Trainer Andrew Pennock and jockey Dickie Collinson dominated the Waveney Harriers Point-To-Point at Higham on Sunday with a trio of successes courtesy of Play The Ace, Counting Stars and Galros Lady.
Galros Lady (right) rounds off a great day for Andrew Pennock and Dickie Collinson
The victory of Galros Lady in the Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association Mares Race was particularly significant, as it was her third of the season, making the six-year-old the nation’s leading young horse of the campaign.
And Counting Stars was the most impressive of the triumvirate, drawing fully 15 lengths clear of the chasing pack in the Open Maiden.
Andrew Pennock (left) leads Counting Stars into the winners enclosure
For the first hour or so of this fixture, spectators could have been forgiven in thinking that they were experiencing flashbacks of the previous weekend’s Cambridge University Draghounds meeting as the winners of both of the first two races had also been triumphant at Cottenham just eight days earlier.
The ‘hallucinations’ began when Nightscape responded to a positive front-running ride from Charlie Buckle to land the Veteran & Novice Riders Race for trainer Rob Cundy, from Semer, near Hadleigh.
Basic Fact (Rosie Chinery) jumps an early fence just in front of Nightscape (Charlie Buckle)
Some 35 minutes later in the Club Members Race, Play The Ace completed a quickfire double of his own to spark the Pennock/Collinson treble as he managed to hold off the late thrust of Susquehanna River by a head.
Dickie Collinson (yellow cap) bides his time aboard Play The Ace
The runner-up was only a second career ride (and a second near-miss) for jockey Patrick Bullard, from the other East Anglian village of Higham, between Newmarket and Bury St Edmunds. Bullard again looked highly competent in the saddle and should soon be going one better.
Recent Cottenham form was also the key to the Restricted Race as the Warwickshire-trained Sea Current, a winner at that Cambridgeshire venue some seven weeks ago, overcame some crooked jumping to beat The Master Remover by five lengths.
Sea Current (Gina Andrews)
Both The Master Remover and the Mares Race second, Watneys Way, were further representatives of the Cundy/Buckle combination which thus ended the day with an admirable tally of one victory and two narrow reverses.
Course specialist Broken Eagle put up easily the classiest performance of the day when taking his Higham record to a perfect five-from-five in the Mens Open Race. Despite being heavily eased in the closing stages, he still clocked a time that was the fastest of the day by fully eight seconds.
Broken Eagle (Joe Hill) leads and will soon rocket clear of his Mens Open rivals
His Oxfordshire-based jockey, Joe Hill (son of winning handler Alan Hill), later reported that this fast-improving eight-year-old will now be aimed at a hunter chase at Stratford on March 14th.
The bookies expected Hill senior to also lift the Ladies Open with Sharp Suit. But the odds-on favourite found Top Smart (trained in Northamptonshire by Jenny Pidgeon) three lengths too strong.
Top Smart (Kelly Morgan) bungles the last
Dual olympic gold medallist Victoria Pendleton was in in action here, getting around safely in sixth place aboard the 33-1 outsider, Minella Theatre.
RESULTS
GOING: GOOD (Good To Firm in places )
Hunt Members’ (Veteran & Novice Riders )
1- NIGHTSCAPE Charlie Buckle 6/4
2- Carlanstown Jack Andrews 5/4 fav
3- Weather Warning Eleanor Callaghan 7/1
Time 6mins 11secsDists: 15L, 8L 6 ran
PPORA Club Members’
1- PLAT THE ACEDicky Collinson Evens fav
2- Susquehanna RiverPatrick Bullard 3/1
3- Iheardu Shane Roche 10/1
Time 6-13 Dists: Head, 1L 10 ran
Men’s Open
1- BROKEN EAGLE Joe Hill 1/3 fav
2- In Fairness Rupert Stearn 16/1
3- Good Order Ed Turner 40/1
Time 5-57 Dists: Distance, Distance 5 ran
Ladies’ Open
1- TOP SMART Kelly Morgan 7/4
2- Sharp Suit Gina Andrews 4/7 fav
3- Sa Kaldoun Rosie Turner 20/1
Time 6-05 Dists: 3L, 5L 8 ran
Open Maiden
1- COUNTING STARS Dicky Collinson4/5 fav
2- Verdasco Kate Gowing 25/1
3- Weve Got Company Jack Andrews 7/1
Time 6-15Dists: 15L, 2L 12 ran
Restricted
1- SEA CURRENT Gina Andrews 2/1 fav
2- The Master RemoverCharlie Buckle 8/1
3- Brake Hill Sam Davies-Thomas 12/1
Time 6-12 Dists: 5L, 2L 9 ran
TBA Club Members’
1- GALROS LADY Dicky Collinson 4/6 fav
2- Watneys Way Charlie Buckle 25/1
3- Running In HeelsGina Andrews 10/1
Time 6-27 Dists: 4L, 2L 6 ran
ENDS
