REPORT:  THE SUFFOLK AT AMPTON RACECOURSE ON SUNDAY MARCH 1st  

Author:  Mike Ashby 

Gina Andrews has enjoyed many winning sequences since riding her first point-to-point winner at Cottenham in 2008. At the weekend, Gina rode three winners at Ampton on Sunday following a treble at Kingston Blount, the previous day. Now approaching 450 career wins in points, her determination and desire to maintain her success rate, never diminishes.  

Andrews winning trio, at Ampton, came courtesy of  Padjoes Legacy ( Veterans race ), Ice Prowler ( Maiden ), both for owner/trainer Nigel Padfield and Call Me Early ( Intermediate ) registering another success for the local ownership, The Signy and Marriage Families. Padjoes Legacy stayed on stoutly up the Ampton finishing hill having been involved in a tense duel with Paint The Dream throughout the final circuit. The winner had the advantage of the inside round the final two bends and responded to Gina’s urgings to win by 1¼ lengths. This was 10-year-old’s sixth success and the third with Gina aboard and she described afterwards, her winning partner as a “hard ride, temperamental but on form today”.  

PADJOES LEGACY and GINA ANDREWS

Ice Prowler confirmed previous potential with a well-timed challenge to secure victory in the concluding Maiden contest where all seven entries were declared. One Man Party who had been patiently ridden by Will Badlan, at the back of the field, took up the running at the final obstacle down the hill, for the last time. With the final fence omitted because of damage in the previous race, Andrews calmly but steadily made significant progress to join One Man Party and overtake the ex-David Bridgewater inmate, who was making his pointing debut, close home for a 1½ length victory. 

ICE PROWLER and GINA ANDREWS

Call Me Early triumph was very comfortable, seeing off the recent Higham winner, Practice Run by 6 lengths. There was very little change in the order for the first two circuits with Mister Splash, Practice Run and Call Me Early occupying the first three places. It was three fences out where Mister Splash relinquished the lead, after coming under pressure. Bradley Gibbs had Practice Run on the favoured inside round the final bend but Gina had enough in reserve on Call Me Early and although brushing through the top of the last fence had 6 lengths to spare over their nearest rival, at the finish. This was Call Me Early’s fifth win, all in the East Anglia area, for his enthusiastic owners and Gina post-race comments “ he’s a talented individual who never runs a bad race “ with future targets open-ended, at present.  

CALL ME EARLY and GINA ANDREWS

Another local winner came in the Restricted race where Atlantic Fleet, partnered by Charlotte Butler, trained adjacent to the Ampton course by Ed Turner and owned by the Turner family. The winner benefitted from the last fence chaos where the likely winner Jasmin Des Bordes ran out having taking the lead two fences from home. Time To Upgrade and Seb Mead, who had earlier picked up a £200 fine for misuse of the whip, led the field of six with the odds-on favourite and course winner here in January, Jorah, down the pack eventually finishing 4th after Dale Peters did remarkably well to maintain the partnership, at the third last.  Atlantic Fleet was always to the fore but had no answer to the challenge of Jasmin Des Bordes and Tom Frogley who swept passed the field before his mishap at the last obstacle. Apparently, the previous course winner was declared in cheek pieces but connections had difficulty in applying them in the parade ring so they hastily asked the permission of the Stewards to run without them which was agreed. This with hindsight could have made the difference when approaching the final fence but it was wise not inquire of jockey Frogley after the incident, as his frustration was clearly evident ! The winning jockey said afterwards “ they didn’t go very quick, so I found myself up front but he jumped well and stayed on to the finish “ 

ATLANTIC FLEET and CHARLOTTE BUTLER (right)

The Ladies Open was an enthralling contest with all three declared runners, who incidentally also contested the equivalent race at the January meeting held at Ampton, all closely grouped in the betting. Shentri was reunited with Ellie Callwood who had two wins and four placings on the horse in the first two seasons it was in the care of trainer Kelly Morgan where Callwood is based full-time. Shentri perhaps need a bit of confidence having subsequently failed to complete the course on four occasions through unseating or falling, in nine outings. Here they took a six length advantage into the first obstacle and maintained their lead with Tullys Touch and Ellie Holder closely following and a restrained Loughan and Gina Andrews in rear. Three fences out Tullys Touch made a significant move, on ground not as firm as he prefers, but Shentri and Callwood were equal to the challenge and pulled clear again for an all-the-way success by 5½ lengths. Loughan finished in 3rd place but suffered a broken blood vessel towards the end of the contest. Callwood was full of praise for her winning partner describing him as “nippy, a good jumper, stays and is quick” and this success was her fourth of the season. 

SHENTRI and ELLIE CALLWOOD

The Mens Open race was a match race won in facile style by Fier Jaguen and trainer/jockey Bradley Gibbs over their solitary rival Envious Editor. The was the 13th success for this multiple winner and his delighted owner, Julian Sherriff, closely watched his fine, consistent horse jump the first fence before taking up a more advantageous position to view the rest of the race. Never in danger of being challenged Fier Jaguen jumped consistently and sometimes violently out to the right at his fences which Gibbs concluded was because they were not going fast enough without any true competition and it ”was a shame there was a shortage of declarations, for the race”. Irrespective of that he still considers his winning partner as “a stable star “ and could do no more than breeze round to gain a 20 length success over Envious Editor and Dan Cherriman. 

FIER JAGUEN and BRADLEY GIBBS

An enjoyable meeting, expertly organised and as always plenty of interesting action, happenings and quotes to form the basis of this report. 

PHOTOS COURTESY OF GRAHAM BISHOP PHOTOGRAPHY

www.gdbphotography.co.uk