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STONERIGGS MERC: Winner of the Grey Kid Memorial Trophy
photo: Alun Sedgmore

The amazing five-year-old Findlay's Find landed the Mixed Open Race at the Countryside Alliance (Wales) meeting at Bonvilston in fine style under Nick Williams, coming home an official 12 lengths ahead of the useful ten-year-old Balearic Star and James Tudor. The remaining two runners, Cottage River and Saucy Bingo, were both pulled up.

Findlay's Find was winning for the eighth time this season and according to Williams, winner of the Welsh Riders' Championship "He jumped better than ever.'' The one time inmate of Tim Vaughan's yard could be seen out again this weekend!

Racing got under way with the four, five, six and seven-year-olds Open Maiden Race and Jodie Hughes, who has won the Welsh Ladies' Championship, survived a last fence blunder on Swaaheely Girl to win by three quarters of a length from Cardigan Island.

Owned and trained by Pontypridd's Luke Price, Swaaheely Girl, a five-year-old mare was racing for only the second time. She was described by Luke, who was saddling his fifth winner of the season, as "A bit of a b***h.'' Luke is hoping to attract more owners and expand his operation next season.

Joseph Williams, 18, of St Mellons near Cardiff, rode a cracking race on Jack Rowsell's ten-year-old Stoneriggs Merc who got up on the run-in to win by half-a-length from the favourite Ask The Thatcher and Robbie Llewellyn. A length down at the last fence, Stoneriggs Merc, a winner over the course earlier this season and who stands some 17 hands high, being a grey was an appropriate winner, earning the Grey Kid Memorial Trophy. Wyn Morris's popular Grey Kid, it will be remembered, sadly died after finishing a close second at Trecoed last season.

The eight-year-olds and over Open Maiden Race was won by Chloe Roddick's nine-year-old gelding Nosler, who took it up five fences from the finish to win by twenty lengths from Peterman and David Pritchard. Nosler was ridden for the first time by Tom David, who twenty four hours earlier had been riding in a steeplechase in France. Tom's grandfather Jim Thomas, a former leading Point-to-Point rider himself in the 1950s, was acting as a steward for the last time having served for around 30 years.

Doctor Simon Clarke's ten-year-old bay gelding Diddle'Em gave Paul Tolman his eleventh winner of the season when out-jumping his six rivals to win the Intermediate Race by eight lengths from the favourite Mac Two and James Tudor.

As there will be no more racing at the very popular venue "for a number of reasons'' says land owner Mr Tudor Harris, we can only thank him and his family for the happy memories we will have of visiting Redlands Farm for the past 15 or so years.

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