Dickie Collinson and Andrew Pennock were the stars as a hectic Bank Holiday Weekend of Point-To-Pointing drew to a close with the penultimate East Anglian fixture of the season, the Enfield Chace with Cambridgeshire meeting at Northaw, near Potters Bar, on Monday.
Jockey Collinson had been on the mark at a meeting at Dingley in Northamptonshire the previous day when partnering Violet Crack, the second leg of a double for his father-in-law, trainer Martin Ward. Both Collinson and Ward live at Sutton near Ely.
And at Peper Harrow in Surrey on Saturday another local trainer, Ed Turner, from Ampton, near Bury St Edmunds, had also been in double form, scoring with Bavard Court and Frankie Anson.
Both Turner and Ward were eclipsed by Turner’s near-neighbour, Pennock, who hails from Timworth Green near Bury St Edmunds. He saddled a Northaw treble – all in conjunction with Collinson, taking the rider’s seasonal tally to a personal best 14 winners.
The Collinson/Pennock bonanza began when Uber Alles pounced at the final fence to floor the favourite, Desertmore Valley, in the Club Members Race.
Uber Alles (left) jumps past Desertmore Valley at the last
They scored again when Play The Ace was barely out of second gear in notching his fourth success of the campaign in the Intermediate Race. The winner will now head to Aintree for the inaugural running of a £10,000 Doncaster Bloodstock Sales Point-To-Point bumper on May 15.
Play The Ace (number 9) displays his slick jumping style
And the treble was secured in the closing Maiden when Silvogans Hook, like Uber Alles owned in partnership by Hartest butcher Michael Clarke, proved too strong for Ed Turner’s representative, Know More Oats.
Silvogans Hook (right) en route to completing the Collinson/Pennock treble
Collinson and Pennock might even have registered a four-timer (and Clarke a treble) but for Lord Baltimore blundering away his chance at the final fence when leading a closely-fought Restricted Race. Lord Baltimore faded into fourth behind the Berkshire raider, Tick Tock Tim.
Tick Tock Tim jumps with precision
The much-anticipated rematch between It Was Me and Berties Dream in the Ladies Open never materialised because Berties Dream scoped badly a few days beforehand and was not declared.
In his absence a highly tactical race took place, with the four runners barely breaking into a canter for the first half mile. Despite this attempt to unsettle him, It Was Me still prevailed by a length and three-quarters, to give his owner-trainer, Nick Wright, from Badlingham near Newmarket, a 12th success of the term, thus keeping him at the head of the National Owners Championship.
It Was Me (Carey Williamson, left) has too much speed for Volcan Surprise
Finally, Festival Bound, trained at Wymondham by Sandra Fryer, took the Novice Riders Race under Jack Andrews.
Festival Bound (Jack Andrews) sits in behind his two Novice Riders Race rivals
THE CAMBRIDGESHIRE WITH ENFIELD CHACE HUNT RESULTS
GOING: GOOD TO FIRM (FIRM in places)
East Anglian Area Club Members Conditions
1st UBER ALLES (Dicky Collinson) 2/1
2nd Desertmore Valley (Rupert Stearn) 4/6 Fav
3rd Bench Warrent (Tom Chatfield-Roberts) 5/1
Time: 6 mins 29 secs Distances: 4 ½L, 6L 5 ran
Intermediate
1st PLAY THE ACE (Dicky Collinson) 1/3 Fav
2nd Gamato (Richard Defago) 9/2
3rd Checked Shirt (Miss F Cain) 8/1
Time: 6-21 Dists: 6L, 15L 6 ran
PPORA Club Members (Novice Riders)
1st FESTIVAL BOUND (Jack Andrews) 1/6Fav
2nd Pheidias (Catherine Adam) 6/1
Time: 6-29 Dist: 6 ½ L 3 ran
(only two finished)
Ladies Open
1st IT WAS ME (Carey Williamson) 1/4 Fav
2nd Volcan Surprise (Gina Andrews) 7/2
3rd Major Decision (Katy Lyons) 6/1
Time: 7-02 Dists: 1 ¾L, 9L 4 ran
Restricted
1st TICK TOCK TIM (Katy Lyons) 5/1
2nd Hardy Morning (Phil York) 5/1
3rd Hill Of Gold (David Kemp) 3/1
Time: 6-20 Dists: 3L, 4L 9 ran (Lord Baltimore 9/4Fav)
Open Maiden
1st SILVOGANS HOOK (Dicky Collinson) 6/4 FAV
2nd Know More Oats (Rupert Stearn) 7/1
3rd Laybach (Billy Barden) 8/1
Time: 6-30 Dists: 7L, 6L 9 ran
