leading horse Palypso De Creek made a winning return following a six week break in the Robert Whowell & Partners Ladies Open race. Gerald Bailey’s Quinsman ridden by Lutie Akinci kept tabs on the winner for much of the race but had no answers when the eleven year old quickened away leaving the back straight. “He’s been waiting for suitable ground and was raring to go today.” Said winning trainer Jill Dawson. This was a repeat of his 2013 success at this meeting and followed two Hunter Chase wins earlier in the season and a Ladies Open win at Brafield in March. This race qualified the winner for the £10000 AGA Ladies Open Point- to- Point Championship Final Hunter Chase at Stratford on 30th May. Rider Claire Hart didn’t have to wait long for a first ever riding double on a horse she trains; Kazuri Kate in the Kite Construction Restricted race. Owned by Claire’s Uncle Simon and Janet and Robert Bartlett, the six year old mare had won her Maiden about six weeks ago and is progressing the right way. “There will be a party tonight.” Said Simon Hart in the winner’s enclosure. Kazuri Kate was eight lengths ahead of the second horse Mouse Back Brown and Dickie Barrett. The feature race the Shouler & Son Quorn Gold Cup Men’s Open race over the extended three and a half mile was contested by just three runners but was an exciting contest nevertheless. The 2013 winner Gun Money looked all set for a repeat, however, Say No had other ideas. With a change to the usual tactics, Say No was held up but still managed to put in one customary bad mistake, this time at the Open ditch however he made up ground late on and just pounced on the line to beat Gun Money by a head. “We didn’t know if he would stay but we had the dam Arcady and when she stopped winning from the front Richard Mullen decided to hold her up. I wasn’t very happy at the time but it worked; she won a big handicap at Newmarket and we decided to see if the same thing would work here and it has.” Said the winning owner James Henderson. Always Roses was third for the Henderson family in the opening Prestwold Hall Garthorpe Hunt Club Member’s Condition’s race. This was an exciting race with Valance and eventual winner Colonial Boy upsides at the last fence. Colonial Boy went on up the run in and won by six lengths ridden by Pete Mann. Trained by Lucy Kemplay near Market Harborough, the six year old was winning for the third time this season on what was his final start of the campaign. “There will be a nice end of season party now for the Manor House Racing Club.” Said Lucy Kemplay. With two more races to go in this Garthorpe series the Belvoir are still in the lead; the winning Garthorpe Hunt will be presented with a £500 cash prize at the Meynell meeting in May. Following a first ever riding double at Thorpe on Easter Monday, Tom Strawson went one better with a first ever treble on Sunday starting with Panama Canal in the Coppice Homes Midlands Area Club Member’s race. Although there were only three runners, tactics came into play with Strawson holding on to the nine year old in the early part of the race before making up ground with four fences to run and going on to win by nine lengths. “The horses look well and Tom is riding well now”. Said winning trainer Simon Robinson. Strawson appeared to be on the Tarratt stable’s second string when taking the mount on Quirky Kirky in the William Hercock Builder’s Merchants Open Maiden race with the more fancied Tarratt runner Ardea being ridden by Jack Day. In the end just two and a half lengths split the pair with Liz Inman and Tim Tarratt delighted by the result. A false start preceded the final Motorpoint Four, Five, Six and Seven year olds Open Maiden race over two and a half miles where all but two of the eleven entries went to post. Clondaw Island set up a seemingly unassailable lead, however Strawson rode a patient race on the mare Shinrock Pearl, making up ground after the third last and going on to win by half a length. Both Strawson and Shinrock Pearl are sponsored by AGHAUL Ltd Haulage Contractors and Shinrock Pearl is owned by Midlands Area Press Officer Emma Forman who had attended a family christening in the morning en route to Garthorpe. “I am not in a position to train a horse myself and Marti Mulhall trains for me because whenever I get to go into Yorkshire to visit my horse it always looks just how I would want it to look if a could keep it myself.” She said of her second winner as an owner. Tom Strawson was greeted by Simon Robinson who sprayed him with champagne as he dismounted in the winner’s enclosure. Shinrock Pearl was purchased for £2500 at Doncaster August sales in 2012; she is by King’s Theatre and from the family of Bacchanal and ultimately her future will be as broodmare.
Posted on: Mon, 28 Apr 2014 09:04:16 +0000