The 75th anniversary meeting of the Axe Vale on well watered ground at Stafford Cross featured a treble for the jockey / trainer combination of Darren Edwards and Dean Summersby, plus a first winner for jockey Anna Hylands.

Jetmeoutofhere and Party Tunes faced relatively easy tasks for the Summersby stable when making all the running to win the Hunt race and Conditions respectively. Six-year-old Jetmeoutofhere had two subsequent winners behind him when winning at Dunsmore recently and was left solo here when Aldreth gave Nathan Rahman a crashing fall five out. Best wishes to Nathan, uninjured in the fall, who leaves Larkhill shortly for Army duties on the Ukraine border. 

Party Tunes had been consistent without winning this season, but had too much pace for Druid Spitfire. "He liked the better ground and is another of ours that wasn't quite right earlier," reported the trainer", who is based at Broadwoodwidger near Launceston.

 Forcing tactics again paid off on this sharp track as six-year-old Transition Period, in the colours of John and Sonia Gardener, shrugged off a mistake at the 13th and the challenge of Say About It in the home straight to win the Restricted, completing a treble for the Edwards / Summersby team.

Nikki Steel gave Anna Hylands her first winner in the Novice Riders' contest.  Yet again a front running ride paid off as the Robert Chanin trained gelding stayed on bravely to deny the favourite Rocheston. The 28-year-old rider works as a primary school teacher at St Dominics School in Cornwall. "It's near Great Trethew," Anna aptly described the school's location in point-to-point terms. "We bought Nikki Steel privately in Wales from Daniel Bourne. We just met up in a moorland place and I cantered him up the hill and liked him. I now ride out at the Chanin's at weekends and school holidays," she added.  

The in -form mare Country Legend set a scorching pace under Tom Bishop in the Mixed Open, but Josh Newman's mount Sixteen Letters, conceding  9lbs to the mare, jumped ahead at the third last and stayed on strongly to record his fifth success of the season. Neil McLean saddled the winner for John and Floss Symes. "We got in tight to a couple but there was plenty in the tank," reported the winning jockey.

Westhill gave Martin (Fly) McIntyre his 13th winner of the season in the Intermediate and was yet another to lead all the way. A winner at both Cotley and Dunsmore, Westhill readily fended off Will Biddick's challenge on Jabbea. "I was never worried. He jumped really well and I had loads left," said the jockey, now attached to the David Pipe yard. Seven-year-old Westhill, who once changed hands for £105,000 as a three-year-old, now hails from the small but select Somerset yard of Sam Loxton. 

Will Biddick's frustrating afternoon continued in the Maiden when Christopher Barber's  four-year-old debutant Talkingtothemoon failed by a couple of strides to catch Grove Ash. The winner, trained by Mary Sanderson for Andrew Finch, seemed to relish the better ground. " He is a kind horse and my granddaughters Mia and Shannon sometimes ride him out," remarked the trainer. Charlie Sprake, who works for Will Biddick, came in for the ride on the winner to beat his boss, replacing the injured Rob Hawker. The 19-year-old jockey was taking his seasonal total to eight and keeps him well in contention for the Highflyer Novice Men's title.