Richard Morgan-Evans doubled his career tally inside 40 minutes when landing both divisions of the Maiden Race at the East Essex Point-To-Point at Marks Tey on Sunday.
Morgan-Evans, 22, from Heydon near Norwich, has long been one of the most promising young members of the East Anglian riding fraternity without quite making the breakthrough. He secured his first ever double when Here Comes Choosey shed his maiden tag at the tenth attempt a race after Mai Cure had also got off the mark, in her case at the eighth time of asking.
Here Comes Choosey was ending a ten-year drought for Heydon trainer Tina Hayward and was rewarding the patience of the ten-member ownership syndicate, The Cherry Tree Partnership, headed by Stuart Lusher, from Poringland.
Hayward was quick to deflect praise onto another member of her team, equine physio Sam Rodwell, who has helped overcome Here Comes Choosey’s long-standing shoulder problem with the aid of a muscle stimulation machine.
Mai Cure, who is trained at Pebmarsh by Paula Twinn, has been threatening to win a race for some time but has been dogged by ill fortune, twice suffering from a slipping saddle and being brought down when favourite on another occasion.
Twinn’s father, David Claydon, reported: We have bred and raced six generations of this family. It all goes back to a grey mare, Reset, who was bought from Newmarket trainer Harvey Leader by my gandfather, Tom, just after the war.
Monarch Ruler, the hot favourite, duly collected the Confined Race although such a result seemed unlikely when he was some dozen lengths adrift of the leaders at the fourth last obstacle.I thought I was beaten, admitted his Wymondham-based pilot, Rupert Stearn. But I gave him a couple of cracks with the whip before three out and he just took off.
Monarch Ruler is trained at Raydon, near Hadleigh, by Robert Cundy for owner George Cooper.
Deckie, a six-time winner in 2005, made it two wins from three starts this campaign when defying his tendency to hang left to land the Men’s Open under trainer David Kemp, from Kilverstone, near Thetford. Kemp, who was a close second in last year’s East Anglian Jockeys’ Championship, has now notched ten wins for the current season, two more than Stearn.
Paul Chinery, from Great Yeldham, made it three wins from the last four runnings of the East Essex Hunt Race when his mount Baron Bernard, came home well clear in the opening event. Baron Bernard has been nursed back from a septic foot by Chinery’s father, Aubrey.The Ladies’ Open produced a thrilling finish as A Few Bob Back, ridden by former Colchester girl Camilla Ewart, who is now a stockbroker in the City, overhauled Find Me Another in the last few strides.In the Countryside Alliance Novice Riders’ Race, Nokimover completed a four-timer for another Londoner once based in East Anglia, Alex Vaughan-Jones, who was brought up in Wells-next-the-Sea.
Vaughan-Jones so nearly completed a double in an incredibly tight finish to the closing Restricted Race. But his mount, Sunyblaze, was caught right on the line by Kicasso, trained at Ampton, near Bury St Edmunds, by Joe Turner and ridden by Newmarket’s James Owen.
This rounded off a great weekend for Turner as Leatherback, ridden by his granddaughter, Zoe, and John The Mole, ridden by Owen, had both won at Parham in Sussex on Saturday.
Results
Race One (Members’ Race):
1 A G Chinery’s Baron Bernard (East Essex) (P Chinery),
2 M Lambert’s we Got Him (East Sussex) (A Braithwaite),
3 Mr and Mrs D Claydon’s Sir William Wallace (East Essex) (R Morgan-Evans).
Three ran, a distance, 7.18, SP 4-5 fav.
Race Two (Open Maiden Race – Division One):
1 D Claydon and Mrs P Twinn’s Mai Cure (East Essex) (R Morgan-Evans),
2 N Padfield’s Ciderlay (Essex), (J Owen).
Seven ran, a distance, 7.20 SP 5-4 fav.
Race Three (Open Maiden Race – Division Two):
1 The Cherry Tree Partnership’s Here Comes Choosey (North Norfolk Harriers) (R Morgan-Evans),
2 The Crofters Club’s Raddichio (Bicester with Whaddon Chase).
Only two finished. Also Charlie Tee (PU), Combe Castle (PU), Coverdale (PU), Deerstalker (PU), Harry’s Lane (PU), Jonno (PU), Mistress Cool (F), My Esiotrot (PU), Padamul (PU), Standandbecounted (PU). 12 ran, 15 lengths, 7.15, SP 10-1 (Mistress Cool 11-10 fav).
Race Four (Ladies’ Open Race):
1 Miss C Ewart’s A Few Bob Back (East Sussex and Romney Marsh), owner,
2 Mrs C Stennett, Mrs C Aldridge and Mrs E King’s Find Me another (Pytchley) (Miss A Stennett),
3 Mr and Mrs A Kemp’s Wild Spice (Grafton) (Mrs H Kemp).
Also Lucky Master (4th), Pampered Gale (5th), Tartar Sabre (6th), Madmidge (7th), Castle Arrow (8th), Damp Course (9th), Storm Castle (PU), The Wiley Kalmuck (PU), Tip Kash (PU). 12 ran, half a length, 10 lengths, 7.05. SP 7-4 fav (Find Me Another 7-4 fav).
Race Five (Men’s Open Race):
1 Mrs F Hawes, Deckie (Suffolk) (D Kemp),
2 J Richardson’s Wings of Hope (Beaufort) (D Jones),
3 R Green and B Sayer’s Philson Warrior (Fitzwilliam) (M Smith).
Also cross River (PU), Dunmanus Bay (UR), Pelican Brief (PU). Six ran, 10 lengths, 7.09. SP Evens fav.
Race Six (Confined Hunts Race):
1 G Cooper’s Monarch Ruler (Essex Farmers and Union) (R Stearn),
2 D Wales Christmas Cracker (West Norfolk) (N Bloom),
3 Mrs C Kemp’s Young Lord (Suffolk) (D Kemp).
Also Lord Valnic (4th), Wonder Weasel (5th), Parsonhumfrywebber (6th), Marmalade Mountain (7th), Tap the Father (8th), Hail Stone (9th), Colonel Conca (PU), Royal Action (UR). 11 ran, 15 lengths: three lengths, 7.07. SP 5-4 fav.
Race Seven (Countryside Alliance Club Members Race (Novice Riders):
1 Mrs A Vaughan-Jones’ Nokimover (West Norfolk) (Alex Vaughan-Jones),
2 Mrs C R Rogers’ Good Vintage (Cambs with Enfield Chace) (Miss C Rogers),
3 J M Turner’s Fair Exchange (Suffolk) (Miss K Smith).
Also Sutton Courtenay (4th), Village Copper (5th), CLB Jemilla (6th), Bustling Rio (F), Doe Nal Rua (UR), Nouatara (PU), Skirmishing (UR). 10 ran 15 lengths: half a length, 7.17. SP 4-5 fav.
Race Eight (Restricted Race):
1 J Turner’s Kicasso (Suffolk) (J Owen),
2 Mrs A Vaughan-Jones’ and G Luck’s Sunyblaze (West Norfolk) (Alex Vaughan-Jones),
3 A Hodge’s Our Man Friday (East Anglian Bloodhounds) (N Bloom).
Also Nicodemus (4th), Persian silk (5th), Second Thoughts (6th), Dionysian (PU), Naranjita (PU), On the day (PU). Nine ran, head: three lengths, 7.23. SP 9-4 (Sunyblaze 6-4 fav).
Pony Racing
Pony Race One (Children’s Pony Flat Race – Ponies 13.2hh and under):
1 Mrs J Andrew’s Artic Annie (Cambs with Enfield Chace) (Bridget Andrews),
2 J Hill’s Charlie (SOH South) (Joe Hill),
3 Mrss S Whyte’s Firfield Starlight Lady (Sophie White).
Nine ran, six lengths: three lengths.
Pony Race Two (Children’s Pony Flat Race – ponies 14.2hh and under):
1 Mrs J Andrew’s Pepsi (Cambs with Enfield Chace) (Georgina Andrews),
2 M Slender’s Sparkling Destiny (Fitzwilliam), (Shannon Slender),
3 Mrs A Braham’s Hero (Suffolk) (Amy Braham).
Eight ran, a distance: half a length.
