25 May 2009 Report: Sir W.W. Wynn's - Bangor-on-Dee Racecourse
by Arthur Shone
OUR WHIZ: wins for the second time this season
photo: Sweet Photography
Bangor on Dee staged the Sir W. W. Wynn's Point-to-Point meeting last Saturday in glorious sunshine, which was the penultimate meeting of the season in the North Western area. The huge crowd, probably on a par with a meeting under rules enjoyed a great day's racing.
The Hardings Property Consultants Open Maiden went the way of the heavily backed favourite Special Portrait, who quickened up well under Tom Greenall between the last two fences to win going away by six lengths from Brookfield Lad, with the staying on Red Ruler a further eight lengths back in third. The winner is trained by David Easterby and owned by his mother Ann Easterby, whose husband Mick is a very successful trainer under rules.
Thirty five minutes later Tom Greenall became the toast of the Wynnstay Hunt after Impact Zone won the Mixed Open very cosily by 10 lengths from Sue Sharratt on Grasp. The winner is owned by the Dominic Curran, the former secretary of the Wynnstay Hunt for many years, Curran said, "I am delighted as I only went into ownership in the spring. He is a very progressive type, especially when you think that he has gone from winning a Maiden to winning a Mixed Open in the same season. We would have to look towards a novice hunter chase under rules now."
Welshpool trainer Phil Jones breathed a huge sigh of relief after Lord Louis won the Confined under a very confident ride from Will Kinsey. The combination beat Michabo readily by a length and a half, providing Jones with his first winner of the season. The winner ran in the well known colours of Bridget Everall, the wife of the former area chairman Roger Everall. Jones said," He has had one or two setbacks, and like a few of the horses in my yard they are starting to run well now. The key to Lord Louis is the top of the ground, which he has only really had today. That's it now until next season with him, it was good for the horse to finish on a winning note."
They say that lightning does not strike twice, but it did in the case of Alice Walker in the novice riders' race aboard Little Big Horse. The 16 year old rider won on her first ever ride in a similar race at this course in February, and recorded her second win on the same horse beating Mooramana readily by a length and a quarter. The winner is trained by the rider's grandmother Sheila Crow at Hadnall. Crow was undecided as to whether to find another race to run in before the season finishes or to call it a day until next season.
The best finish of the day was reserved for the Restricted contest. Harry Challoner looked to have the race won when he went to the front on the approach to the last on the Richard Bevis trained Freddie Ed, but the long time leader Our Whiz under Will Hill battled back on the run in to win a thriller by a neck in the final strides. The winner is trained at Kimver in the West Midlands by Charlotte Jones and is co owned by the trainer and Ron Tolley from Stourbridge. This was the trainer's third win of the season.
Many racegoers would have assumed that Newmarket trainer Don Cantillon would not be sending a runner all the way to the Welsh course without a major chance, and they would have been right as his charge Grand Award hacked up in the two and mile Maiden under Simon Walker, easily beating Stuart Ross on Catch The Wing. The distance was announced as a length, but it looked significantly more than that.
The best laid plans of men and mice came unstuck in the PPORA Club Members race, which saw Granite Man, trained locally at Marchweil by Geoff Dutton and ridden by his daughter Lucinda, backed off the boards. However, the odds on jolly had to settle for second best to the Paul Davies trained Catch The Bus, who was ridden by the stylish Adrian Wintle.
