22 February 2010 Report: Brocklesby - Brocklesby Park
by Emma Forman
LUTIN DU MOULIN: scored follow-up success in Ladies Open
photo: Jon Hodd
The Brocklesby Point-to-Point took place on Saturday at Brocklesby Park, Habrough.
Following a sharp frost overnight a 9am inspection was held and racing was delayed by one hour. This was the only meeting in the country to survive the bad weather on Saturday. The track was in excellent condition and the official going was described as soft; 54 runners contested the seven races.
The first race on the card was the Robinson's Interiors Brocklesby Members race for which six runners went to post. Essenbee ridden by Chloe Kirkby and Travel Supreme ridden by Tom Strawson set the early pace but unfortunately both of these horses were let down by their jumping; 21-year-old Samantha Klug, riding her own horse Naturally Inspired, took the lead on the final circuit and the pair were never headed. This was Samantha's first winner in Point-to-Points and she trains the mare herself. The Nick Kent-trained Woodmaster, who was ridden by Miles Seston, had started the well-backed 6/4 favourite and finished second. The race was run in a time faster than both divisions of the Maiden race, which suggests that Woodmaster should be capable of winning at that level in future.
Newmarket based jockey Dickie Collinson had Geoff Hunter's horse Bellapais Boy in a perfect position and he jumped impeccably to finish third. Bellapais Boy doesn't appear to stay three miles so will now be aimed at a two-and-a-half mile Maiden race in a few weeks.
Samantha Klug went very close to riding a double an hour later when she lined up in the 12-runner DDM Ladies Open race on Caramia. Another mare owned and trained by Samanatha, Caramia started at 20/1 and only failed by a length to beat the Yorkshire horse, 7/2 favourite Lutin Du Moulin, who was well ridden by Anna Dawson.
Lutin Du Moulin, trained by Susan Grant for Nigel Jones, was following up a success at Witton Castle earlier in the month. The horse is a good jumper, acts on any going and will take all the beating in Ladies races this season. The useful Limerick Leader and Gemma Hutchinson were three quarters of a length away in third.
The Hutchinson family did not go away empty handed; they had earlier won the Clark Weightman Confined Hunts race with former hurdler Mendo, who was making his Point-to-Point debut.
The favourite Keen Whip was prominent early in the race for the Brader family and Mark Walford; however, Mendo took the lead on the final bend and won by three quarters of a length, with Nippy Des Mottes and Toby Greenall back in third.
Keen Whip won the Restricted race at this meeting last year and this time, once again sponsored by Nunn's Mitsubishi, the race attracted eight runners. Toby Greenall's younger brother Jake sat off the pace on the ex-Irish King Among Queens, making up ground steadily as the race progressed. King Among Queens was the 5/4 favourite and beat Chris Richardson's The Real Tom Eoin, the early leader, by two lengths. John Dawson finished third on the mare Lewesdon Duchess.
This was the first leg of a double for Jake Greenall, who followed up in the first division of the St Hugh's Hospital-sponsired Maiden race. Noble Ben, the 10/11 favourite, won by two lengths from Jake's brother Tom and Mr Gossip. The latter was closing at the finish and should soon lose his Maiden status; the same can also be said about the third, Chris Dawson's Chapman's Peak, who was a further two lengths away. This race was the fastest of the two divisions.
Paul Wiseman Electrical Contractors Ltd. sponsored division two of the Maiden race, in which Tom Greenall was riding the 10/11 favourite Brave Admiral. However, Greenall couldn't get past Holly Campbell and the eight-year-old Silver Tenor who won gamely by four lengths; Holly owns the grey Silver Patriarch gelding jointly with her father, Stuart. The third, High Heels, was having only her second run and was still in with a chance two fences from home before fading on the run in.
One of the highlights of the afternoon came in the Singleton Birch Mens Open race, in which the 2008 Cheltenham Foxhunter winner Amicelli got back to winning ways. Ridden by Toby Greenall, Amicelli recorded the fastest time of the day when beating four rivals; Stuart Morris, riding Joan Tice's Teeton Bollinger, made a race of it and Amicelli had to work hard in the closing stages.
The next meeting at Brocklesby Park is the South Wold on Saturday 13th March, first race 12.30pm. The next meeting in the Midlands Area is the Blankney Point-to-Point at North Carlton on Sunday 28th February, first race 12 noon.
