Bressingham trainer Fleur Hawes had a mixed day but ended up smiling following the Ladies Open success of Scotland Yard at the Cambridge University Draghounds Point-To-Point at Cottenham on Sunday.
Hawes’s two previous runners, Fraudster and Pouilly, both failed to complete the course so it was with some relief that she greeted Scotland Yard into the winner’s enclosure after his three length defeat of Roaringwater.Scotland Yard was a sixth winner of the season for jockey Gina Andrews, from Lilley in Hertfordshire, who thus maintained her lead at the top of the national lady riders’ championship.Earlier, Gina’s younger sister, Bridget, also made her mark when guiding Ski Dazzle to victory in the Intermediate Race. Trained at Biggleswade by Mike Burman, Ski Dazzle showed greater resolution than his main challenger, Halcyon Times, in scoring by six lengths.
Caulkin, who like Halcyon Times is trained at Kilverstone, near Thetford, by his jockey, David Kemp, also had to settle for second place, behind the classy Cheshire raider, Border Fusion, in the Mens Open.
Andrew Pennock, who recently moved his string to Timworth Green, near Bury St Edmunds, had the pleasure and pain of both notching and missing a winner when Shannina took the Hunt Race.Pennock should have been aboard but is still not quite recovered from injuries he sustained in a fall at Higham two weeks ago, so the riding duties were passed on to Jody Sole. Rookie Wymondham-based handler Caroline Fryer continued the fantastic start to her training career when Free Speech, ridden by her near-neighbour, Rupert Stearn, made it four wins from her first eight runners in the 15-runner Maiden.
Free Speech was challenged by the Yorkshire raider, Alforone, in the closing stages, but was always doing just enough and had half a length to spare at the line.The shorter two and a half mile Maiden brought a customary Cottenham success for the shrewd Oxfordshire-based handler, Alan Hill, who has an outstanding record at this Cambridge venue. His representative, King Caractacus, proved five lengths too strong for the highly promising runner-up, Midnight Ruler, who is trained at Raydon, near Hadleigh, by George Cooper.
Finally, the tightest finish of the day saw Vote For Doodle, a visitor from Kent, hold off Mountain Emperor (trained at Chediston in Norfolk by John Ibbott) by half a length with Bendecido close behind in third in the Restricted Race.
Results
Hunt Race
1Shannina (Jody Sole) 9/4 Fav
2 Keepthedreamalive (Peter Johnson) 7/2
3 Inchadoney Boy (George Kennedy) 5/2 No time
Distances: 6, 4 7 ran
Intermediate Race
1 Ski Dazzle (Bridget Andrews) 7/1
2 Halcyon Times (David Kemp) 10/1
3 Man From Moscow (Will Hickman) 7/26m 12s
Distances: 6, 8 10 ran
Mens Open Race
1 Border Fusion (Will Telfer) 2/1
2 FavCaulkin (David Kemp) 5/1
3 Garundi (Rupert Stearn) 40/16m 11s
Distances: 10, 1 1/2 9 ran
Ladies Open Race
1 Scotland Yard (Gina Andrews) 4/6 Fav
2 Roaringwater (Cynthia Haydon) 10/1)
3 Inaro (Bridget Andrews) 3/16m 07s
Distances: 3, 5 7 ran
Restricted Race
1 Vote For Doodle (Tom Cannon) 4/5 Fav
2 Mountain Emperor (Harry Fowler) 10/1
3 Bendecido (Jack Quinlan) 8/16m 16s
Distances:1/2, 1 ,7 ran
3 mile Maiden Race
1 Free Speech (Ruprt Stearn) 9/4 Fav
2 Alforone (Michael Ennis) 5/2O
3 Ellie (Matt Smith) 12/16m 15s
Distances: ½, 10, 15 ran
2 ½ mile Maiden Race
1 King Caractacus (John Mathias) 6/4 Fav
2 Midnight Ruler (Rupert Stearn) 10/1
3 Lost Reference (Michael Ennis) 8/14m 52s
Distances: 5, 8, 12 ran
