06 April 2010 Preview: Devon & Cornwall Area
by Lucy Johnson & Granville Taylor
The two fixtures in the Devon & Cornwall Area this coming are the Eggesford at Upcott Cross on Sunday and the rescheduled East Cornwall at Great Trethew 24 hours earlier.
Upcott Cross is the venue for Sunday's meeting in the Devon & Cornwall area and the track has received plenty of entries to ensure good racing will be the order of the day. More than 140 horses have been entered in seven races which get underway at 1pm.
Feature on the card is the four mile Devon National Mixed Open. Among the 15 entries are the Richard Barber-trained Brown Cockle who won the race in 2008, Come What Augustus who recorded his fifth win of the season at Trebudannon on Easter Monday and Cothelstone Open winner King's Wood.
The Eggesford Members race kicks off the card and Meilyr is sure to popular in the market following his Maiden win at Ottery St Mary. He has since run fifth at Kilworthy but it was a hot looking race and he could well be back to his best on a flat track.
The Intermediate, a qualifier for the Exeter Racecourse final which is held at the track on Ladies night on May 4, has a thoroughly competitive look to it and entries include Pendoun, who won the Restricted at Kilworthy, the Jackie Du Plessis-trained Jay Jay Valentine, who has done nothing but impress in his two wins this season, and Charlotte Budd's Think On This, whose form has a solid look to it.
Print the Money is entered in the Confined race for novice riders and he's sure to go close. Three starts have yielded three wins for the Becky Kennen-trained seven-year-old and with Joe Tickle riding out of his skin this season they'll be a warm order in the market.
The Restricted has attracted its usual competitive entry including The Stormy Lady Partnership's My Nicole, a winner at Great Trethew, Ottery St Mary winner Deb's Dasher, highly regarded by her trainer Richard Woollacott, and her stablemate What Er Say who won on his debut at Cothelstone in March.
The Maiden has been divided and entries include Magic Marmalade, a beaten favourite at Black Forest Lodge last month, as well as Jopera and Delta Borget who both look progressive.
The course is situated 2m south of Halwill Junction off the A3079 postcode EX21 5AE. Fill your car for £20, go on your own for £10 and enjoy an array of tradestands, catering, a licensed bar and of course the racing.
A total of 117 entries have been received for the seven races at the East Cornwall fixture at Great Trethew this Saturday, April 10 when there will be a break at 4.15pm for the running of the Grand National. The Open Maiden for four to seven-year-olds has already been divided, with 18 nominations in each division. The meeting gets under way with the first section of the Maiden at 1.30pm and Cornish Ice may prove good enough on the strength of his good run behind My Nicole on this track last month. Cock of the Rock has improved with every race and can get off the mark in the other Maiden division.
A clash between useful mares Theatre Diva and Carrie On would be quite a spectacle in the Ladies Open. Theatre Diva has impressed by winning twice at Larkhill already this season, and Carrie On took the scalp of Southwestern under champion jockey Polly Gundry at Ottery St Mary last month.
The Men Open is another intriguing contest: King's Wood was given a good ride by Darren Edwards to win at Cothelstone, but Come What Augustus may be better suited by the conditions here. This eight-year-old has an unbeaten hat trick to his credit this term and stays really well.
There is plenty of future potential on show in the Restricted which has 25 entries. Bowntobebad looked a smart prospect when scoring on his racecourse debut at Black Forest, but that form could be suspect. The lightly raced mare My Nicole is sure to improve from her course victory in February, a remark which also applies to Fountains Cloud, who demolished his eleven opponents over the same two and a half miles trip that day, and should be just as effective over this longer distance. Lord Raspberry was behind Fountains Cloud on that occasion and went on to score at Buckfastleigh. He is getting the hang of things and could be dangerous here, whilst Stitchnick proved his ability to stay three miles when winning at Wadebridge.
The Welsh trained Victor Merlyn has made limited appearances since winning his Irish Maiden but could be of interest in the Intermediate. This half brother to Grand National winner Hedgehunter was off the course for nearly two years after winning his Restricted, but shaped well enough on his recent re-appearance. High Spirits was also successful in his Irish Maiden and caught the eye on his first run in this country at Ottery recently.
The course at Great Trethew is located near Menheniot, one mile south of the A38, three miles SE of Liskeard. PL14 3PZ. Admission costs £20 per car and occupants with a concession for a single driver. Food and drinks will be available and the hillside gives a panoramic view of the course .
