News

LITTLE ROCKER: (farside) registered his first Pointing win in the Mixed Open
photo: Sweet Photography

The Flint & Denbigh meeting between the flags at Bangor-on-Dee brought the curtain down on another successful season in the North Western area. The rain beforehand had put a lot of people off coming, but the meeting itself remained mainly dry and those that stayed away missed a cracking day's racing to finish off the season.

The Mixed Open was the feature race on the card and was won by Little Rocker under Ben Furnival, who held on gamely by half a length from Optimistic Harry. The gelding was providing Shifnal trainer Roy Smart with his first winner of the season. The winner is owned by Bernard Perkins, who used to have the horse in training under Rules with Mark Pitman and Carl Llewyllyn before sending him to Smart two seasons ago.

The Confined race was won by the Sheila Crow-trained Enter Paradise, who stayed on well under Richard Burton to take up the running at the last fence, winning going away by three lengths from the long time leader Keeverfield under Sam Drake. The winner ran in the well known colours of owner Richard French who has had plenty of winners with the trainer over the years. Crow holds the winner in high regard and said "he wants to learn to jump and he will be a much better horse, but he is a battler and never knows when he is beaten. He will improve a lot next year and is a completely different horse than when I first bought him out of a field in Cork."

There was a cracking finish to the PPORA Club Members race for Novice Riders, between No Virtue under Rob Jarrett and Le Seychellois with Joe Proctor in the plate. The former prevailed by half a length and despite finishing runner up Le Seychellois managed to secure the Champion Horse in the area title, beating Enter Paradise by a point. Hewitt will not be training next season as he has sold his training yard in Anglesey.

The winner is owned and trained at Shobdan by Steve Flook. Speaking after the race he said "I was not worried about the runner up rallying because I knew she would pick up again. I am hoping that she is in foal to Black Sam Bellamy, who used to be trained by Aiden O'Brien. I was going to call it a day with here after today, but I will probably run her twice more now."

Yorkshire trainer David Easterby likes coming to Bangor and he had another winner at the North Wales course after Attrapeur recorded his second win at the course in the Restricted. The son of Raintrap came with a perfectly judged run under Jake Greenall to take up the running at the last fence and win cosily by three lengths from Whitepark Legend. Bythehokey was a further 15 lengths back in third. The winner was bought last October by Greenall's father Lord Daresbury and sold to joint owners Angela Norton and Ben Hinchliss.

The Open Maiden race went to Beau Troubadour who was very confidently ridden by Jeremy Mahot, who took up the running two fences from home and won eased down by a couple of lengths from the long time leader Tough Cookie. He's A Hawker finished well in third a length away. The winner used to be trained at Bromyard by Sally Sayce until joining Sarah Jayne-Davies at Leominster three months ago. The winner is owned jointly by Sayce and George Sirrell from Bromyard, who bought the horse at the Ascot Sales last year.

The two and a half mile Maiden was won in impressive style by Sternenzelt, who won with insulting ease under Johnny England by 12 lengths hard held from Accessallareas. The winner is trained at Stratford-on-Avon by Michael Gates, who took out a permit to train under Rules ten days ago. Gates said that his charge had been dogged by niggling injuries since he was second at Cheltenham two years ago.

The final race of the 2009/10 season in the North Western Area was the PPORA Club Conditions race for eight-year-olds and upwards, which went to the Lady Susan Brooke trained The Hairy Mutt. Cleverly ridden by John Mathias, who kidded the horse throughout the race, he won cheekily by three lengths from Shraden Edition who ran a cracking race in second. The Owner/Trainer said afterwards that she bought the horse, who used to be trained by Evan Williams, at the November Ascot Sales.

Back to Top