It was the turn of the top jockeys at the Cambridge University Draghounds meeting at Cottenham on Sunday as Richard Burton, Gary Hanmer and Julian Pritchard – three of the greatest pilots in the history of the sport with a combined total of 800 victories – were all among the winners.
Bedtime Boys was beaten only 12 lengths in last year’s Cheltenham Foxhunters on unsuitably fast ground. Revelling in the soft ground, he saw off two talented rivals in My Best Buddy and Cantarinho to leave his Leicestershire trainer, Holly Campbell, musing: ‘If the ground at Cheltenham is like this, who knows?’
Burton and Hanmer produced polished displays in the saddle to register a brace of wins apiece while Pritchard bounced back from defeat aboard odds-on favourite Krac d’Argos to take the Restricted on Fergal’s Find.Burton was astride the day’s most impressive victor, Shropshire visitor Go For Bust, who jumped exuberantly in landing the Men’s Open on his pointing debut and is a horse to follow. He had earlier steered a tight course on the home bend to take the scalp of Krac d’Argos on the Somerset-trained Spread The Dream in the Intermediate race.Hanmer, from Cheshire, won two of the three Maiden races. Over three miles he brought Tou Charming from well off a red hot early pace to take the older horse section.
He was then just mounting Keenans Reserve before 2m 4f finale when the horse flipped over backwards in the paddock. Undaunted, the pair dusted themselves down and went on to hold off Our Whiz in a tight finish.The other short maiden went to Oxfordshire-trained Breeze To The Top while there was a second success for that county when Bell Rock gave rider Emily Jarvis her first winner in the Ladies’ Open, where barely two lengths covered the first five home.The only local success came in a 12-runner Hunt Race where the 16-year-old Demasta,trained at Bradfield St Clare by Alex Embiricos and ridden by owner Peter Johnson, from Hopton, between Thetford and Diss, belied his advancing years to beat Quality First.
Results
Race One (Members Race):
1 P Johnson’s Demasta (Cambridge University) (owner),
2 M Ward and J Glenister’s Quality First (Cambridge University) (M Mackley),
3 Miss T Ward, Miss F Ward and Miss R Ward’s Magic To Do (Cambridge University) (Miss R Ward).
Also: Pirate King (4), Classic Lash (5), Shoemaker (6), Ballykilthy (pu), Battle Honours (pu), Crow’s Choice (pu), Dark Surprise (f), Lourd Hymn (pu), Warrior Dan (pu). Neck, three lengths. 6.29. SP 4-1 (Ballykilthy 11-4 fav).
Race Two (Intermediate Race):
1 Mrs G Tregaskes’ Spread The Dream (South and West Wilts) (R Burton),
2 D Parker’s Krac D’Argos (North Cotswold) (J Pritchard),
3 S Edmunds and J Busby’s Polly Flinders (Grafton) (M Mackley).
Also: Gillie’s Nephew (4), Scare Lotte (5), In Hot Pursuit (6), Tupgill Turbo (7), Sliabh Foy (8), Beggars Brook (pu), Clan Tara (pu), Fresh Love (pu). Three lengths, one length. 6.16. SP 4-1 (Krac D’Argos 4-7 fav).
Race Three (Men’s Open Race):
1 D Pugh’s Go For Bust (North Shropshire) (R Burton),
2 Mrs M Scudamore’s Galway (Ross H) (M Scudamore),
3 S Burke’s Honest Yer Honour (Albrighton) (J Pritchard).
Also: Rhythm King (4), Gallik Dawn (5), No Reward (6), Moving Earth (7), Galway Breeze (8), Ichi Cavalo (9), Mount Garry (10), John The Greek (11), Bob Justice (pu), Bold Hunter (pu), Father Paddy (pu), Just Sooty (pu), Pristeen Spy (pu), Sharlom (pu), The Grey Baron (pu). Four lengths, 10 lengths. 6.11. SP 4-1 (Rhythm King 7-4 fav).
Race Four (Ladies Open Race):
1 A Hill’s Bell Rock (Vale of Aylesbury with Garth and South Berks) (Miss E Jarvis),
2 Mrs R Gasson’s Viscount Bankes (Farmers Bloodhounds) (Miss H Watson),
3 Miss J Chinn’s Another Client (Sir W W Wynns) (Miss T Clark).
Also: Copeland (4), Shareef (5), Redskin Raider (6), Tartar Sabre (7), Resplendent Star (8), Royal Action (9), Glory Trail (10), Dramatic Quest (ur), Fantastic Champion (ur), Castle Arrow (pu), Little Worsall (ur), Stromness (pu). Head, neck. 6.17. SP 12-1 (Shareef 3-1 fav).
Race Five (Restricted Race):
1 Mrs P Duncan’s Fergal’s Find (Cotswold) (J Pritchard),
2 Mrs M Arnold’s View Hollo (North Cotswold) (L Morgan),
3 PCB Partnership’s Luke Lively (Middleton) (M Walford).
Also: Instant Appeal (4), Northall Lad (5), Ballyclement (pu), C L B Jemilla (pu), Currow Kate (pu), Down The River (ur), Forget The Ref (ur), Nominate (pu), Nowhips (pu), Oscar Royal (pu), Qualicum (pu), Special Friend (pu), Sunday Lunch (pu), Supreme Sir (pu). Fifteen lengths, head. 6.18. SP 10-1 (Sunday Lunch 3-1 fav).
Race Six (Open Maiden Race 8 year-olds and over):
1 Mr and Mrs R Hawkey’s Tou Charming (Cheshire Forest) (G Hanmer),
2 Mr S Clark’s Avanti Tiger (York and South Ainsty) (R Clark),
3 Mrs K Ridley’s Mad Max Too (Middleton) (M Walford).
Also: On The Deck (4), Yukon Jack (5), Sound Skin (6), Hi Blue (7), Arthur Symons (pu), Irish Preacher (pu), Mem Octavia (pu), Polly Buckrum (pu), Sir Cular (pu), Spanish Scribe (pu), Springwood Lady (pu). Ten lengths, five lengths. 6.28. SP 4-1 (Arthur Symons 5-4 fav).
Race Seven (Open Maiden Race 4, 5, 6 and 7 year-olds):
1 Mrs R Gasson’s Breeze To The Top (Farmers Bloodhounds) (Miss H Watson),
2 S Flook’s Granary House (Teme Valley) (D Mansell),
3 A Hill, Mrs A Pearce and M Avery’s Top Bombing (Vale of Aylesbury with Garth and South Berks) (J Tudor).
Also: Phriapatius (4), Galathea (5), Logger Rhythm (6), Hilly Be (7), Am I Bovvered (pu), Catch A Tartar (pu), Harry’s Lane (pu), Sahara Scirocco (f), Seapin (f), Cabrillo (f). Three lengths, two lengths. 4.52. SP 5-1 (Top Bombing 7-4 fav).
Race Eight (Open Maiden Race 4, 5, 6 and 7 year-olds):
1 Mrs A Swarbrick’s Keenans Reserve (Cheshire) (G Hamner),
2 M Wilkinson’s Our Whiz (North Ledbury) (W Hill),
3 Mrs S Humphrey’s Lane Marshall (Thurlow) (N Pearce).
Also: Amore Mio (4), Mysaynoway (5), Alfloratta (pu), Corton Denham (pu), Dejeeje (pu), Doctor Supremo (pu), Fair Playman (pu), Making Overtures (pu), Phantoms Lair (f), Tarkeez (pu). Neck, three lengths. 4.53. SP 4-1 (Phantoms Lair 3-1 fav).
