23 March 2010 Landmarks: March 20th & 21st
by Carolyn Tanner
City IT Director Marcus Gorman, who celebrated his 46th birthday the previous weekend, completed a half-century between the flags when Dr Sparrow, bought as a yearling and trained by his wife Carolyn, won the Maiden at Detling on Saturday.
Marcus's first success was at Tweseldown in 1992 on Richard Russell's Arctic Paddy, but the constraints of work mean that he has confined himself for some years to riding only family-owned horses.
Opportunities for riding out are non-existent during the week, but there is no doubting Marcus's dedication. "He doesn't usually get home before 9pm," said Carolyn, "and then he goes to the gym for an hour."
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Tom Ellis, the subject of one of our Rider Profiles in February, recorded his 50th Point-to-Point success at Whitfield on Sunday when piloting Taken On Trust, trained by Jimmy Tarry, to victory in the second Maiden.
Tom's ambition is to ride 100 winners, but he is pessimistic about his prospects. "I'm already 25," he pointed out, "so I could run out of time."!!
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Claire Douglas took the outright lead in the women's national novice championship with her first double at Hackwood Park on Sunday. 20-year-old Claire, a final year property student at the Royal Agricultural College at Cirencester, won the Hunt race on Wain Mountain and the Ladies' Open on Present Oriented. On Wain Mountain she was deputising for owner Anthony Ward-Thomas, who was sidelined with a slipped disc. As the race sponsor, though, he did have the consolation of winning back some of his own prize money!
Wain Mountain is trained by Jenny Gordon, while Present Oriented, a former inmate of her husband Chris's licensed yard, was a first training success for owner Chris Chapman, the Gordons' landlord.
Claire, who ended the day unharmed after a fall with Change The Plan, rides out at the Gordons every Friday during term-time, and for Peter Mason on the other weekdays.
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Joe Tickle, 22, moved up the men's novice table with his initial double at Kilworthy on Sunday. The Confined scorer, the Tim Dennis-trained Brook Castle, was a chance ride for Joe due to the gelding's intended partner Josh Guerriero's suspension. Joe's Intermediate winner, Print The Money, who is now unbeaten in three starts between the flags, is trained by Becky Kennen, for whom Joe rode out regularly when he was at University.
Joe, whose mother Sarah is secretary for the North Cornwall meeting, is pupil-assistant with Nick Williams. Two of his charges in the yard, Reve De Sivola and James De Vassy, were placed at last week's Cheltenham Festival, while he did all the schooling with Diamond Harry prior to that one's debut over fences.
At 6'3" tall, Joe's natural weight is well above the 12 stone he is required to do in Points, so his Thursday and Friday evenings are spent in the bath sweating off the excess pounds.
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Tim Dennis had earlier legged up Lee Drowne, 18, to win the Lamerton Hunt race on Alambique, the rider's first success. It was a fine training performance by Tim, his charge having been off the track since 2007 after suffering an injury at Newton Abbot.
Lee, who is in his second season working for Colin and Karyn Heard, was at one time hoping to follow in the footsteps of his cousin, flat jockey Steve Drowne, but having grown too tall for that discipline now has his sights set on joining the jump brigade's professional ranks.
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Sarah Gould, 17, who is studying for ‘A' levels in maths, chemistry, biology and geography, opened her account on Gabor in the Hunt race at Ston Easton on Sunday. It was a happier second ride of the season for Sarah than the first had been, as she was unshipped in the paddock at Milborne St Andrew and broke her arm when coming to grief in the race itself. That was only in the middle of last month and the cast was removed earlier in the week!
Gabor was purchased inexpensively at Doncaster in August by Sarah's father John. "We were looking for an Open horse and he was one of the last ones on the day," she explained. The partnership's next outing could be at Llanvapley at Easter.
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Emma Garner, who learned her skills through the Pony Club and in pony racing, had her 16th birthday on March 14 and lost no time in making it to the winner's enclosure. Emma, who is due to sit her GCSEs in May, won Sunday's Hunt race at Welbeck on Moustique De L'Isle, a former Hurdle and Chase winner for Chris Bealby.
Emma does the schooling herself but during the week the grey is ridden every day by her grandfather David Edmunds, 72. Next on the agenda is likely to be a Ladies' Open at Easter, when Emma's weight cloth will be less burdened with lead - over two stone was required on Sunday.
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Welbeck was also the venue for the initial victory of Lizzie Harris, 29, who landed the Dodson & Horrell Novice Riders' contest on her employer Joan Tice's Teeton Dazzler, trained by Jenny Garley. It was a weekend double for Joan, whose Teeton Bollinger had dead-heated for the 4m Mixed Open at Detling the previous day under Stuart Morris.
Lizzie is a multi-talented horsewoman who hunts and team chases sidesaddle, and she also events successfully, so racing is just one of the disciplines with which she is involved. She rides solely for Joan - "I usually stick with one horse each season," she says. She has worked for Joan for five years, and breaks in the yard's youngsters, all of which are home-bred.
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Not many riders take up Pointing at the age of 48, but property developer Harry Marriott, who had ridden in a couple of charity flat races, decided that jump racing would be "a bit more fun." On just his third ride, Harry won the Confined at Saturday's fixture at Badbury Rings on his Rowdy Yeats, successful over fences when trained by Nigel Twiston-Davies.
Harry also made his first ever visit to the sales, accompanying Aiden Murphy, who made the purchase on his behalf, to Doncaster last May. Harry, who trains Rowdy Yeats himself, makes use of Emma Lavelle's nearby gallops, and has received plenty of help from Barry Fenton. He will miss his local meeting, the Tedworth, due to a skiing holiday, but aims to be back in time to ride at Lockinge on Easter Monday.
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Jonny Flook, 24, opened his account between the flags in the Dodson & Horrell Novice Riders' race at Garnons on Saturday on No Virtue, owned and trained by his uncle Steve Flook, with whom he is now based. Like buses, along came another one the following day, Jonny scoring on Glyn Slade-Jones's Go On Paddy Joe at Howick.
Jonny rode two winners on the flat for Milton Bradley before weight became a problem, and for a time he returned to Ireland, where his parents are based, breaking horses and riding out for various yards. He is hoping to turn conditional next year.
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There were first successes at Siddington for both Tom Garner and David Griffiths - see VWH Scene & Heard.
