SCARBOROUGH RACES AT CHARM PARK NEAR WYKEHAM
REPORT
The first of the two popular Scarborough Races fixtures took place last Sunday 1st March at Charm Park near Wykeham. The springlike weather drew a large crowd who were treated to some good racing with exciting finishes.
The day opened with a fitting winner for trainer Will Easterby of Great Habton in the Moneyweb Conditions race. Will recently decided to call time on a successful career in the saddle, having just become a father, but remains as involved in the sport as ever and acts as the clerk of the course for this meeting. The hard work he put in to set the course up, alongside his committee, was repaid when his brother Tom steered Morozov Cocktail to victory. Owned by mother Sarah, the winner was sent off favourite but had to be ridden along from a long way out before grinding it out to see off Letthedustsettle and Paddy Barlow by a hard fought half a length. “He's a grand horse” commented Tom afterwards “ I leave him to it now. He didn't have a hard race last week at Helmsley and he put up a great performance here”.
It was another member of the Easterby family, Mick's daughter Cherry, who took top honours on the day with a training double. There were joyous scenes in the unsaddling enclosure following the win of the stable's wonderful servant Ballydonagh Boy in the Ladies Open race run in memory of Joanna Newitt, his twelfth from thirty six outings, from which he has seldom been out of the places. The race changed complexion when hot favourite Whats The Solution slipped up on the bend before halfway and he saw off the challenge of Blue Sans and Natasha Cookson by five lengths. Not only were the ten members of the Next Gen Racing Club cock a hoop but so was his novice jockey Olivia Rogers as this was a first winner from just her second ride. Having worked for Cherry for three years, Olivia learned her riding skills progressing through pony club to eventing. “He's a star!” exclaimed his proud trainer “He's brilliant in this grade and we'll just keep ticking away!”
The other leg of the Coward double came in the Tattersalls Cheltenham GB Pointing Bonus Young Horse Maiden. Previous runnings of this race have unearthed several future stars of national hunt racing and all eyes were looking out for the next one here. Helm Bar and Tom Easterby made a bold bid to make much of the running but as they turned for home the outsider in the betting ring Kingofthefrontier loomed up behind him travelling supremely well under jockey Joe Wright who sent his mount into the lead at the last before quickening five lengths clear, A five year old son of Frontiersman out a mare who won pointing, Kingofthefrontier was making his racecourse debut and owner trainer Cherry said of her promising youngster “He was bred by my nephews and he's such a nice little person. He's a little terrier. We'll have a go at selling him now like everyone else seems to do” If he turns out to be anywhere near as good as Does He Know the last Coward and Easterby family owned, trained and bred Charm Park maiden debut winner to go to the sales he'll be a good buy as that horse has won nine races and £238,000 and still counting.
The Mens Open was sponsored by the Northern professional jockeys and a tough day for favourite backers got even worse here when Loud And Proud and jockey Huw Edwards, who looked to have victory sewn up, crashed out two from home. That left Gustavo Goodway and Felix Foster and Jimmil and Will Brown to fight out the finish and it was the former pair who toughed it out to come home half a length in front. Having come from Ireland with winning form over hurdles, Gustavo Goodway then proceeded to show no form at all from the Menston near Otley yard of Felix's mum Jo. “ We had a discussion about what we could do with him and decided to try sending him hunting with a view to then going pointing”said Felix afterwards. “ He enjoyed himself so much and the instructions today were just to hunt him round and let him enjoy himself and it really worked!”
The most impressive winner of the day came in the Ryedale Reformer Pilates Restricted when Driveondonn and owner trainer rider George Atkinson from Yafforth near Northallerton absolutely routed his toiling rivals, cantering home a distance clear. Rue Galilee and Tom Easterby chased him home but at a very respectable distance and whilst it was only George's second ever winner he won't ride many easier ones no matter how long his career turns out to be. Driveondonn was bought together with Sports Magic, who won easily at Sheriff Hutton in January, from previous owner rider Charlie Buckle in East Anglia so now both of George's two horse string have won. “I couldn't believe it!” he exclaimed “ I looked behind four or five times and I couldn't see anything! He needed the better ground today and he always tries and is consistent. He could go to Hutton Rudby in a fortnight and i'd love to have a winner at the Bedale”.
As the day started with a fitting winner, so it closed when Native Nellie, ridden by Lois Teal overhauled Apieceofthemoon and Pippa Brown on the run in for a hard fought half a length victory in the Clifton Timber Maiden as the mare is owned by the race sponsor Paul Clifton. Native Nellie is trained at home in the Holderness country by Karen Clifton who was thrilled to bits with the win and who reported “She's my baby! I ride her every day at home and we train in the old fashioned way galloping on the stubble fields” The Cliftons have been very long standing supporters of point to pointing with the prolific winner Speakers Corner being their most notable horse having been placed in both the Cheltenham and Aintree Foxhunters way back in the 1980s.
The next meeting in the Yorkshire Area is the Hurworth at Hutton Rudby on Saturday 14th March whilst the second Scarborough Races fixture will be held on Saturday 18th April.
Mark Elliott
Brilliant write up Mark ..