REPORT: PUCKERIDGE & ESSEX MEETING AT HIGH EASTER ON SATURDAY APRIL 11th
By Mike Ashby
The 2025/26 East Anglia area point-to-point season concluded with the Puckeridge and Essex meeting at the delightful High Easter racecourse. All bar one of the scheduled ten fixtures took place, only the initial one planned for November didn’t run, due to lack of entries.
At High Easter the main race of the day, The Ladies Open race, with the prestigious Warwick Vase awarded to the winner, went to Police Academy ridden by Ellie Callwood. This improving partnership has now won twice ( Higham and here ) and were runners-up at Fakenham, all in the space of three weeks. Two fences out all three runners, Police Academy, Spyglass Hill and I’m Spellbound were in the air together but the eventual winner produced a better jump than her rivals. This enabled Callwood to round the final bend on the favoured inside line and the winning pairing kept on strongly to win by 1¼ lengths from the I’m Spellbound who didn’t appreciate the drying ground and there was evidence of a broken blood vessel which wouldn’t have helped his chances. Spyglass Hill gave Eliza Culloty, daughter of Gold Cup and Grand National winning jockey Jim, an exhilarating ride as they led their two rivals for most of the race and in the end were only 4¼ lengths behind the winner, at the finish. Spyglass Hill sustained a hoof injury which was pumping blood when led back to the horsebox area which necessitated a visit to the equine hospital in Newmarket, straight after the race. The winning jockey, Ellie Callwood, has certainly got the measure of this “bit of a madam” individual who is in her first season of pointing having previously been trained by Fergal O’ Brien winning four races for the Sutton family. This was a much needed pick-up for trainer Kelly Morgan who sadly lost Dusart in the previous race.
I’m Spellbound (near side), Police Academy ( far side), Spyglass Hill (hidden)
In that race, Red Maple and Cian Murphy duly won the extended 3¾ mile Essex National for the second consecutive year to give the first winner, in what has been a frustrating season, for owner//trainer Nick Wright. The winner made a serious mistake at the 5th fence and “ballooned one or two but class got him through” reported Murphy and is at a loss to why the Wright horses haven’t been winning. ” They just haven’t been performing” but is confident they will come back to the high standard of form, normally associated with any runner from the Wright yard.
RED MAPLE and CIAN MURPHY
Reel Much Fun and Huw Edwards followed up their course win in March in the opening PPORA Conditions contest when getting up on the line to beat Main Stage by ½ a length. Steppingstone and The Orchard Boy were the early leaders and all five runners were closely packed going out on their final circuit. Three fences out, Steppingstone still led but then quickly dropped away with Main Stage and Gina Andrews making the best of their way home and Edwards on Reel Much Fun creeping closer. Jumping the last Main Stage still had the lead but Reel Much Fun was thrust up the inside and took the judge’s verdict by ½ a length.
Petite Mike gave Sussex-based owner/trainer/rider, Kathryn Featherstone, her second course win in the Conditions race. Cash Or Card, winner on his two previous starts, led his two rivals around the Essex course and jumped the second last perfectly on the inside. However, Featherstone had their measure and confidently presented Petite Mike to lead jumping the final obstacle and put two lengths between them and the Dale Peters’ trained and ridden Cash Or Card.
Trainer Peters tasted victory in the concluding Maiden contest when steering the 5yo Spartan Brave, on his GB pointing debut, to success. Having had two initial runs in points in Ireland with the best placing 3rd of 4 in February at Knockanard, there hasn’t been a lot of time for Peters to get know his new acquisition but judging on this performance, there were lots learnt and plenty to work on, for the future.
SPARTAN BRAVE and DALE PETERS
Gina Andrews who is about to be crowned National Point-to-Point Ladies Champion rider for the twelfth time was successful on No Risk Des Flos, for the owners the Stearn family who were enjoying their 3rd winner in three weeks. Andrews has ridden 14 winners in East Anglia this season which has contributed to her current season total of 37. The winner’s task became a formality after Janika had unfortunately unseated Charlotte Butler at the first fence leaving Belinda Rose on Jacks Touch to make any sort of race, out of the contest. Although the winning margin was ¾ of a length the odds-on favourite was never going to be denied victory.
NO RISK DES FLOS and GINA ANDREWS
Another East Anglian season is consigned to the record books with ground conditions reasonably favourable throughout to produce a high percentage of runners, for each meeting, to the number of entries received.
Photos courtesy of Graham Bishop Photography
www.gdbphotography.co.uk
