Newbury Weekly News

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Thursday, May 11, 2017
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Over the
Gallops Gallops
with LUKE HARVEY
ANN Davies followed up her win in
the previous week’s Turner Davies
Trophy by winning the ladies
monthly medal at West Berks.
She carded a net 78 to beat Heather
Green on countback while Gale
McAuley was one shot adrift in third
place.
Rob Bridgeman won the men’s medal
with a net 71, again on countback from
Chris Ward with Alex Anderson third,
and Harry White’s net 69 won the
midweek medal by a three-shot margin
from Lin Kay with Geoff Pudner third
on 78.
p Carol Sparvell won the ladies
monthly stableford with 42 points,
seven more than Aileen Summers and
nine clear of Deb Weddell.
p West Berks progressed to the second
round of the Hillman Trophy with a
5½-1½ win at Henley while the scratch
team lost 4-3 at home to Reading.
The seniors failed to win for the first
time this season when going down 4-2
away to Drayton Park, and the men’s
team lost 3-2 at Ogbourne Downs while
the ladies drew at North Wilts.
IT was business as usual for Aidan O’Brien
after the Ballydoyle master won both the 2000
and 1000 Guineas.
Over the past decade or so, horse racing has
become very ‘premier league’ with a small number
of stables dominating all the top races.
Although there are 20 teams in the premier
league, there are only three or four with a realistic
chance of winning, and that can also be said about
the majority of races, both on the flat and over
jumps.
The chances are that most of the remaining
classics and Group 1 winners will come from
Aidan O’Brien, John Gosden, Richard Hannon or
Godolphin.
It’s even worse over jumps, particularly in
Ireland where Willie Mullins and Gordon Elliot
are so utterly dominant that the only hope for
everyone is every now and again a ‘Leicester’ pops
up giving the smaller trainers a glimmer of hope.
There is no solution to this problem, if indeed it
is a problem, because you can’t and shouldn’t
penalise success. But that doesn’t take away the
fact it’s nigh on impossible to win these big races.
Having said that, I’ll be very surprised if Owen
Burrows’ Talaayeb doesn’t make a major impact
this season.
Given she lined up for Sunday’s 1000 Guineas
with just one run under her belt, her finishing
position was all the more commendable.
Beaten just under three and a half lengths by
the winner Winter, she can only improve for that
effort and looks the type to get further, perhaps
even an extra four furlongs.
Her breeding suggests there is every chance
she’d stay a mile and a half which, of course, then
brings The Oaks into consideration.
Like the favourite Rhododendron, Talaayeb
didn’t get the clearest of passages so was rather
rushed into contention and she got tired near the
line.
At this time of the year, three year-old fillies
can really improve and although she’s not the
biggest, there is plenty of scope for improvement.
Sheikh Hamdan’s racing manager Angus Gold
was reluctant to nominate her next target but
having spoken to the Sheikh, they have now ruled
out a crack at The Oaks.
It’s probably a sensible decision because step-
ping from a mile straight to a mile and-a-half
might have been a step too far, so expect to see
her next over 10 furlongs.
Since arriving from Newmarket, Owen
Burrows has impressed with his handling of
Sheikh Hamdan’s blue bloods and this filly
looks capable of showcasing his talents even
further.
Talaayeb plainly has ability, but even better
she has the right attitude to win big races.
NICKY Henderson took a well-
deserved holiday after
collecting the champion
trainer’s trophy, but was back
to host a big party for the staff
and everyone connected with
helping him over the past 12
months.
With the winning trophy on a
table next to the microphone,
Nicky thanked everyone involved,
giving a special mention to his
headman for nearly two decades,
Corky Browne and assistant Char-
lie Morlock.
It was also touching that he
mentioned the unsung heroes like
Rob the gallopman and the staff,
in particular Dave Fehily who is
the regular rider of My Tent or
Yours.
Training racehorses can be
trying even for the most placid of
people, so a sense of humour is
essential and Nicky has a
particularly dry one.
On Saturday morning, totally
uninvited, I joined the Seven Barrow
battalion up on their all-weather
gallop.
Having completed our first canter,
we walked back down the hill so the
boss could issue orders.
Pausing briefly as I walked past he
said: “Oh it’s you Luke. What? Do you
want to do two or three canters?”
Hoping he was in a good mood, I
cheekily replied: “You’re the cham-
pion trainer, you tell me?”
Smiling he said: “I’ve no idea what
you’ve been doing with him but
looking at him you’d better do three!”
Anyway, he whizzed up the gallop
three-times, leaving me feeling very
pleased he was capable of galloping
with a Henderson horse.
Walking back down the gallop
again, Nicky asked each rider about
their horse and how it felt. Coming to
me he said: “That looked ok.” With a
big beaming smile I replied: “He’ll
win a maiden point to point, won’t
he?”
With a mischievous grin he said: “Yes he probably will, but the horse
you galloped with probably wouldn’t.”
I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
WHEN Paul Cole’s Berkshire
rocketed home in the 2013
Chesham Stakes he looked to
have the racing world at his feet.
Unfortunately, despite winning
the Royal Lodge on his next start,
his career has been stop-start and
blighted by setbacks.
Although he won a decent listed
race at Windsor last season, he
never ran with any consistency,
but if the rumours are correct,
he’s over his problems and back
to his best.
On Thursday the good-looking
son of Mount Nelson lines up for a
hot-looking handicap at Chester,
but on 105 could easily be very
well handicapped and with Ryan
Moore booked to ride he’s sure to
be very popular.
Should things go to plan, it
could easily be back to Royal
Ascot and the Wolferton
handicap.
With the Cole string in such
good recent form, Berkshire looks
a really interesting horse and one
I’ll certainly be following.
He’s always been a particular
favourite of this column and I’d
love to see him back in top form.
IT’S not often in this great country we pray for rain, but this drought is
becoming a real problem to farmers and racehorse trainers alike.
Lambourn’s Mandown grass schooling ground is already closed and if it weren’t
for the all-weather gallops and schooling area, Lambourn would have ground to a
halt.
The point to point season has been severely curtailed with two and three runner
races becoming the norm in the past couple of weeks.
The traditional finale
takes place in deepest, dark-
est Devon at Umberleigh on
June 17, but if we don’t get
rain soon, the only entertain-
ment will be in the beer tent.
And the winner is..
THIS week’s NWN selection is Berkshire in the
1.50 at Chester on Thursday.
TAEKWONDO black belt Julie Roth
shook off a nightmare preparation
to win a bronze medal at the World
Taekwondo Federation’s Spring
Open in Manchester.
The 31-year old from Upper
Lambourn had been hit by a chest
infection that affected her training,
and when she did resume was again
laid low by a strained hip muscle.
But after responding to treatment
from physio Phil Harris, she was
able to go into her first competition
as a 2nd Degree Black Belt as a
‘guest’ member of Scotland's Elite
Martial Arts Academy, emerging
with a bronze medal.
Her next target is to go two
podium places better in the Harro-
gate Championships at the end of the
month, when she will be competing
in the individual and pairs
competitions.
A little rest, with thanks to the team
The battle’s on to
beat the Irish master
Berkshire has the name and the form
Drought begins to bite at racing
TeamHenderson earned praise from theguv’nor
Golf
Ann keeps
up the
winning routine
Martial Arts
Julie battles
back to
bronze
Newbury Weekly News