The 50th annual Enfield Chace with Cambridgeshire Point-To-Point fixture at Northaw, near Potters Bar, reached a fitting climax when Sa Kaldoun ran out the easy winner of the Skinner’s Ladies Open Race.
This allowed Josie Sheppard (nee Turner), the winning rider of the equivalent race aboard a horse called Konvoys back in 1968, to present the trophy to her nephews, Ben and Ed Turner, from Ampton Hall near Bury St Edmunds.
The Turner family are owner-trainers of Sa Kaldoun, who was registering his sixth victory for them in a career that stretches back to 2012, the last three in conjunction with Ed’s wife, jockey Rosie Turner.
Andrew Pennock, whose training base is barely a mile away from the Turners’ at Timworth, endured a frustrating afternoon, saddling no less than four placed horses. His most agonising defeat came in the Restricted Race as Royal Chieftain paid the price for a sloppy round of fencing when losing out by a head to Kicker King.
But everything eventually fell into place for Pennock and his retained jockey, the Welshman, Evan David, in the closing Open Maiden Race – the very last race of the 2016-2017 East Anglian season – when their recent recruit from Ireland, Jonjoela, got the better of Max O by a comfortable eight lengths.
Runner-up in an Irish Point-To-Point just five weeks earlier, Jonjoela thus became the 22nd winner of a fine campaign for Pennock and his wife Ruth – a new personal best tally for the Dalmer Lodge handler.
Another man to have enjoyed a fine season is Tim Gredley, from Stetchworth, near Newmarket. A one-time international showjumper, Gredley is a late starter to the steeplechasing game at the age of 31 but he has formed a fine partnership with the former Philip Hobbs-trained useful National Hunt performer, Silvergrove.
Now trained in Newmarket by James Owen, this new association took its record to a perfect four wins from four races with a four length defeat of his stablemate, Remarkable Man, in the Novice Riders Race.
Forget Bob, trained in Buckinghamshire by Stephen Allen, proved a length and a half too strong for Pennock’s Poyntzpass in the Club Members Race.
And the Kent raider, West Lake, got the better of a spirited duel with Dido in the Intermediate Race.
CAMBRIDGESHIRE WITH ENFIELD CHACE HUNT RESULTS
at NORTHAW
GOING: GOOD / GOOD TO FIRM in places ( Watered )
East Anglia Area Club Members Conditions
1st FORGET BOB ( Jody Sole ) 5/1
2nd Poyntzpass ( Evan David ) 7/4
3rd Burtredgipandgump ( Archie Wright) 4/5 Fav
Time: 6 mins 26 secs Distances: 1½L, 2½L 5 ran
Intermediate
1st WEST LAKE ( Shane Roche ) 4/1
2nd Dido( Dale Peters ) 4/1
3rdMahlers Spirit ( Evan David ) 4/7 Fav
Time: 6-27 Dists: Neck, Distance 5 ran
PPORA Club Members ( Novice Riders )
1st SILVERGROVE (Tim Gredley) 4/7 Fav
2nd Remarkable Man( Danielle Giles ) 4/1
3rdAbbey Lane ( Seb Burnett- Wells ) 3/1
Time: 6-24 Dists: 4L, Neck 5 ran
Ladies Open
1st SA KALDOUN ( Rosie Turner ) 5/2
2nd Too Late To Sell ( Katy Lyons ) 6/4 Fav
3rd Weather Warning (Eleanor Callaghan) 6/1
Time: 6-21 Dists: 15L, 3L 6 ran
Restricted
1st KICKER KING ( Phil York ) 4/1
2nd Royal Chieftan( Evan David ) 5/4 Fav
3rd Florella( Jack Andrews ) 2/1
Time: 6-25 Dists: Head, ¾L 8 ran
Open Maiden
1st JONJOELA ( Evan David) 3/1
2nd Max O ( Dale Peters ) 2/1 Fav
3rd Lucky To Be Alive( Phil York ) 4/1
Time: 6-19 Dists: 8L, Distance 9 ran
Two fences omitted, injured horse.