HURWORTH POINT TO POINT REVIEW
There can be few more glorious places in the point to point world than the bank in Skutterskelfe Park in the bright spring sunshine with the racecourse below and the beautiful vista of the Cleveland Hills beyond. With the weather kind last Saturday 14th March a large crowd was able to enjoy some super competitive races which produced thrilling finishes to get everybody excited.
Twenty four hours after the the Cheltenham festival drew to a close, one of the stars of Gold Cup day made his visit worthwhile with his only ride a winning one. The man in question was Henry Crow whose win on Barton Snow was described by Sir Tony McCoy as the ride of the week, which was some accolade and the ride he gave Baby Chou to win the Steven Beane Farrier Restricted race was another cracker. Always at the head of affairs, dictating the pace, Baby Chou had a gaggle of challengers hot on this heels as they swung for the long run home before three out but horse and jockey saw them all off one by one before finally holding off Callaghy and Hugo Scott Wills by a half a length. The winner is the only horse trained by Cooper Wilson who is well known thanks to his autobiographical book The True Story Of The Yorkshire Horseman which tells of his life as a horse whisperer.
Still on cloud nine from the day before Henry said afterwards “I got an easy lead and got a great ride. Barton Snow heads to Aintree now and hopefully he can complete a rare double”. The winning owner trainer Cooper was full of praise for his jockey “ I saw there were seven declared but I knew nothing about any of them. Henry knew everything so I just let him ride her as he wanted. She's the first winner i've had since Dark Night at the Bedale twenty years ago. My son Alex started training and is doing very well so I decided I wanted to get one of my own again”.
Another Cheltenham hero found his way into the Hutton Rudby winners enclosure when Charles and Emma Clark's evergreen fourteen year old Summerville Boy retained the trophy for the Rosedene Nurseries Mixed Open, eight years and one day after his success in the festival's Supreme Novices. Thomas Easterby seized the initiative three out and Summerville Boy stayed on gamely all the way up the hill to deny the prolific winning favourite Camdonian and Christy Furness by four lengths. “Tom rang through the week to ask for the ride” reported a delighted Charles “ he said he was going to ride him differently because he's got the speed. He was only beaten three lengths when fifth to Camdonian at Helmsley but he'd been in his box four four days beforehand with gravel so I think he was a bit stuffy. I wasn't expecting it today!”
The win on Summerville Boy teed up a superb riding treble for Thomas Easterby, the second leg of which was a family affair when Morozov Cocktail, who is trained by brother Will and owned by mum Sarah, won the Joslin Rhodes Veteran Horse Conditions Level 2. The race developed into a tremendous dual between the winner and Olivia Rogers riding Zhiguli. Neck and neck over the last and all the way up the run in Tom had to be at his very strongest to deny the determined challenger by three quarters of a length with Olivia looking extremely accomplished for such an inexperienced novice. “Morozov Cocktail did extremely well to win that as he had to carry the full ten pound penalty” commented winning owner Sarah afterwards “I've no idea where he'll go next”.
Thomas's treble was completed in the Carter Jonas Maiden where he once again had to be at his very strongest on the youngster Thats Where Its At to deny Christy Furness and Blackhill King. Once again the race saw two horses locked together stride for stride on the run for home and there was only a head between the pair on the line. The winning Idaho five year old was making his debut over fences having been third in a Larkhill flat race earlier this season and is owned and trained by Albertine Barker from Banbury in Oxfordshire. “That's my first winner in Britain after twenty years of trying!” exclaimed his delighted owner “ he's been to David Easterby's for some schooling but having never jumped a fence in public before I thought Tom was only going to give him a pop round! He's very young and hopefully there's a lot more to come from him.”
Whilst Olivia Rogers was narrowly denied on Zhiguli she had better luck in the Yorkshire Property Agency and The Jockey Club 0-110 Rated Series race when the wonderfully game and consistent Ballydonagh Boy won his thirteenth race and provided Olivia with a second win from just three career rides. With Phil Greaves and Follow Your Arrow establishing a wide margin lead and stringing the field out like washing, Olivia and Ballydonagh Boy slowly but steadily began to reel the leader in after turning for home three out before joining the leader at the last. Follow Your Arrow tried hard to hold the challenge off but there was two lengths in it at the line. Cherry Coward trains the winner for the ten members of the Nextgen Racing Club and she said of her stable star afterwards “ He looks after his jockey. He'll do his own thing and knows just the right pace to go”.
The day's other winner came when Royal Cave and Natasha Cookson caused a bit of a surprise at 16/1 in the Lynas Engineers Hurworth Members, Farmers and Subscribers. Last year's leading Yorkshire horse Surprise Attack was sent off at odds on to repeat his victory here under novice jockey Louis Covell but he looked held when unseating at the last, at which several were in with a very good chance. Moonlight Flit and George Atkinson emerged as the main challenger to the Thope Farm Racing Club owned mare but she proved too strong up the hill and held him off by a length. The winning trainer, Tom Fife from Great Smeaton said afterwards “This was always the plan. She had run well in two maidens previously and the rain worked for us. She;s only little but she tries”.
Following the last race Henry Crow was awarded the trophy for ride of the day and Thomas Easterby the one for the day's leading rider.
The next meeting in the Yorkshire Area season is the Holderness at Dalton Park, South Dalton near Beverley which is next Sunday 22nd March. The first of the six races is due off at 1.30pm.
MARK ELLIOTT
