25 January 2012 Preview: Midlands Area Club - Thorpe Lodge
by Emma Foreman
WILD IS THE WIND: Course winner looking to tackle Mens Open
photo: Mark Fettes
The Midlands Area Club Point-to-Point takes place on Sunday at Thorpe Lodge near Newark.
The first race on the card is the Castle Rock Brewery Area Club Members race for the Mark Ashton Memorial Trophy. George Henderson has a good chance of taking this race with either Always Roses or More Than Hopeful. Always Roses won a Maiden and Restricted race last season when only a four-year-old and improvement can be expected from this homebred mare. More Than Hopeful is a course winner at Thorpe. The 13-year-old Killard Point is very consistent and can be relied upon to run a good race.
The Henderson duo also hold entries in the second race on the card, the Intermediate race which is a qualifier for the £7,000 3m1½f Connolly's Red Mills Intermediate Point to Point Championship Final Hunter Chase at Cheltenham on Wednesday 2nd May. Joan Tice's progressive mare Teeton Coral should run well and Gold Cup-winning jockey Sam Waley-Cohen may arrive by helicopter to take the mount on Any The Wiser. This horse won a Club Members Conditions Race at Chaddesley Corbett at the end of December.
Dodson & Horrell sponsor the Novice Riders race, this contest is confined to jockeys who at the beginning of the season had ridden 3 winners or less. Midlands Area leading trainer Gerald Bailey has the classy former chaser Arnold Layne entered and he should give Tom McClory a good ride. Limerick Leader, now a 14-year-old, won three Point-to-Points last season for the Hutchinsons before changing hands. Tom Chatfield-Roberts will take the ride on Sunday. Another rider to take note of is Frederick Henderson who is George Henderson's younger brother and may ride The Luder in this race or the next race; the Men's Open race.
Another former Hutchinson horse Wild Is The Wind is set to line up in the Philip Andrew sponsored Mens Open race. Wild Is The Wind was purchased by Alice Vaughan-Jones last summer and will be ridden by her son Alex. However, Black Forest Lodge winner Cedrus Libani will take all the beating. Angela Rucker's gelding has the Lady Dudley Cup as his main target in 2012 and may take this race en-route.
The Sharp Nutrition Restricted race has attracted 42 entries and may divide on the day. Local trainer Antonia Bealby's Ampton winner Roi De Garde may be able to take this race. Others to note include Sam Waley-Cohen's possible mount Rumbavu and Richard Bower's Karintino who is a half-sister to Thorpe course specialist Pennytino.
D& M Barthorpe Electrical Contractors are kindly sponsoring the Ladies Open race. Heather Kemp has Gidam Gidam entered. Now a 10-year-old Gidam Gidam is the winner of over £80,000 in prize money under Rules before losing his form and Ladies Open races could well suit this horse. Killard Point and Teeton Coral may prefer this race than their earlier options and Angela Rucker has the choice of Petit Lord, Qozak and Sagalyrique.
69 entries have been taken for the concluding Maiden race which is likely to divide on the day. The NFU are kindly sponsoring this event.
This is the first of two race meetings scheduled at the course in 2012. Thorpe Lodge is situated four miles south west of Newark, near the A46 and 5 miles from the A1. For satellite navigation systems the postcode is NG23 5PY, however please note the road layout has changed since last year. If you are travelling from the south via the new A46 ignore the signs to Thorpe and continue to the new roundabout. From there follow the sign to Farndon then take the first left signed for Hawton and Cotham. From the north follow the sign for Farndon from the new roundabout, then take the first left signed Hawton and Cotham. There is an excellent car park at Thorpe Lodge that allows good viewing and is also the ideal place for a picnic. Admission is £10.00 per person with children under 16 free. Please note that owing to a large entry of 240, the first race time in now 11am and subsequent races will be run at 30 minute intervals. The Restricted and Maiden races are very likely to divide on the day.
For going updates and meeting information, call Talking Point on 09068 44 60 61. For a list of entries via fax, call 09068 44 99 88. All calls cost 61p/min plus network extras.
