09 March 2010 Landmarks - March 6th & 7th
by Carolyn Tanner
The 2006/7 ladies' champion Claire Allen recorded her 100th victory between the flags when Skyhawk won the Ladies' Open at Garnons on Sunday. It was appropriate that Skyhawk is trained by Dick Baimbridge, who has given Claire so many winners and who later legged her up onto Restricted scorer Shernally as she set out in pursuit of her second century.
Claire runs a yard with her partner Chris Bonner, himself a former top amateur, taking in horses for pre-training and rest and recuperation, and she also has a mobile saddlery business, Berkeley Vale Saddlery.
She was runner-up in last season's Fegentri ladies' championship and has ridden winners in France (including three for Guillaume Macaire), Holland and Sweden, as well as a couple under Rules in Britain.
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Man of the weekend was Tom Weston, who recorded his first treble at Didmarton on Saturday and promptly followed up with his second at Garnons. The six winners came from seven rides, the winning sequence being interrupted only on the sixth of them when Lorikarad was beaten a whisker by Shernally.
The Sunday trio, Waynesworld in the Hunt race, Worship The Stars in the Men's Open and Abbotts Mount in a Maiden division, are all in Maz Scudamore's yard, with the first-named being Tom's 50th career success, his tally including 12 under Rules. Two of his Saturday winners, Raleagh House in the Conditions race and Ashwell Lad in the Restricted, are trained by Emma Alvis for Clive Bennett, while James Richardson's charge Charm Of Gold took one of the Maidens.
Tom rides out every morning for Richard Newland, and also works on the family arable farm in Worcestershire.
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There was a career 50 also for Tristan Davidson, whose 11 Rules successes include two as a conditional jockey. Tristan reverted to amateur status when he started to struggle to do light weights, and his 39th Point-to-Point victory came at Dalston on Saturday in the Hunt race with Aikman, one of just two he trains himself near Carlisle.
He gets up at 3.15am every day to do a milk round and also keeps 180 ewes, "So when they start lambing there'll be even less sleep," he admitted.
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Reigning South East ladies' champion Cynthia Haydon, a freelance web designer, recorded her first double at Godstone on Sunday. Little Legend, bought as an unbroken four-year-old by her father Michael, had been brought down by a loose horse at Larkhill on his previous outing, so was gaining a deserved change of fortune when taking the Hunt race.
Cynthia followed up in the Ladies' Open on the redoubtable 16-year-old Carryonharry, who finished alone after his two rivals had departed the scene some way from home. "I think he wondered where everyone had gone," she laughed.
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Susannah Andrew, 29, made a winning debut on Ask Again in the Hunt race at Charlton Horethorne on Sunday, ironically beating her mount's owner Sarah West into third place. Susannah moved to Somerset four years ago with her polo playing boyfriend Roddy Stanning and started riding out for Paul Nicholls, to whom Sarah is PA.
Susannah having said to Sarah that she'd like to have a go at racing, the friends hatched the plan for her to ride "the perfect schoolmaster" way back in October.
Although she will probably rest on her laurels this season, Susannah, who described it as "a brilliant experience," could well be back in action next year.
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There was a first success at Bishops Court on Saturday for Jack Harris, 18, who won the older horse Maiden on Rocklyn, trained by his boss Leslie Jefford. It was only the second ride for Jack, who has no racing background but who has been riding out for Leslie since he was 13. He pony raced for one season and gained further experience in the summer by riding in Arab races.
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Bishops Court was also the venue for the initial victory of Ben Clarke, 19, who took the Novice Riders' contest on Come What Augustus. Ben has been working for the horse's trainer Richard Woollacott for five months, having previously been based with Nigel Hawke for the two years after he left school.
Unlike most youngsters, whose first mount is a pony, Ben learned to ride on his mother's four-year-old thoroughbred! "I suddenly decided I'd like to get on it, and though it had me off four or five times at the start, I was hooked," he explained.
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17-year-old George Henderson, whose parents James and Lucinda both rode Point-to-Point winners, opened his account at Garthorpe on Sunday when Aztec Warrior, who was purchased as a schoolmaster for him, landed the Novice Riders' race.
George is studying for ‘A' levels in economics, maths, history and physics at Radley College and has little chance to ride out during term-time, so has to keep himself fit with running and in the gym. On the occasions he is at home he rides out at the Bealbys' yard, Antonia being Aztec Warrior's trainer.
It was a red-letter day for the Hendersons, as their home-bred Canticle followed up his Cottenham success last month with victory in the Restricted under Adam Wedge.
