23 March 2008 North Staffordshire - Sandon
Christy Beamish: took the Area Feature Race
Yesterday's North Staffordshire meeting at Sandon, Nr Stone, was very much one for the diehards. It was a bitterly cold afternoon, with the odd snow shower thrown in for good measure. The wintry conditions resulted in a much smaller crowd than normal, but those that stayed away missed a really good day's racing.
The meeting staged the Area Feature Race - the Scally Muire Ladies Open worth £500 in prize money. It was fitting, therefore, that the contest should be won by the class horse in the race Christy Beamish, who was not extended under Sue Sharratt to win by 20 lengths from Mytimie.
The winner is trained near Wolverhampton by Sue Taylor for Solihull owner Mick Mann, who has had horses with Paul Jones for many years. Jones, who plans the campaigns for the horses trained by his partner Sue Taylor, was delighted with the performance of the winner. Speaking afterwards he said, "We will see how he comes out of this race. The plan is still to go for the Punchestown Festival but I will also enter him for Liverpool as well, as he always seems to go well there. I am really pleased to have won the feature race in the area, that's what it's all about - winning the really good races, and I am so pleased for Mick (Mann), he has been with me for years."
Sue Sharratt went on to complete a double in the Members race aboard Scotmail Too who made every yard to finish alone. Sharratt also trains the winner at Ridware for owner Paul Dawes from Overpeoever in Cheshire, who bought the son of Sadler's Wells at the Doncaster sales last year.
Ballylusky won the Men's Open, in a hack canter under Richard Burton, coming home by a distance from Harry Challoner aboard Lascar de Ferbet. This was Burton's 12th winner of the season, which leaves him 7 behind the current leader Oliver Greenall. The winner is trained at Hadnall by Sheila Crow for owners William and Angela Rucker.
Harry Challoner did not leave the Staffordshire course empty handed after the shock 25-1 winner Bobsourown landed the Restricted readily by 3 lengths from the gamble of the race I'm An Optimist. The winner is trained at Warrington by Alex Ashman who was recording her first winner as a trainer, the owner, Eric Chapman, has had 60 winners under rules in his colours but this was his first between the flags.
There was another shock result in the Open Maiden when Trinket Too defied his odds of 20-1 to win the race. Owned and trained by Gemma Dewhurst at Cholmondeley, Trinket Too was to be the cause for celebration even if he hadn't won, as Gemma had put a bottle in the fridge to celebrate the fact she had got him to run at a course. The winning rider, Ollie Finnegan, also had cause for celebration as he was recording his first winner between the flags in the UK, having previously ridden winners in Ireland.
Eighteen year old Penley schoolgirl Lucinda Dutton rode her first ever winner at Weston Park last week and doubled up that tally after Bak On Board won the Novice riders race easily from Pot Shot. The winner is trained by her father Geoff at Marchiel, Nr Wrexham, having bought the Sula Bula gelding at the Ascot sales last year. The one to note from this race was Touch Closer who came from another county to take third.
There was a bit of a touch landed in the 2 mile 5 furlong Open Maiden, after Murphys Fusilier landed the spoils readily under Jonathon Jarrett from the well backed Shales Ay Jay. The winner was backed down from 20-1 to 7-1 at the off, and the winning trainer Helen Needham and owner Jim Callow from Kidderminster said afterwards that they were aware of a gamble on their horse, but said they never had a penny on. Punters who took part in the plunge have the former National Champion Point-to-Point rider Andrew Dalton to thank for their winnings, as the trainer's horsebox broke down on the M6 and, following a call to Dalton, he collected her and the horse and brought them to Sandon.
