REPORT OF THE ESSEX & SUFFOLK MEETING HELD AT HIGHAM RACECOURSE ON GOOD FRIDAY APRIL 18th
By Mike Ashby
Once again, all roads led to Higham racecourse on Good Friday, for the final meeting of the East Anglian 2024/25 season. Another colossal crowd assembled, from early on, at this popular course situated on the borders of Suffolk and Essex and it seemed a significant proportion of the two counties were in attendance.
Runners were always going to be a premium considering the number of Easter fixtures nationally, together with the concerns regarding the going and the prevailing dry conditions, leading up to the meeting. However, all the additional hours allocated to watering the course were rewarded as all six scheduled races took place and the racing was of a high standard, complementing the course preparation.
There were local winners for the huge crowd to cheer home with Mister Splash, trained at Ampton, The Big Lense based at Newmarket and Tullys Touch, fast becoming a local legend, from near Halesworth.
Trainer Ed Turner is having an exceptional season and this was his sixth winner of the season when Mister Splash stayed on stoutly to regain the lead from Designer Destiny, in the 3 ½ mile Conditions (Level 3 ) race. Partnered by Paddy Barlow, the pairing led their rivals for a majority of the race which was contested over 24 fences. Mister Splash partially surrendered the lead when taking a chance at the last open ditch which allowed Phil York and Touch Tight to make their move and they led approaching the cross fence, four fences out. Entering the final straight Mister Splash and the odds-on Designer Destiny had passed the York runner and it was the staying prowess of the Turner horse that saw him go on to win by 6 lengths from the favourite. Jockey Barlow confirmed the error at the ditch “ gave him a fright but I stayed in the plate and knew he stays really well”.
MISTER SPLASH and PADDY BARLOW
Jenny Owen trains The Big Lense who jumped superbly for Rupert Stearn to win the Mixed Open contest. They only had one rival in Hardline, who was over 30 lengths adrift of them when they met at Fakenham, last month. Stearn was able to hold his mount up then but here he had limited choice and made the running with Charlie Case on Hardline hoping to play his cards late. This never became a factor as the fencing of The Big Lense was immaculate and he soared over the last open ditch to increase his advantage to 4 lengths and the result from there was never in doubt as he kept up a relentless gallop over the remainder of the contest.
THE BIG LENSE and RUPERT STEARN
Tullys Touch won his fourth race of the season, the PPORA Grass Roots Riders’ Mixed Open, for trainer John Ibbott and jockey Ellie Holder who with Tullys Touch now has an unbeaten winning sequence of five races together and this was his 17th career win for owner Christina Blockley. Holder employed her normal tactics on the winner just reining Tullys Touch back behind the other two runners, Chapelier and Jacks Touch. As the three rounded the final bend Holder kept the inside line and took the lead two fences to go on to facile victory by 7 lengths from Chapelier, who was running his last race for John Whyte, before being retired. Trainer Ibbott admits this is “ a horse of a lifetime and he is now finished for the season” He will be turned out, in the field, now until August when he will be brought back in and all being well will campaign again next season.
TULLYS TOUCH and ELLIE HOLDER
Back Bar and Izzie Hill comfortably won the opening Hunt Members race, a race they won together in 2003, for local owner Richard Cranfield. Richard is the current Chairman of the host hunt, the Essex and Suffolk and trainer Alan Hill had mapped out a target to win this race, again, for the owner. The application of a tongue-tie had been used at Fakenham recently and after discussions with his son Joe, went with the same thoughts again and Hill senior felt this was beneficial to the horse’s overall performance. Trainer Andrew Pennock’s previous course winner Shanes Passion set out to make the running and at the final open ditch there was only 4 lengths covering all four runners. The order changed at the second last where Izzie Hill had brought Back Bar through to contest the lead and they strode away to win by 10 lengths with Driveondonn and Charlie Buckle running on to take the runner-up position. Izzie was winning on the 13-y-o Back Bar for the ninth time and her parents arrived just in time to see the final outcome of the race, having had a horrendous traffic-problem journey up from the south.
BACK BAR and IZZIE HILL
Due Reward and Marina Bealby have had a mixed association since they have been racing together. Marina’s first ride in points was on Due Reward at the corresponding meeting at Higham in March 2024 which ended with unseat two fences out. Since then the pairing have recorded a success in a match race at Tabley earlier in the month and here they came home victorious in the Conditions (Level 2 ) race, having overtaken Take To Heart the early leader four fences from home. Although Paddy Barlow encouraged the Ed Turner horse for another effort, on the run-in, Due Reward maintained his lead to finish 2 lengths ahead, at the finish, with the favourite The Yellow Mini being eased when out of contention, a further distance away. The win gave the Leicestershire-based Miss Bealby her 3rd career success from 17 rides.
DUE REWARD and MARINA BEALBY (left)
The concluding Maiden race saw Gallant Geronimo and Aimee Jones, who had journeyed from the Cotswolds, narrowly defeat Eile Tara who travelled even further from Glamorganshire. The race was run at a slow pace with The Orchard Boy taking the lead. East Anglian jockey, Charlie Buckle, was having his last ride on the favourite Sports Magic, in this race, but unfortunately Charlie was unseated at the tenth fence when he seemed to be travelling ideally behind the leader. Gallant Geronimo took over at the cross fence and was challenged by Eile Tara and Ed Vaughan two fences from home who looked the likely winners. In what resulted in the closest finish of the afternoon, Aimee Jones gave Gallant Geronimo every assistance from the saddle and rallied sufficiently to snatch the judge’s verdict by a neck. This was Miss Jones 5th points win and was witnessed by professional trainer Max Comley who was overseeing saddling duties for his partner Elen Wylie.
GALLANT GERONIMO and AIMEE JONES
Another very successful Essex and Suffolk meeting, hugely attended and we will have to wait until December before we can go point-to-point racing, again, in East Anglia.
