Neil King was on the mark again at Ampton, partnering As You Like It to a 15 length defeat of Dream Packet in the Members’ Race. King was much happier afterwards than seven days previously, when he took As You Like It all the way up to Market Rasen in Lincolnshire only for the meeting to be abandoned at the very last minute.
The Turner family, who live within half a mile of the course at Ampton Hall, notched a double in association with jockey Andrew Sansome as Dynamic Lord took the Land Rover Open and Yashwell prevailed in the closing Maiden.
The Rural Dean, trained at Wymondham by Mike Bloom and owned by Stephen and Julia Howlett, from Rockland All Saints, made it two wins out of two for the season with a comfortable defeat of Back Bar in the Confined Race. William Wales proved an able deputy in the saddle as regular pilot Nigel Bloom was on the sidelines after breaking his collar bone in a schooling fall.
Easthorpe, who is owned, trained and ridden by Jane Fitzgerald, wife of the Grand National-winning jockey, Mick, got the better of Thurles Pickpocket in a match for the Ladies’ Open.
Ashley Bealby conjured a dramatic late thrust from Blackchesters to collar Mr Pistachio in the final strides of the Restricted Race while Campbellhill, trained near Peterborough by Henry Hill, took the other Maiden under Tony Williams.
Results
Race One (Members’ Race):
1 R Oliver-Smith and Mrs J Mc’Vay’s As You Like It (Suffolk) (N King),
2 Mr and Mrs A Howland-Jackson’s Dream Packet (Suffolk) (C Ward-Thomas),
3 C Jarvis’ Vulpin de Laugere (Suffolk) (owner).
Also: Holmby Copse (ur), Persian Boy (pu). 15 lengths, a distance. 7m 33s. W £16. SP7-2. (Dream Packet 11-10fav).
Race Two (Confined Hunts Race):
1 Mr and Mrs S Howlett’s The Rural Dean (Dunston Harriers) (W Wales),
2 Miss K Thory’s Back Bar (Fitzwilliam) (A Williams),
3 T Batterbee’s Cinnamon Club (Suffolk) (C Ward-Thomas).
Also: The Snow Burn (4), Borrow Mine (5), Monks Soham (6), Ballygar Boy (pu), Fortune Hunter (pu), Mind Your Step (pu), Nibble (ur). Six lengths, three lengths. No time taken. W £6. SP 2-1fav.
Race Three (Ladies’ Open Race):
1 Mrs J Fitzgerald’s Easthorpe (Old Berks) (owner),
2 Miss J Stevens (Thurles Pickpocket (E. Anglian Bloodhounds) (Mrs S Hodge). One length. 7.39. W ££4.60. SP 6-4. (Thurles Pickpocket 1-3fav).
Race Four (Men’s Open Race):
1 J M Turner’s Dynamic Lord (Suffolk) (A Sansome),
2 A Campbell’s Spuffington (C U Draghounds) (owner),
3 P JMillington’s Chummy’s Saga (Fernie) (owner).
Seven lengths. 7m 45s. W £1.10. SP 2-5fav.
Race Five (Restricted Race):
1 I S Naylor’s Blackchesters (Quorn) (A JBealby),
2 N Shutts’ Mr Pistachio (Ludlow) (G Hamner),
3 F Farrow and Ms H Goward’s Tap The Father (West Norfolk) (C Ward-Thomas).
Also: Royal Way (pu), Squaddie (pu). Half a length, a distance. 7m 40s. W £3. SP 5-2. (Mr Pistachio evens fav).
Race Six (Open Maiden Race – Division One):
1 Mrs M Sharland and H Hill’s Campbellhill (Granta Harriers) (A Williams),
2 P J Millington’s Rising Dawn (Fernie) (owner),
3 G Cooper’s Southern Target (E. Anglian Bloodhounds) (owner).
2½ lengths, 10 lengths. 8m 21s. W £2.60. SP 5-4. (Southern Target 4-5fav).
Race Seven (Open Maiden Race – Division Two):
1 J M Turner’s Yashwell (Suffolk) (A Sansome),
2 K Coe’s Dream Isle (Essex Farmers and Union) (A Coe). Also: Open Invitation (pu), Timeforanother (pu).
A distance. 8m 22s W£2.20. SP 2-1. (Dream Isle evens fav).
