Tupgill Turbo gave some respite to the bookies after four consecutive winning favourites as he belied his status as outsider of the four-horse field to win the Intermediate Race at the Puckeridge Point-To-Point at Horseheath on Saturday.

Trained at Langham, near Colchester, by Wilf Tolhurst and owned by Barry Kennedy, from Woodham Mortimer, near Danbury, Tupgill Turbo was a chance ride for Tim Lane as regular pilot Alex Merriam was on duty under rules at Uttoxeter.”I owe Alex a bottle,” were Lane’s first words as he returned to the winner’s enclosure having clocked the fastest time of the day in beating Bewleys Newlands by 15 lengths.

“This horse needs to go right-handed and he loves this fast ground,” revealed Tolhurst, who has been enjoying a well-deserved good run after a number of injury-ravaged years.

Lane was expected to follow up in the closing Maiden aboard his only other ride, Bosco’s Tune. But he proved no match for Cyrium, who is trained, owned and ridden by Patrick Millington, from Leicestershire.

“I drove him out all the way to the line, as I could hear something close behind and I didn’t dare turn round,” said Millington. “But it turned out to be a loose horse!”

A day of unbroken sunshine but another chilly wind begun with a further chapter in the success story of the Hobson family, from Reed near Royston, and their game home-bred mare, Scare Lotte.

Trained by Harry Hobson and owned by his wife, Rosemary, Scare Lotte was red hot favourite for the Club Members Race but only got home by a neck from Bright Present in the best finish on the card.

The triumph was another feather in the riding cap of the Hobson’s daughter, Clare, who was notching her third win from just seven career starts and stayed admirably cool in the closing stages to coax her mount home without recourse to the whip.The partnership has now earned a step up in class and will contest the Hiscox Hunter Chase Final at Cheltenham on May 2.

Owner-trainer Eric Cantillon, from Herrinswell Manor Stud near Newmarket, enjoyed his first win of the season when Yorkshire-based jockey Simon Walker got Perfect Prefect home by a comfortable three lengths in the Open Maiden race

“I bought Perfect Prefect at the Doncaster Sales and he will be going back there in a few weeks time,” Cantillon reported.

Both Open races went to Northamptonshire raiders. Free made it ten pointing successes for his current connections, trainers Patrick and Susan Hutchinson and their jockey-daughter, Gemma, when making every yard of the running in the Ladies’ Open.

And Teeton Prince, trained by Joan Tice and the solitary ride of the day for Dickie Barrett, stayed on five lengths too strongly for Dunmanus Bay in the Men’s equivalent.

Results

Race One (Horseheath Hunts Club Members’ Race):

1 Mrs R E Hobson’s Scare Lotte (Puckeridge) (Miss C Hobson),

2 Mrs K Exall’s Bright Present (Puckeridge) (M Mackley),

3 R Clifton-Brown’s Throwaparty (Thurlow) ( A Williams).

Also: Rob Mine (4), Another Carlton (pu). Neck, a distance. 6.29. Win £1.40. DF £1.40. SP 1/3 fav.

Race Two (Open Maiden Race):

1 E J Cantillon’s Perfect Prefect (Cambridge University) (S Walker),

2 P Millington’s Dromin (Fernie) (owner),

3 Miss R A Mills’ Hot Coals (Quorn) (owner).

Also: Neverpooragain (4), Executive Friend (5), High Fen (pu), Kim Buck (pu), Unfair Dismissal (pu).  Three lengths, 10 lengths. 6.34. Win £3.30. DF £32.10. SP 6/4 fav.

Race Three (Ladies’ Open Race):

1 Mrs P J Hutchinson’s Free (Fernie) (Miss G Hutchinson),

2 J M Turner’s Militaire (Suffolk) (Miss Z Turner),

3 A G Chinery’s Gran Dana (East Essex) (Miss R Chinery).

Ten lengths, a distance. 6.24. Win £1.40. DF £1.60. SP 1/4 fav.

Race Four (Men’s Open Race):

1 Mrs J Tice’s Teeton Prince (Pytchley) (R Barrett),

2 Mrs P King’s Dunmanus Bay (Suffolk) (M Mackley),

3 Mr and Mrs J Ridge’s Bard of Drumco (Suffolk) (D Kemp).

Also: Brunston Castle (4), Bengal Boy (pu). Five lengths, a distance. 6.27. Win £2.40. DF £9.20. SP 6/4 fav.

Race Five (Intermediate Race):

1 B Kennedy’s Tupgill Turbo (Essex Farmers and Union) (T Lane),

2 E Nicholson’s Bewleys Newlands (Suffolk) (M Mackley),

3 J M Turner’s Kicasso (Suffolk) (J Owen).

Also: Lightning Conductor (4). Fifteen lengths, three lengths. 6.22. Win £5.40. DF £6.70. SP 7/1 (Bewleys Newlands 6/4 fav).

Race Six (Restricted Race)

1 P J Millington’s Cyrium (Fernie) (owner),

2 J Sargeant’s Ballyowen (W Norfolk) (M Mackley),

3 J M Turner’s Lanicene (Suffolk) (J Owen).

Also: Ballalley Lad (ro), Bosco’s Tune (pu). Twenty-five lengths, one length. 6.29. Win £2.50. DF £51.80. SP 7/2 (Bosco’s Tune 2/1 fav).