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Post Info TOPIC: Old Berkshire at Lockinge on Easter Monday 18th April 2022 by Jake Exelby


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Date: Apr 21, 2022
Old Berkshire at Lockinge on Easter Monday 18th April 2022 by Jake Exelby
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Champion trainer Tom Ellis passed two milestones at Kimble on Saturday - achieving his 200th career success in point-to-points and breaking the record for the number of winners trained in a season. However, he wasn't resting on his laurels, taking three horses to Lockinge on Easter Monday and winning with all of them - each ridden by his wife, about-to-be nine-times champion jockey Gina Andrews - taking his total for the season to 55 in the process. A vast crowd basked in the Bank Holiday sunshine, watching 21 horses contest the six point-to-points and 18 take part in the two pony races beforehand.

Tom and Gina kicked off their hat-trick with General Arrow in the five-runner Grundon Sand & Gravel Mixed Open Race. The 2/1 shot set off at a rapid pace with favourite Rhythm Is A Dancer and the pair never saw another rival. Gina dictated matters for most of the race and, although briefly headed five out, she jumped General Arrow back into the lead at the next and was always in control from there, eventually scoring by ten lengths in what was comfortably the fastest time of the day. Epi Sacre, who was well behind early on, made up some late ground for six lengths third.

The nine-year-old was winning his eighth race - and third this campaign - for the Odd Socks Partnership and part-owner Trevor Bourne told me afterwards, "This is his fourth season pointing and there are five of us involved. We'll probably keep him going, because he loves this ground but - and all us owners are of the same opinion - Tom and Gina will make any decisions." Trevor was keen to praise their G & T Racing operation, saying, "How could you not want to be part of their team? They're honest, hard-working people and Gina is an unbelievable rider."

I grabbed a quick word with the "unbelievable rider" afterwards and Gina admitted, "It wasn't the plan to go off so fast and, while he likes to make the running, he doesn't have to - but when he's in the mood, he doesn't like being overtaken. Rhythm Is A Dancer headed me after the ditch, but General Arrow winged the cross-fence and was in command after that. He jumps better out of quicker ground." Gina, who - like her husband - has enjoyed an incredible season, passing 400 career winners, breaking the all-time record for point-to-point wins by a female rider and winning the Aintree Foxhunters, confirmed that her ambition for the rest of the season is to, "Make sure I beat all the boys," (she is currently on 41 winners, five ahead of leading male jockey Will Biddick) and is looking forward to riding Latenightfumble, half-sister to her Aintree hero Latenightpass, in the Intermediate Final at Cheltenham next week.

The Ellis-Andrews combination followed up with the mare Misstree Song in the next race, the Cornbury Festival Restricted Race over two miles five furlongs, in which five went to post. Mid-division early, Gina Andrews took the favourite into second behind market rival Surprise Attack at the fourth last, then jumped into the lead two out before quickening clear to score by an easy 15 lengths. Whiskey For Jack, always prominent, was eight lengths away in third.

The eight-year-old was making a quick reappearance having won her Maiden at Barbury last weekend and Tom Ellis said, "She loves quick ground, as it doesn't take as much out of her, and she won on the bridle last time, although her behaviour afterwards was quite something - she bucked the saddle off!" As for why it has taken Misstree Song until now to get off the mark, Tom explained, "She should have won a hurdle for Dan Skelton - she fell at the last when clear - and she needed a wind operation at the end of last season. Her win will have given her more confidence, this looked like quite a warm Restricted and she should be capable of winning another, and I think she'll stay three miles. That was only her second run of the season, so we'll try to find an Intermediate for her and her owners live in the West Country, so she's qualified for a Members race at Bratton Down."

Reflecting on a stellar season, Tom confirmed his remaining ambition is just, "To set a really good total," admitting, "It depends on the weather and we won't risk our smart horses on quick ground. The horses have been running well and holding their form all year." Plans for some of his stable stars at the season finale at Stratford may include the Championship Hunter Chase for Dundrum Wood and the Ladies Open Final for Saturday's Kimble winner Fumet D'Oudairies.

The treble was completed with Wireless Operator, finally breaking his duck after finishing runner-up on his previous four starts, in the Charles Russell Speechlys Maiden Race. Four ran and Gina Andrews on the odds-on favourite tracked leader Barley Hill before taking the lead at the ditch on the final circuit. Wireless Operator was never headed thereafter, although Barley Hill did not give up his pursuit and closed the gap to three lengths at the line as the winner ran wide on the final bend and idled up the run-in. Only two finished.

"You can't knock him, he's very consistent and he's bumped into some good horses. He's still a baby and hadn't done much before he came to us," said a relieved Tom Ellis of the seven-year-old afterwards. "He jumped brilliantly on the whole apart from one slight mistake and - like my other two winners - he's been crying out for this better ground. The going's lovely and the team here have done a fantastic job. Will he be out again? He's had a tough season and has run on consecutive weekends, so we'll see if he's up to it."

Winning owner - former Grafton huntsman and sometime jockey (I believe he was the first huntsman to ride a winner) - Mickey Wills concurred with his trainer about potentially drawing stumps and gave credit to, "Tom, Gina and their staff - especially Megs and Kim, who've done a great job with him." Mickey confirmed how he came by Wireless Operator, "Tom and Gina found him for me from Olly Murphy's. He's a lovely horse to ride at home - I ride work on all three of their winners today!"

Another in-form trainer was locally based Georgie Nicholls, who landed a double. Her first winner was Old Guard in the opening Allsopp Memorial Old Berkshire Hunt Members Race, which had three runners. The former high-class hurdler for Paul Nicholls tracked long-term leader Fixe Le Kap throughout, before heading the odds-on favourite at the penultimate fence. Despite running wide on the final bend and allowing Fixe Le Kap to regain the advantage, Old Guard rallied on the run-in to score by three-quarters of a length. Spessartine was a long way back in third, 25 lengths away. It was a memorable first pointing ride for 17-year-old Harry Finch, although it must be said that Fixe Le Kap did well to get so close and was an unlucky loser, his rider Freddie Henderson having lost an iron going out on the final circuit and therefore jumping the final nine fences with only one leg in the stirrups!

"He's a gorgeous old horse," beamed Georgie afterwards. "He's made of glass, but he's old and wise. He's just a pet, really, who races occasionally, but he knows where the lollipop (winning post) is!" Georgie put the 11-year-old's return to winning ways down to the addition of cheekpieces - the suggestion of daughter, and Old Guard's usual rider, Olive. She also explained why Harry - who is Olive's boyfriend - took the mount instead of her daughter. "Harry is Olive's biggest supporter - he comes here to ride out and is with her good days and bad. It says a lot that she gave him the gift of the ride on Old Guard! We'll see how he comes out of the race," she continued, "Before deciding if we run him again. It's weather dependent - it's got to rain some time soon." Georgie was another trainer to praise the ground, describing it as closer to Good than the official Good to Firm.

Winning jockey Harry Finch enthused afterwards, "That was amazing and something I've always dreamt of - I can't thank Olive and Georgie enough. I've ridden him at home and he did everything for me today and made it easy - we were exactly where I wanted to be on the second circuit." Harry, from Ludlow, is studying at Hartpury College and regularly rides out for trainer Henry Daly. "I've always evented," he told me, "But have never had the opportunity to have my own pointer - I'd like to have more rides." Longer-term, his future lies more as a trainer or in the bloodstock arena, as he explained. "I'm going to study Performance and Bloodstock at the Royal Agricultural University next year. And I'm too big to be a jockey!"

Three again faced the starter for the Savills Conditions Race, won by Georgie's Arthur's Sixpence, returning to pointing after a successful spell under rules. With the recalcitrant Skipthecuddles soon behind and pulling up after a circuit, it developed into a match, while Frisson Collonges attempted to repeat his last time out front-running victory, Arthur's Sixpence always looked comfortable tracking the leader. When jockey Peter Bryan pressed the button after two out, the response was immediate and the eight-year-old soon quickened clear to score by an easy 12 lengths.

I spoke to winning owners and the parents of the successful jockey Willie and Mandy Bryan, from Shropshire, afterwards. "We bred him and won a point with him as a four-year-old," confirmed Willie, "Then sold him to race for Kim Bailey, where he won three races in 2020. However, he then got a leg, so the syndicate who owned him let us have him back to point-to-point. We sent him to Georgie because Peter, who works for Archie Watson, rides work for her in the afternoons - she's a great trainer and Peter loves her because she gives him bacon butties every day! The horse has only been with her four weeks as we've kept scanning his leg, but he goes in this ground, so may have a few more runs, although it's up to Georgie. We might even Hunter Chase him for a bit of fun."

It was a fifth win of the season - from just ten rides - for Peter Bryan, including one on stable companion Patanita, "He's very exciting, and being aimed at one of the bumper finals at Aintree or Stratford," Peter advised. Talking about Arthur's Sixpence, the jockey noted that, "He was quite fresh, because he hadn't run for a while, but settled after a circuit. I knew the leader was a sitting target and my horse quickened well - I was very pleased with him."

The Bear at Wantage (Arkells Brewery) Veteran & Novice Riders Race was a walkover for Tim Underwood's 15-year-old Tempelpirate, national leading horse as far back as 2014 and landing his 25th success. For jockey Phil York, it was a 350th victory between the flags, in a career dating back to 1983. "It was so long ago I can hardly remember the year," he admitted afterwards. "It took me about 20 rides before I got round - completing the course became an achievement and coming home in front was just about impossible." Pressed on future plans, the 55-year-old youngster wouldn't be drawn, saying, "I don't have targets - the numbers don't matter any more."

The first of the two pony races, sponsored by Pinewood School, went to Wee Antony - named after Tony McCoy's nickname in his youth, winning his sixth race of the season and ridden by 12-year-old Lucas Murphy, son of another former top jockey Timmy Murphy and apparently fearless in the hunting field - while the second was won by Harry Vigors, also 12, on another prolific scorer, Obi 1 Knobi.



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