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GOLDEN OLDIE: Paddy The Piper, 14, helps Michael Heard on his way to a hat-trick
photo: Tim Holt

Seldom can a jockey have ridden a treble at a meeting and ended the afternoon feeling disappointed, but 18-year-old Mike Heard found himself in that position on the season's final day.

Having partnered the first three winners and drawn level with Micheal Nolan in the national novice championship, Mike, who has been working for Richard Woollacott, saw his title hopes disappear when the Irishman then took the Intermediate on Three Half Crowns by the narrowest of margins.

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Micheal, 21, had found his career going nowhere in Ireland, where he partnered a couple of winners between the flags from about 100 rides, but he has not looked back since joining Philip Hobbs before Christmas. He is now returning to his home country for a few weeks but will be back in Somerset by the end of the summer. His current plan is to remain amateur for the start of the new season before turning conditional.

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Micheal originally picked up the ride on Three Half Crowns on Easter Monday when the seven-year-old's former regular partner Darren Edwards was committed to riding at another meeting. "I knew Micheal would be looking for rides today," smiled Cherry Winzer, who trains the winner for Michael and Sue Hayes. The jockey had shown his ability with a miraculous recovery on the final circuit, when his mount's mistake would have seen most riders on the floor.

Cherry, who is based near Bampton, worked for a while for Nick Ayliffe, while her father Gilbert Summers owned Jester III, six times successful in the local area in the late 60s and early 70s. Three Half Crowns is just one of two horses she had in her care this year, which was only her second season training, and she would like to increase her string for the 2011-2012 campaign.

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Some racegoers felt that Flying Change, who was placed a short-head second by the judge, may have held on, and it once again poses the question "Can the naked eye reliably spot such a small margin, and would a dead-heat not be a fairer result in such a case?"

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The day's other close contest came in the Men's Open, in which Mike's mount Roll On Rose, owned by his father John, held on by a whisker from Micheal on the fast-finishing Chiaro, although the Irishman thought he might have got up for a share of the spoils. The mare, who has kept improving all season, was held up at the back for two circuits, as she usually is. "She's very keen and is hard to settle," Mike pointed out, "and she's better racing on her own away from other horses."

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The omission of the final fence could have had a bearing on both tight finishes, and the bypassing procedure could surely have been avoided with a little forethought. Vehicles parking on the inside of the course were directed, as usual, along the landing side of that obstacle, and due to the quantity of rain which had fallen deep ruts were left in the track.

Riders in the opening race suggested to the steward at the start that the fence be omitted, and as the chief steward could not be contacted it was agreed they should take the sensible option, so only 15 obstacles had to be negotiated in every race. Unfortunately the resulting long run-in deprived the crowd of much of the excitement usually generated, so perhaps either the use of another entrance gate or the provision of some covering material to repair the damage would have prevented the problem.

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Mike had opened up in the Confined on the family-owned Paddy The Piper, who is just four years younger than his rider, and who had finished runner-up to Fully Loaded on the opening day of the campaign.

"He loves his racing," said his trainer, Mike's father John, when quizzed as to how the veteran had maintained his form for nearly seven months. "It must be the oxygen training," he laughed. "He does his cantering at 1,500 feet."

"Paddy" was purchased in mid-season last year as a replacement for Charming Gael, who was sadly killed at Wadebridge. "Reg Hand [Paddy's previous owner] happened to ask [on Easter Monday] if we knew anyone who wanted him," explained Mike's mother Sandra, "so John said yes!"

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The middle leg of the Heard treble came in the Restricted courtesy of Mike Bickell's Greenock, whose trainer Dean Summersby was absent, having chosen to play in a (hopefully not washed-out) cricket match.

"We weren't sure he'd go on this ground," said his owner who, after purchasing him for £1,800 out of Ferdy Murphy's yard in 2009, had to fork out an extra £130 when his flu jabs were found to be out of order.

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"We're not here for the prize money, are we?" grinned Keith Goldsworthy after Oca de Thaix had made all for Charlotte Evans in the Ladies' Open. It was the South Pembrokeshire handler's third trip to Devon within the space of a week, and he estimated that his total mileage was approaching 1,300 and his diesel bill would have come to around £800!

Oca de Thaix, who was another horse to record a sixth victory, three of them in Hunter Chases, had triumphed at Bratton Down on Sunday, and Keith had saddled Casper's Shadow to score in a Newton Abbot hurdle on Tuesday.

The plan had been to pull stumps after Stratford's pointtopoint.co.uk Hunter Chase, in which Charlotte mistook the number of circuits and pulled up prematurely. "The vet checked him over afterwards and said ‘This is one fit horse!' so we decided to carry on with him," said Keith, adding "If Ruby Walsh can do it [take the wrong course at Stratford] Charlotte can do it!"

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Hills Of Aran and Putney Bridge are among the horses which Keith is likely to be campaigning between the flags next season. "They need a change of scene," he explained, "and I've got people in the yard who want to have a ride. It's difficult to get staff where we are, and they work hard, so it makes sense to keep them happy."

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Ed Barrett completed a clean sweep for novice riders by taking the closing Maiden on Kyrano, owned by Peter Isaac and his niece Ellie Batten, who also trains the chestnut. "It was my fault that he didn't run well earlier on," admitted Ellie, who worked for Kyrano's former handler Robin Butterworth. "I wasn't strong enough to ride him."

A change of feed, in addition to the acquisition of Ed, has made the difference to Kyrano, who was reported by Ellie to have had stomach ulcers when he joined Peter's ownership.

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The 2010-11 senior national champions, Richard Burton and Gina Andrews, were both in action but neither was able to add to their respective tallies. Richard's Men's Open mount, the odds-on favourite Lady Myfanwy, had an eventful journey to the track, her lorry having broken down on the North Devon link road, but Myfanwy Miles was not prepared to use this as an excuse for the mare's defeat. "She was very calm," she said, "so I think it was down to the ground and the 7lb penalty."

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"I could surprise everyone - I might be trying next year!" Men's runner-up Phil York is already looking ahead.

Phil is currently unhappy with the rule which limits jockeys riding on the professional circuit to carrying no more than 3lbs overweight, as an upcoming Chase which he has in mind for Present Of Flame would prevent him from taking the ride. "She'd only have 10.2 so I wouldn't be able to ride her, even though she's my horse," he pointed out.

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