DISPATCHES FROM THE SOUTH AND WEST MIDLANDS: 28 AND 31 DECEMBER

The second West Mercian Area fixture of the season was held at Chaddesley Corbett on Sunday, and plenty of participants from the local and South Midlands Areas were among the winners.

Heading the West Mercian roll of honour was Latitude, winner of the Mens Open for trainer Phil Rowley and owner Diana Williams, Vice Chair of the Harkaway Club fixture.

Latitude wins the Mens Open

Jo Priest, who trains at historic Caradoc Court in Herefordshire, has a splendid first time out record and her first runner of the season – the well-backed Karaktere D’Enfer – took the Young Horse Maiden under Zac Baker.

The Ladies Open went the way of Latenightfumble, trained and ridden by Gina Andrews and owned and bred by her mother-in-law, Pippa Ellis. The game mare is a half-sister to Aintree Foxhunters winner Latenightpass and – along with Latitude – is likely to have the Cheltenham equivalent as a target this season.

Latenightfumble and Gina Andrews on their way to victory

The PPORA Novice Riders Conditions Race saw a first win – on just his second ride – for 16-year-old Lucas Murphy, son of former top professional jockey Timmy, on Bass Rock, trained by Harry Brown, for whom it was also a maiden success. The victory was the first this season for Sandhurst-qualified participants.

Read Andrew King’s full meeting report from Chaddesley Corbett here.

Horseheath on New Year’s Eve may have been an East Anglian fixture, but South Midlands yards had a clean sweep. Top of the charts was Francesca and Charlie Poste’s Station Yard Racing operation, with three wins. Glancing Hill took the opening Conditions Race, a second win of the festive period for Zac Baker, Kirsch De Cotte and Sam Lee won the Maiden and Hubrisko followed up his Chaddesley Corbett success with Cerys Sheehy.

Hubris and Cerys Sheehy followed up their Chaddesley Corbett win at Horseheath...

Another to win at the Worcestershire venue earlier in the month and follow up here was Entity Of Substanz, trainer-ridden by Gina Andrews in the Restricted. She was completing a double, having taken the Ladies Open on East Anglian-qualified Fairly Famous.

...as did Entity Of Substanz and Gina Andrews

In the Mens Open, Luca Morgan’s Givega atoned for his Hexham disappointment, winning in the hands of James King.