HARKAWAY CLUB CELEBRATES 100 YEARS AT CHADDESLEY CORBETT: 1995-2004

The Harkaway Club fixture went back to its customary late March / early April date in 1995, which saw a six-race card – the fewest number of races for over 20 years. There were no equine superstars on display, with the exception of the useful former Tim Forster horse Major Match, who gave Candy Thomas a second consecutive win in the Ladies Open. The Mens Open went to Guildway and Mark Rimell.

Major Match pictured winning at Andoversford (John Mullen)

1996 saw a fourth and final win in the Ladies Open for the Russki-Alison Dare partnership, as well as a double for 1995 champion jockey Alastair Crow, on Jolly Boat in the Club Members and Korbell in the Confined. A young Polly Gundry, who would of course go on to win multiple championships and break records, won the Restricted and there was a victory for Geoff Barfoot-Saunt, still going strong nearly 30 years later, in a division of the Maiden.

There was another new date – the May Bank Holiday weekend – in 1997, and firm going saw just 20 horses turn up and a walkover. Julian Pritchard and Alison Dare – taking her seventh Ladies Open in ten years – had doubles, and the ground didn’t deter the classy Stag Fight (Mens Open) and Down The Mine (Ladies Open) from turning up and winning.

It’s rare that you see a 66/1 shot in a point-to-point nowadays, let alone one winning at that price in a five-runner race, but Sophie Talbot and Tytherington did just that when left lucky winners of the Confined.

The fixture moved again in 1998, this time to its earliest date, mid-February, and was a much stronger card, with seven races and 94 runners. (It was also the author’s first appearance at the fixture, although not my first visit to Chaddesley Corbett). The racing saw doubles for Andy Dalton and Julian Pritchard, joint-champions that season, and – shock – Alison Dare beaten in the Ladies Open!

The best horses on show were 1997 Aintree Foxhunters hero Blue Cheek, who won the Ladies Open for Teresa Spearing and the prolific Solba, who took the Mens Open with Andy Dalton and went on to win the Lady Dudley Cup in 1999. Dalton’s second winner, Shoon Wind in the Club Members, was another who went on to score multiple times, while future champion Richard Burton had his first winner at the meeting.

Solba and Andy Dalton at Chaddesley Corbett (Brian Armstrong)

1999 ran again in February and again saw plenty of runners. The biggest name among winning jockeys was future top professional Tom Scudamore, who took the Novice Riders race (first run in 1998) on Poucher. Among the victorious horses were 20-time winner Whatafellow, for Alastair Crow in the Club Members, and Clive Hitchings’ Better Future, a third victory in the Mens Open for Tim Stephenson.

Action from the 1999 Ladies Open (Brian Armstrong)

Another move, this time to mid-March, took place in 2000 (was the changing date a peril of being a Club fixture?) and, despite Good to Firm ground and it being a busy time of the year, there were eight races, including three divisions of the Maiden. There was a double for Julian Pritchard, Richard Baimbridge and Alison Dare teamed up to win their eight Ladies Open at the fixture, this time with Split Second, and Richard Burton took the Open with the talented, but wayward-jumping, Lochnomore.

Foot and mouth caused the meeting to be abandoned in 2001 but 2002 saw a nine-race card with nearly 100 runners. The highlight was the notable – and rare – achievement by current West Mercian Area Chair Dave Mansell winning consecutive races in half-brothers Rusty Fellow (Mens Open) and Maggies Brother (Moderate). The latter was on the upgrade and took a Cheltenham Hunter Chase later that season. The Ladies Open went the way of Jill Wormall and the useful Larry’s Lord.

There were again nine races in 2003, which saw a first win at the fixture for Diana Williams, who is the current Chair of the Harkaway Club point-to-point. Her Supreme Citizen won the Ladies Open with daughter, and future champion jockey, Jane in the saddle. On the subject of champions, Richard Burton took a division of the Maiden en route to the first of his four titles that year.

Supreme Citizen after winning for Jane Williams (Bill Selwyn)

Tim Stephenson had a fourth success in the Mens Open, this time on Fontaine Again, another owned by Clive Hitchings, and there were two up and coming stars on display in the form of Irilut – winning the second of what would be 22 races in the Restricted – and his young jockey Sam Waley-Cohen, whose storied career as an amateur included the Gold Cup and Grand National.

Irilut and Sam Waley-Cohen (Bill Selwyn)

It was back to February in 2004, a third consecutive year with nine races, and the fixture saw success for a pair of future spouses. Richard Burton rode a double – his Open mount Jemaro kept winning until he was 17, the same age as future jockey Immy Robinson – and wife to be Hannah Kinsey sprung a shock with Pacon in the Ladies Open.

Stuart Morris matched ‘Burty’ with a double in two of the four Maidens on the card, while the other winning couple who would go on to marry were five-time champion Polly Gundry, who took the Conditions on Fertile Valley for Clive Bennett, and Ed Walker, who won the Conditions race on outsider The Campdonian.