29 April 2008 South Shropshire - Eyton-on-Severn
Shady Anne: the main danger to Border Fusion in the Volkswagen Touareg Men's Open
The South Shropshire Hunt have attracted a bumper entry of 149 for their meeting at Eyton-on-Severn on May Bank Holiday Monday, May 5th. Racing comes under starter's orders at 2.00pm and is set to conclude at 5.40pm. Racegoers are advised to arrive early because this fixture often attracts a crowd of 8,000 plus.
Admission to this popular Shropshire course, which has been racing since 1923, is only £25 per car regardless of the number of passengers; single occupancy will be charged at £15.
As regards the course itself, Clerk of the Course, John Beddoes, said: "There is a really good covering of grass on the course, and it looks in really good condition. The weather forecast is unsettled over the next few days, so I have no plans to water the course before the meeting."
Heading the entries in the Volkswagen Touareg Men's Open race is the Gary Hanmer trained Border Fusion, who won the North West Area Hunter Chase Final at Bangor last year in the well known colours of the late bookmaker Gordon Crawford. One man who knows all about winning Bangor Finals is trainer Gordy Edwards, as he has won the race three times, and he runs Shady Anne, who won readily at Weston Park and is rated the main danger to Border Fusion. Adams Wine won his third race of the season, for the Kinseys', when bolting up earlier in the month from the Bangor specialist Lord Bush by 25 lengths. Others to note include Magicien, Jakari and Would Wouldn't. A cracking race is in prospect.
The South Shropshire Hunt will be having a parade of their hounds after the third race. This event is very popular with the younger generation who love to go into the paddock and mingle with the hounds.
