Welsh champions 25-length dash

Mar 25 2008 by Brian Lee, Western Mail

REIGNING Welsh ladies’ champion rider Isabel Tompsett was in brilliant form at the Curre and Llangibby Hunt Steeplechases on Saturday landing a double with Chesnut Annie (ladies’ open) and Check Up (maiden two, part two).

Chesnut Annie went straight into the lead and won by 25 lengths from the useful Honest Endeavour, who cost owner/rider Angela Rucker 20,000 guineas at the Doncaster Sales.

Chesnut Annie’s winning time was five seconds quicker than when she won over the course a fortnight earlier.

Check Up, described as “a modest and wayward hurdler”, joined Pyle’s Andrew Leyshon after being bought out of a Chepstow seller after finishing third on his Flat racing debut and was a first winner for Mr Leyshon, who is in the motor trade.

South Wales Area point-to-point secretary Sarah Price notched-up a first training double with Thomo (maiden division one) and CountryCousin (maiden division two part one).

Backed from 8-1 to 3-1, Thomo, a 10-year-old bay gelding, owned by Alan Cook, won by five lengths from Scally’s George.

CountryCousin, ridden by Josh Harris, finished a distance behind the odds-on favourite Apocalozzo, but was awarded the race when it was ruled that Apolcalozzo’s rider Deano Coleman had gone the wrong side of a marker. Official Jim Thomas, who rode his last winner at Howick in the mid 1960s, saw his grandson Tom David, 17, survive a last fence blunder on Tanmeya to win the restricted race. The grey Tanmeya, who is owned by Tom’s grandparents Jim Thomas and Rhys David, won by eight lengths from Mr Roche T.

Mrs Rae Jones’s Loch Ennel chalked-up his fifth win over the course when landing the men’s open by 10 lengths from Red Man. Loch Ennel, who was ridden by Liam Payter, 25, jumped well throughout and is trained by Nicky Sheppard.

Christine Evans came in for plenty of praise after winning the restricted on Jack Rowsell’s well- backed BitsAndBobs.

“He jumped for fun,” said Christine, 23, from Pontypridd, on dismounting in the winners’ enclosure.

James Stephens won the members’ race on the late Harvey Heaven’s Murdinga, who won by one and three quarter lengths from Supreme Priority after the odds-on favourite Regal Storm fell at the second last when well clear.

Meanwhile, some racegoers have asked me whether I am offended at being the butt of race commentator Eddie Williams’s remarks all the time.

Over the public address system he has told racegoers that I am sponsored by Age Concern and that I wear incontinence pants and so on.

And while I agree that Eddie does get a bit too personal at times, I will really start to worry when he ignores me completely!

Guests at the AndersElite luncheon at Chepstow Racecourse last Wednesday for the running of the AndersElite.com Handicap Hurdle were introduced to Gold Cup winning jockey Sam Thomas. I asked Sam did he think Denman could win again next year and he said he could see no reason why he shouldn’t.

There are 111 entries for the Glamorgan Hunt Steeplechases at Ystradowen near Cowbridge on Saturday.

Racing gets under way at 1pm with the young horse maiden, and Apocalozzo would be most people’s idea of the winner.

Ragamix, who ran well at Howick, will probably start favourite for the aged maiden and BitsAndBobs could take the confined.

Margam Abbey, Lady Myfanwy, Daisys Rainbow and Red Man are others to watch for, while Joshua Squashuar has been entered for the restricted race.

You can email your news and views to Brian Lee at leebrian@btinternet.co.uk or telephone 029 2073 6438