27 April 2011 Report: Essex & Suffolk - Higham
by James Crispe
A humdinger of a dead-heat finish to the Ladies Open Race was the highlight of the Essex & Suffolk Point-To-Point at Higham on Saturday, which was held in sweltering conditions more suitable for cricket or beach volleyball.
The racecourse connections deserve congratulation for their massive efforts in watering the course to provide a safe racing surface that allowed a bumper crowd to enjoy six steeplechases.
Three of the five runners were in with a shout at the final fence in the Ladies, but an errant leap by the favourite, Ski Dazzle, left Becky Ward on Freud Bacon and Louise Allan aboard Leatherback to duel up to the winning line.
The judge was unable to split the pair meaning that the Martin Ward yard, from Rectory Farm, Sutton, near Ely, completed a double on the card with Freud Bacon, while Leatherback was the middle leg of a treble for Ampton trainer Joe Turner.
The other Ward winner came in the Restricted Race as the one-time shoddy jumper, Mister Tibus, was foot perfect over his fences and had four lengths to spare over Timmies Gone at the line. Mister Tibus is tough (he was running for the third consecutive weekend) and handles fast ground so may return for the final Higham meeting on May 7th.
The remainder of the Turner trio provided ‘his and hers' winners for the boyfriend/girlfriend combination of jockeys Ed Turner (Joe's grandson) and Rosie Thorogood.
Ed took his career tally into double figures when guiding Parrain to an easy success in the Mens Open while Rosie's eight length defeat of Bonne Noels aboard Basic Fact in the Novice Riders Race was her very first after six years of trying. Her return to the winner's enclosure was greeted by the biggest cheer of the day.
Another rider to open her Pointing account was Carey Williamson, although she has triumphed on two occasions under professional rules. Her success came aboard Satisfied in the Open Maiden and continued the superb rookie season of Wymondham-based trainer Caroline Fryer.
The Club Members Race produced a much more experienced winning pilot in the shape of Gina Andrews, who was taking her total for the season to 17 and is thus virtually assured of clinching the National Lady Riders' Championship. Mountain Emperor is trained at Chediston in Suffolk by John Ibbott.
