19 February 2008 Dumfriesshire & Stewarty - Netherby Park
Minouchka: warrants respect
155 entries have been made for the Dumfriesshire & Stewartry Point-to-Point this Sunday, February 24th, with the first of seven races getting underway at 12.30pm.
Racegoers may have the rare chance to see a potential Cheltenham Festival challenger in action if Sleeping Night lines up for the Mens Open at 3.05pm. The twelve-year-old, who famously won the Foxhunters in 2005 for Paul Nicholls, is now in the care of Northumberland-based Adam and Simon Waugh, and he showed he had lost none of his old sparkle when landing a Hunter Chase at Kelso nine days ago. Despite that victory, he still needs one more win in order to be eligible for this year's Festival, and this weekend's race is his very last chance to qualify before entries close on Tuesday. However, he does have some strong opposition to dispatch if his connections' Cheltenham dreams are to come to fruition. Amongst Sleeping Night's potential rivals are his recent Friars Haugh conqueror Behavingbadly, impressive Musselburgh winner Belem Ranger, and former smart performers Eskimo Jack and Mr Woodentop.
The Ladies Open, at 2.30pm, has attracted a healthy entry of 29. Three horses that finished behind Sleeping Night at Kelso are all entered - namely Interdit, Robbers Glen and Jacksonville. The first named is an admirably consistent sort in Ladies Opens and looks sure to go close, but the Val Jackson owned and ridden Robbers Glen may be the one that will take all of the beating - he didn't enjoy the regulation fences at Kelso nine days ago but is a most progressive performer in Points and really caught the eye when scoring at Thorpe a few weeks ago. The smart Minouchka was due to run in a Hunter Chase at Sedgefield earlier in the week. That meeting was lost to the weather, so she too would merit the utmost respect if she were to be re-diverted here.
Elsewhere on a competitive looking card, recent Maiden winners Always Right and One More Look appear to be the pick of the 25 entrants for the opening Restricted race, while there are some familiar local names entered up in the closing Northern Point-to-Point Association Club Members race including recent winners Farlington and Lady Brig, plus the tough and consistent veteran Wise Man.
Admission costs £10 per person, which includes a free racecard.
