DISPATCHES FROM THE SOUTH AND WEST MIDLANDS: 14 AND 15 MARCH

No local area meetings were among the four that took place nationally last weekend, but participants from the West Mercian and South Midlands areas still managed to get on the scoresheet at all of them, with involvement in every win on the card at Howick in Wales on Saturday.

Top of the tree was Herefordshire-based trainer Chris Barber, an across the card double at Howick and Cothelstone in Somerset taking his score for the season to 19. Mount Sinai took the Open and Walkingtheline the Mares Maiden at the former venue, while Aintree Foxhunters and dual Stratford Ladies Final winner Famous Clermont won the Conditions Race and Eileen’s Milan the Restricted at the latter. The last-named was the only one of the four to be ridden by Chris’ regular jockey Ed Doggrell.

Famous Clermont with connections after winning at Stratford (Neale Blackburn)

Champion jockey James King was in treble form and remains four clear of nearest pursuer Josh Newman in this year’s title race. He took the Howick Restricted for Alan Hill on the progressive The Dancing Tree and his other two winners – one at the Gwent track and one at Buckfastleigh in Devon on Sunday – were for Welsh trainer Luke Price, with whom he generally has a productive relationship in the Spring.

The Dancing Tree and James King

Jo Priest doubled up at Howick with Members winner Karaktere D’Enfer and Restricted scorer Is Our Otis, both ridden by Zac Baker, while Harvey Barfoot-Saunt – riding this season with a Welsh qualification but very much part of the West Mercian scene – got up close home in the best race of the day in the Conditions Race there, winning on Dragon Rock for John Evans.

Karaktere D'Enfer with Zac Baker and Jo Priest (Graham Fisher)

At Cothelstone, Molly Legg got off the mark for the campaign when dead-heating in the Mixed Open on the Gina Andrews-trained Tigerbythetail. She shared the spoils with her “bezzie”, Aimee Jones, also opening her account for the season.

At Saturday’s other meeting, at Hutton Rudby in North Yorkshire, Henry Crow followed up his Cheltenham Foxhunters triumph on Joe O’Shea’s Barton Snow with victory in more prosaic company on a spare ride in the Restricted, while first-season trainer Albertine Barker had her first winner when That’s Where Its At – making his debut over fences – won the Maiden.