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BORDER FUSION: 'Bit of a monkey' but owners hoping for Festival visit
photo: Phil Britt

Trainer Gary Hanmer took the honours at Cottenham on the season's opening day, travelling two horses from his Cheshire base and capturing the spoils with both.

The 2-9 favourite Border Fusion duly landed the odds in the Men's Open, coming home alone after both his rivals had crashed out of the race by the 16th. He was a 25th birthday success for Will Telfer, who would have preferred his mount to have had some company for a bit longer. "He goes right-handed as soon as he hits the front, so he's easier to ride in an 18-runner race," explained Will, whose breeches were carrying the logo of his new sponsor, event photographers 1st Class Images, owned by former rider Henry Kinchin.

"He's a bit of a monkey," confessed Steve Edkins, who co-owns Border Fusion with Jim Barry and Laurence Shaw, and who is hoping that the 12-year-old might make the Cheltenham Foxhunters' line-up in March, a race he had to miss this year after suffering a setback.

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"It's better than you get at HSBC!" Gary finds something positive to say about the starting price!

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There was a lengthy delay to the resumption of racing while the riders of both fallers were taken to hospital.

Stuart Higgins, who was knocked unconscious and suffered convulsions when Barton Park came down, has been allowed home after a brain scan. His current feeling of unsteadiness is, he has been told, entirely normal after his injury, so doubtless he will itching to get back in the saddle sooner rather than later!

Freddie Mitchell was detained for slightly longer, but after coming through all the necessary tests with flying colours he was due home either on Monday night or Tuesday morning. He had been due to travel to Newmarket from Cottenham in readiness to attend a Category ‘B' course, a venture which has obviously had to be postponed, and he will also, said his father Philip, miss out on some nice rides at Barbury this weekend.

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Gary's second winner came in the 3m Maiden with Joanne Williams's The Recovery, whose pilot Josh Hamer was given just one set of instructions - "Keep him upright at all costs!"

"He's a little firecracker," reported Gary of his charge, who had dropped his trainer twice on the day he arrived at the yard. "He tries to go a shade quicker than you want him to, so he wears a ring bit to help his jockey. He takes his work well so he may go to Whitfield next, but the plan is to come back here anyway for the meeting on December 31, along with Border Fusion and one or two others."

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Josh, whose 21st birthday is coming up on December 7, now works full-time for Gary after a spell with Donald McCain. He is no stranger to Cottenham success, having scored his initial victory at the track on Thegalleryman three years earlier.

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The fast ground kept runners to a minimum, but Gary was in doubt as to the condition of the track. "It's firm, but it's in good order," he said. "It's level, with a good covering of grass, and the beauty of it is that it's consistent, not changeable as you get with watered ground."

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One who relished the going was She Is A Cracker, who took a fearsome hold in the early stages before landing the PPORA Club Members in the hands of the promising George Gorman, 16. "I didn't think she was fit enough," admitted George's mother Carolyn, who uses Gary Moore and Nick Gifford's gallops and also has access to the South Downs. She is keen for the mare to make the most of the quick conditions while they last and has entered her for Barbury.

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George, who worked for Gary Moore and Roger Charlton in the summer, is studying for ‘A' levels in PE, biology, chemistry and economics at Collyers College in Horsham, close to home, but despite his academic ability he has his sights set on becoming a jockey. "If it's up to mum my education will get in the way, but if it's up to me it won't!" he stressed!

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The favourite for this race, Timeshift, was well behind from flagfall until pulling up just after halfway, and jockey Dave Mansell's explanation, that he was never travelling, was accepted by the stewards.

This apart, the officials had an easy afternoon. Chief Steward Richard Wilson made sure all the jockeys were briefed with regard to the whip rules, and no problems arose.

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There was a happier end to the day for Timeshift's trainer Zoe Hammond and owner Don Constable when Bobowen, with Dave in the saddle, took the closing Brightwells four and five-year-olds 2m4f Maiden. Don jointly owns Bobowen with Val Hodges, who was given her share as a birthday present from her fiancé Martin Rice. She will think racing is an easy game, as it was her first runner with her first ever horse.

"When Dave came to ride him at home he described him as a ******* jet plane," said Zoe, whose delight was somewhat tempered by the thought that her husband Mike, who has a full licence, was going to steal the five-year-old to run under Rules. "We'll probably fight all the way home!" she smiled.

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Bedrock Fred's debut between the flags was earmarked for Cottenham last season, but a lorry malfunction en route meant he missed the engagement. On this occasion the journey from Wiltshire went so smoothly that owner-trainer-breeder (and box driver) El Tanner was able to park up before reaching the course in order that the excitable five-year-old would not have much time to hang around before the race.

Unfortunately her best-laid plans were thrown into disarray by the 45-minute delay caused by the aforementioned injuries, but although ‘Fred' was thoroughly worked up by the time he entered the paddock it made no difference to his performance. Making all the running, he put in a near-faultless round of jumping to cruise home under Rob Jarrett in the fastest time of the day.

Rob, who was formerly based with Alan King but now works for Steve Flook, finished third in last season's national novice championship. He was paying a first visit to Cottenham and was deputising for Bedrock Fred's regular partner Sam Painting, who was banned for a whip offence.

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Enthusiastic though Bedrock Fred is when working, he is also placid enough for El's son Ben, a year younger than the chestnut, to be able to ride him in the indoor school. He is the only Pointer in the yard at El's Flintstone Stud (those with any knowledge of the cartoon series will get the connection....), where she breeds horses for the flat.

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One of the first on hand to offer congratulations to El was Neville King, to whom the winning colours were very familiar. Neville trained Kula, owned by El's mother Carolyn, to win nine races, the first of which was a Maiden at Cottenham in 1984.

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AGA are once again generously supporting the Ladies' Open series, and this year there is an added dimension to their sponsorship. Riders will score points in both the 28 qualifiers for the Cheltenham final, plus a further 22 selected races, with an AGA ‘Total Control' cooker going to the winning jockey.

First blood in the series went to former flat apprentice Rachel King, who set off in front on the former Chase winner Zanzibar Boy, and was never headed. The grey is trained for Rob Fanshawe by his wife Karrie who, mindful of the wintry conditions which hit the sport early last term, was determined to make a prompt start to the campaign in case the weather once again intervened.

"He's a bit of a worrier and didn't settle last season," said Karrie. "He needs jumping on a loose rein, and Rachel's the only one who's prepared to ride him like that. None of the other jockeys I used would do it."

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"He sings and I shine the lights on him." Rob, who works backstage, explains that the common denominator with Rachel's father Chris is the Old Berks Hunt pantomime!

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Alice White will not have fond memories of her first ride, nor of the meeting generally. The 16-year-old, who is Freddie Mitchell's girlfriend, was unseated at the first ditch in the Ladies' Open, and was still down by the time the runners came round again. It was feared at first that she might have broken her leg, but she was found to be nothing worse than battered and bruised.

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