Polly Gundry, who trains racehorses on East Hill, near Ottery St Mary, with her partner Ed Walker, has hit a great vein of form in the saddle.
She partnered Dr Cerullo and Ballybrown to victory at Wadebridge in Cornwall on Saturday and won on Bathwick Shannon at Black Forest Lodge on Sunday.
Dr Cerullo and Bathwick Shannon, the couple train at Ottery and the string are obviously in great shape but Polly reports that the bad weather has made life difficult on their grass gallops.
The next Devon and Cornwall Area point to point is on Saturday, Feb 7, at Ideford Arch near Newton Abbot, weather permitting of course!
Wadebridge and Black Forest Lodge reports by Granville Taylor an Lucy Johnson
POLLY Gundry was in fine form at the North Cornwall at Wadebridge. The National and Devon & Cornwall Area Ladies’ title holder was in the winner’s enclosure with Dr Cerullo and Ballybrown, and her other two mounts were each placed.
Dr Cerullo followed up his December course win in the Ladies’ Open, drawing clear of Dante’s Back up the final hill. “He was a bit keen but stayed on nicely”, remarked Polly, who trains the eight-year-old with her partner Ed Walker at Ottery St Mary. “Ed has gone off to Robert Wakley’s stag weekend, but keeps phoning me every half an hour to find out what is happening”, smiled Polly. Dr Cerullo is owned by a small local syndicate called The Otters Club consisting of Sheamus Machin, Will Furnival, *** Webb and Mike Raynor.
The champion lady completed her double with an easy win on Ballybrown in the Confined. Owned by Charlie Rush and trained by Becky Kennen, this gelding has now won four times at Wadebridge. Polly sent her mount clear in the closing stages, finishing ten lengths ahead of The Boss Roche. Becky Kennen trains high up on Bodmin Moor and said, “It has been a nightmare on the moor recently with either frost or a bog making life difficult for us. Ballybrown tends to be a bit lively and has still got a bit to learn,” she added.
The Men’s Open ended in a dead heat between Holly Walk and Mioche D’Estruval. The latter just led over the last but was caught by his rival on the line. Running Hot finished a creditable third under 16 year old Josh Newman, just ahead of Doof and Lisheen Storm. Tavistock-based Jimmy Cole, who rode his own mare Holly Walk, has the Christie’s Foxhunter at Cheltenham in March as a tentative objective, via a hunter chase at Fontwell Park. Ben Robarts partnered his own Mioche D’ Estruval, who is trained by Ashley Farrant at Bampton. This former NH and pointing winner missed the whole of last season with a strained tendon, and had his first run for 18 months at Barbury Castle last month.
Ashley Farrant also saddled Master Overseer to win the Red Mills Intermediate. Danny Cook, who is currently leading the NH amateur riders’ title race, got his mount up inside the last 75 yards to beat Ha Ho Magregor. The winner came to Ashley after being bought at Doncaster sales last May, and is owned by Dubliner Paddy Griffin. “The ground was in his favour today because he need soft ground”, said the trainer.
Another happy Irishman was 84 year old Nick Power, not an owner, but the breeder of Hunt race winner Gemgaballou. This six-year-old mare is now owned and trained by Roma Cook, and was ridden by her niece Lucy Gardner. Lucy’s mum had given a phone commentary to Ireland and was delighted to relate the first ever breeding success to the octogenarian breeder who lives at Oldcastle near Dublin.
All eight entries ran in the Restricted, won in good style by the imposing Ellies Horse. Sam Allwood had his mount with the leaders throughout, and the grey stayed on strongly to beat his main market rival Busy Buzzard. Karyn Heard trains this seven-year-old for a syndicate headed by vet Phil Browne and he was following up his maiden win on this track in December. “He needs better ground and will be put away for a few weeks now”, remarked the trainer.
Stillhertoes shaped like a promising stayer when taking the maiden under Will White. Bred by her trainer Gordon Chambers, the mare is owned by Tim Winzer and his family, wife Sue and son David. “She has strengthened up well this year” said the trainer.
The Mick Moore Hunt Race: 1: Gemgaballou (Miss L Gardner): finished alone; 6 mins 43 secs
The Stephens & Scown Men’s Open: dead heat between Holly Walk (J Cole) and Mioche D’Estruval (B Robarts); 3: Running Hot (J Newman); dead heat, 3l; 6 m 30
The Greens Café Padstow Ladies’ Open: 1; Dr Cerullo (Miss P Gundry); 2; Dante’s Back (Mrs M Hand) 3; Winning Connection (Miss S Berry); 3l, 7l; 6m 41
The J F Foster & J F Consulting Restricted: 1; Ellies Horse (S Allwood); 2; Busy Buzzard (R Woollacott); 3; Tres Bien (W White); 3l, 6l 6m 42
The St Mabyn Inn Confined: 1; Ballybrown (Miss P Gundry); 2; The Boss Roche (R Woollacott); 3; Garston Star (J Cole); 10l, dist; 6m 40
The Connolly’s Red Mills Intermediate: 1; Master Overseer (D Cook); 2; Ha Ho Magregor (Miss S Berry); 3; Wee Fly (Miss P Gundry); 2l, 5l; 6m 34
The North Cornwall Hunt Committee Open Maiden: 1: Stillhertoes (W White); 2; Mulligan’s Pet (Miss P Gundry); 3; Dee Valley Boy (R Bliss); dist, Ω l 6m 42
JOCKEY Neil Harris and trainer Camilla Scott teamed up to score a treble at Black Forest Lodge on Sunday and narrowly missed out on a four timer at the South Devon track when Master Flight just failed by a length and a half in the concluding maiden to finish third.
Harris, currently the reigning champion veteran rider in the Devon and Cornwall area, initiated the three-timer on Yes My Lord in the men’s open.
It was a thrilling finish with the gelding fighting out the lead with Gunship from three out. The latter, ridden by Sam Allwood, held a slight advantage over the final fence but Yes My Lord rallied well under pressure to score by half a length. Scott said: “We only came here to give him the run and he’ll come on for that.”
Next up in the winners’ enclosure was King of the Jungle, an eight year old owned by the Exmoor Partnership who took the Exeter Racecourse Intermediate Race by two lengths. It was Neil Harris who initiated the purchase of the gelding for the partnership, 80 per cent of whom own the prolific Southwestern - set to make his seasonal reappearance in a couple of weeks time. Scott said: “If the ground is right we will go for the final at Exeter with King of the Jungle.”
Last of the trio to win was Roger and Jenny Perry’s Jack’s Taxi who pulled away from the rest of the field two fences from home and won very easily. Scott said the eight-year-old was finally beginning to show the talent they know he has. “Last year he would dodge around markers but he’s growing up and he’s a lovely horse. Of the three winners, this is the one I hoped would win today,” she said.
Lady Myfanwy and Jenny Carr scored their second success at the course when they won the ladies’ open and the Devon and Cornwall area could see much more of the prolific eight-year-old who could be campaigned for the season in the Westcountry, although a hunter chase may also be on the agenda.
Last Warrior won the faster of the two maiden races under Richard Woollacott who had the six-year-old jumping beautifully to win convincingly by eight lengths. The gelding is owned by Victoria Shervington and trained in Wales by Maggie Kidner. In the second maiden Polly Gundry got a clear run on the far side on Bathwick Shannon to land the race leaving Colorado Storm and Master Flight to fight it out for the minor places on the inner.
Dutch Bill, under Jimmy Cole who was in winning form at Wadebridge the day before, led the way down the back straight in the confined to win by one and three quarter lengths. It was the second success of the season for Robert White’s seven year old who is trained by Kathryn Northcott.
RESULTS The Dave and Terri Fisher Confined: Dutch Bill (Jimmy Cole) 1; Cookies Bank (Richard Woollacott) 2; Mister Moonax (R Hawkins) 3. Trainer: Miss K Northcott; distances 1 ˘ l; 12l; Time 6.42.
The Fingle Bridge Inn Men’s Open: Yes My Lord (Neil Harris) 1; Gunship (Sam Allwood) 2; Little Ed (Rhys Hughes) 3.Mrs Camilla Scott; 1/2l, 20l; 6.38.
The West Devon Meat Ladies Open: Lady Myfanwy (Jenny Carr) 1; Winter Scene (Lucy Gardner) 2; Croix De Guerre (Diana Hobbs) 3. Myfanwy Miles; 1 Ω l, 10l; 6.31.
Exeter Racecourwse Intermediate: King of the Jungle (Neil Harris) 1; Dracaena (D Aldridge) 2; Bob Bites Back (Rhys Hghes) 3.Camilla Scott; 2l, 10l; 6.41.
The Ring O’Bells Bovey Tracey Restricted: Jack’s Tazi (Neil Harris) 1; Jean’s Joy (Polly Gundry) 2; Up The Boreen (Will White) 3.
Roly Stuert-Jervis, Manhole Covers Ltd Open Maiden Div 1: Last Warrior (Richard Woollacott) 1; Super Lady (Ian Popham) 2; Kavegirl (Polly Gundry) 3. Maggie Kidner; 8l, 7l; 6.34.
Ride World Wide Open Maiden Div 2: Bathwick Shannon (Polly Gundry) 1; Colorado Storm (Richard Woollacott) 2; Master Flight (Neil Harris) 3. Polly Gundry, 1l, 3/4l; 6.39.
Well, it took a lot of work from a lot of people (thank you Mid Devon ptp committee), but we finally got the first pony races of the season under way on Sunday. The problem had been not just for the pony racing but the point to point itself had been in doubt until Saturday due to the wet weather which had seen even Black Forest Lodge have standing water on course!
The planned 1m4f and 1m2f distances had to be modified due to the muddy conditions but we still managed to get the 138s racing over 7f and the 148s over 9 and a half furlongs which was probably far enough, although to be fair the ponies all finished full of running. Most of the children and their ponies are keen hunters and so are used to much worse conditions underfoot.
It was fantastic to see nine ponies go to post in both races - the first race would have had 10 but poor Jessica Harrison's pony Hocus Pocus was lame and so couldn't take part. Two of the riders in that division were having their first rides -both were nine year olds. Elliott Reed was on board an experienced pony but in the barging at the start lost a stirrup iron and rode the whole way with just one, so hats off to him for coming back smiling. Isabel Hunt on Twinkle also had her first ride and really enjoyed it although she did suffer from the cold, being so tiny.
There was a really exciting finish with Hannah Welch galvanising her new pony Bronze Lawrence home to win by seven lengths. (see report on www.Devon24.co.uk/ponyracing).
The 148s had to ride a real race as it was a long course on testing ground but the first three home broke away from the pack by the top corner and had a real battle in the closing stages. Devon's Bryony Frost was poised to steal the honours but was just outstayed by Joe Ponting who was enjoying his first win. His family had left home at 6am in the morning to get to Black Forest Lodge for 8.30am so fully deserved their victory. The Pontings have been staunch supporters of the sport and Joe has battled a lot with uncooperative ponies so far so was obviously thrilled with the win.
There are still more ponies to come out for the season so full fields can be expected for the races at Buckfastleigh on March 8. A few existing riders have new ponies to bring out later on as well. After a few teething problems we seem to have the new entry system set up (thanks to Claire Wright for all her hard work) and those who have already sent the photocopies of their pony's passports, height certs and vaccination details need not send them again unless there are changes.