25 February 2008 Tanatside - Eyton-on-Severn
Jakari: put in a polished performance
Yesterday's Tanatside meeting at Eyton-on-Severn produced a really great day of competitive racing, with over 100 horses contesting the 8 race card; and the crowd looked larger than normal. The course looked in fantastic condition a credit to clerk of the course John Beddoes.
The fastest time of the day was recorded by the Heidi Brookshaw trained Beautiful Dawn in the Restricted who held on well under Sammie Beddoes, the daughter of the clerk of the course, to repel the sustained challenge of David Mansell on Cottage River by a neck. The winner is owned by Elaine Fearnell from Whitchurch and Neville Jones from Bangor-on-Dee. Brookshaw who trains not far away from the course at Shrewsbury was delighted with her charges performance, "That was a very pleasing performance; I thought Sammie gave him a great ride. He was bought cheaply out of Tony Martin's yard in Ireland for only 1,600 guineas, which has proved to be a bargain. Hopefully he will progress now through his races."
Jakari, trained locally at Harnage Grange at Cressage by Jessica Scott, followed up his recent win at Chaddesley Corbett with another polished performance in the Men's Open, when comfortably beating the long time leader Sweet Minuet by a couple of lengths with the trainers son, 19 year old George Scott, in the plate. Scott was full of praise afterwards for Carol and Phil Jarrett who look after the horse at home and do a lot of work with him, she added that he will stick to pointing this season, before going hunter chasing next year.
Claire Allen's mount Premium First, from the Andy Hobbs yard, went off at 1/2 favourite for the Ladies Open, but was run out of it in the final two strides by Protagonist under a very strong ride from the stylish Hannah Watson who won a thriller by a neck. The winner is trained and owned by Henrietta Madocks-Wright, who trains at Melton Mowbray, and was recording her first winner as a trainer in her first season. Last year Protagonist was trained by her sister Jo Messenger.
Another heavily backed odds on shot to be beaten was Chalk It Up in the opening Members race, which is owned by the Tanatside secretary Ian Anderson. The 1/3 favourite fell at the last when well beaten and the race was won by the gambled on Lathyrus (4/1 to 9/4), who won unchallenged by 25 lengths from Times Past. The winner is trained at Welshpool by Phil Jones for a syndicate called The Welshpool Club made up of local owners from the area headed by James Evans.
It was really good to see Area Champion lady rider Sue Sharratt back in the winners' enclosure, after being sidelined after a road accident. She gave Gentle George a great ride to win the first division of the Open Maiden beating Blazing Guns. The winner is owned and trained at Leominster by Steve Flook.
The second division of the Open Maiden was won by the Fred Hutsby trained and ridden Rip Tullougher, who benefited from a bad last fence blunder from the runner up Ordis Rise to win by 3 lengths. Golden Harvey, in the well known colours of Rob Burton, was a further 3 lengths back in third with his son Richard in the plate. The winner is trained at Stratford-on-Avon by Hutsby for owners Bob Sealey and Paul Langham from Redditch.
The last race on the card was the two and a half mile Confined Maiden and the first three past the judge could well turn out to be useful. The race was won by the mare Kitchen Loan under Mark Wall, who found a nice turn of foot to beat the Caroline Robinson trained Silver Ace by a couple of lengths, Gunner Be Quick, from the Sheila Crow yard with Richard Burton aboard, was a further length back in third. The winner is trained in Gloucester by Katie Baimbridge for the Opperman Racing Partnership from Tenbury Wells, which consists of Michael Opperman and his son Guy. The mare was purchased in Ireland by the former jockey JP McNamara who is now a full time bloodstock agent.
