28 April 2009 Report: Pentyrch - Bonvilston
by Brian Lee
CHESNUT ANNIE: another flawless round in the Ladies Open race
photo: Alun Sedgmore
At the Pentyrch, Deano Coleman made his last ride in a Point-to-Point a winning one - he is now a Conditional jockey - when scoring on Robert Thomas's Micks Prospect in the young horse Maiden race.
A six-year-old by Accordion, Micks Prospect finished 30 lengths in front of Beth Roberts's Copper Carroll, with Jason Parfitt's Gateland a further ten lengths away in third place.
The ex-Irish point-to-pointer, who started odds-on favourite, was the second leg of a double for Coleman who earlier had taken the Restricted on Chris Bolton's Tigu, who had 12 lengths to spare over Doctor Supremo. Tigu, like Micks Prospect, is trained by Abbi Vaughan and went off the 5-4 favourite.
John Mathias brought his seasonal total of wins to 13 when making nearly all the running in the Dunraven Windows Welsh Point-To-Point Grand National Mens Open on the French-bred Misamon who perhaps won more easily than the half-a-length verdict over favourite Lady Myfanway suggested.
Misamon, trained by Kristal Harris, assistant to West Wales trainer Dai Rees, kept pulling out extra when challenged. Luke Price's Its Definite was just a neck away in third place and Robert Williams's Danny's Last back in fourth and last place.
Beth Roberts's Chesnut Annie, partnered as usual by Welsh Champion Isabel Tompsett, made every post a winning one in the Ladies Open when chalking up her ninth consecutive win of the season, coming home thirty lengths ahead of Miss Sallyfield after the only other runner, Alubuhera, pulled up two fences from home.
Mrs Rae Jones's Lough Ennel won the Members' race for the third year on the trot, finishing seven lengths in front of Pebrock. The odds-on favourite and a winner of 13 Point-to-Points, the 13-year-old chestnut gelding has now been retired. For the past three seasons Lough Ennel has been ridden by Liam Payter and trained by Nicky Sheppard.
The race was sponsored by Ffos Las Racecourse and Dai Walters, the man behind Britain's newest racecourse, was there to present the trophy.
Fire-fighter Michael Keel,33, from Worcester, riding his father John's Shiela's Legacy, won the Restricted race by four lengths from Holmwood Legend and then announced that he was hanging up his riding. He has been riding for 15 years and has ridden a total of fifteen winners. The only horse in the race which wasn't qualified with a Welsh hunt, Shiela's Legacy was a first win as an owner for Michael's father Robert Keel, who bought the horse as a three-year-old from Penny Grainger.
