Winning Post

Storm's great day

Crickey - days don't get much better than Sunday's point to point at Stafford Cross. My home trained horse Lisheen Storm won the open at the Axe Vale Hunt meeting- ridden by Richard Woollacott. I was secretary at the meeting for nine years before we moved, having hunted with them since being a child.  There was such a cheer when we went back into the winners' enclosure and everywhere I looked there were friends celebrating with us.  All the family was there, Zoe led up, Lawrence does the scales at AV, Pippa had been pony racing earlier and both lots of parents were also watching. We had a great party in the lorry park which went on for quite a while and  don't think that I will forget it for a long time.I can't imagine winning at a better meeting. It was great and makes all those horrible dark wet windy mornings when I have to crawl out of bed  to ride out before setting off for work in Exeter worth while. As well as all those testing times on the gallops - it is pretty difficult training a horse on its own, especially when the gallops are a long thin 40 acre field with lots of things to spook at! And the grim bit when we were so disappointed after a poor third at Great Trethew, had the horse blood tested a couple of times and established that he had a low level virus which meant he missed both Buckfastleigh meetings.It was great for Richard W too as he was so disappointed at Great Trethew and utterly convinced that something was wrong with Storm - at home he had not shown any signs of being ill but with hindsight had probably been a bit too well behaved! Our great mate Tim Dennis had previously won on him, Richard deputising when Tim was injured and having a couple of close seconds so he deserved the win too.
Anyway Storm has had a day out in the field with his pony friend and some cows and hopefully will be able to run a few more times this season.