The Christmas snow and frost thankfully relented in time to allow the 2007 Cheltenham Champion Bumper winner Cork All Star to provide some star quality to an exciting Cambridgeshire Harriers Hunts Club fixture at Cottenham on Sunday.
Despite having not raced since November 2008 when trained by Jessica Harrington in Ireland,Cork All Star looked fit and well for his debut point-to-point outing for Jo Quinlan, sister in law of Newmarket trainer Mick Quinlan. Given a patient ride by Jo’s son, Jack, one of East Anglia’s most promising young riders, Cork All Star travelled like a class horse throughout and never truly came off the bridle in registering a cosy success in the opening Hunt Club Members Race.
The men’s open at Higham on January 30th is next on the agenda, with a hunter chasing campaign targeted towards the Cheltenham Foxhunters the aim for the rest of the season for the gelding owned by the Ryan family of Swordlestown Stud in Ireland, who had enjoyed success with The Railway Man on this same card twelve months ago.
The following Restricted contest provided a second local winner, as the promising Law Courtfollowed up his Higham maiden success of last season for Bradfield St Clare trainer Tim Bryce. Despite showing signs of immaturity when hanging wide around many of the turns, Law Court looked to have a little in reserve at the finish and rates an exciting young prospect for his owner Stephen Howlett, Chairman of the East Anglian Point-To-Point Association.
Local course specialist Start Royal, already a four-time Cottenham winner, could not make it three consecutive local winners on the afternoon, as he was turned over at odds-on by Posh Dude, trained by Simon Sherwood, famed for steering the great Desert Orchid to many of his wins. Simon’s 18-year-old son, Jack, looked very much a chip off the old block and he stylishly drove out his mount to victory in the Men’s Open.
Last season’s PPORA/pointtopoint.co.uk Young Horse Champion, Indian Print, who had won his final seven races last season, never went with any gusto and the 500-mile round trip from Northumberland proved unfortunately fruitless for his trainer Victor Thompson. Kicks For Free, a formerly classy horse for Paul Nicholls, followed up his facile success in the Ladies Open at the first Cottenham meeting with another bloodless Ladies Open win at very short odds for trainer/rider Angela Rucker and looks the type to run up a sequence in these kind of events, as he will be kept to point-to-points this year.
At the other end of the experience scale, Gloucestershire-based Emily Pain was all smiles after riding and training her first winner from just her second attempt with Sykee Savage in the Race for Novice Riders.
This was another advertisement for the benefits of pony racing in providing valuable experience to budding jockeys, as Emily had previously ridden two winners in pony races.
There was drama in the penultimate Open Maiden race, as although Ringa Bay passed the post in front of favourite Viel Gluck, the stewards deemed that Ringa Bay had interfered with Viel Gluck on the run-in and reversed the placings, providing another winner at the track for James Tudor, Cottenham’s leading rider in both 2008 and 2010.
There was drama in the penultimate Open Maiden race, as although Ringa Bay passed the post in front of favourite Viel Gluck, the stewards deemed that Ringa Bay had interfered with Viel Gluck on the run-in and reversed the placings, providing another winner at the track for James Tudor, Cottenham’s leading rider in both 2008 and 2010.
Proceedings came to a close with a noteworthy point-to-pointing debut by Blue Dark, who had been purchased in the summer from the Alan King yard by owner Ross Douglas as a birthday present for his daughter Claire to ride. The combination jumped and travelled in assured style throughout the contest. Kent based trainer Catherine Creighton was delighted with Blue Dark’s success and rates him as a horse to follow for the remainder of the season.
