TALKING GARTHORPE! ahead of the Melton Hunts Club Meeting.
I have talked to a selection of people about the Point-to-Point on Sunday; here is what they had to say.
Simon Robinson (Trainer) We hope to run Panama Canal in either the first race or the Mixed Open race. He is very well after winning the Quorn Gold Cup which was his fourth win at Garthorpe. He is a spring horse and has really come to himself now; he will gallop on Thursday and I expect a big run on Sunday.
Tommy Morgan (Trainer) Part And Parcel is also entered at Chaddesley Corbett but will probably run at Garthorpe in the Restricted, but that is up to the owners. Dale Peters will ride and he is really well. Smith’s Hill will probably not run and will go at Dingley the week after. Kelly has Minstalad to ride and hopefully she will have enough points to win the rider championship but if not we can soon fetch Lough Inch for the Midlands Area Club Member’s race. I would prefer Lough Inch to go for the Novice Rider’s Final at Tabley and he would have a 9lbs penalty here but we will see. We have Tulsa in the final two and a half miles Maiden; he is schooling well and came from Jonjo O’Neill so he has been well educated and won the charity race at the Quorn with Lizzie on. I would like to think he could run well on his point- to- point debut.
James Henderson (Owner/trainer) We want to run Thanks For Coming in the first, he ran better last time having been disappointing earlier in the season and Oliver James in the Open, he won an Intermediate last time,now he needs to step up !
Andrew Sansome (Joint Owner) We have Lady Vicstar in the Mare’s race; she is in good form at home but she likes some give in the ground so it would need to rain a bit in the week for her to run. I think it is important to have mare’s races to give more value to N.H. bred fillies. This year’s Brocklesby Mare’s Maiden race winner went on to make £55 000 at Brightwells. There had always been a fillies programme on the flat and that is now being extended into N.H. racing so it’s logical to let mares and fillies have more opportunities against their own sex in point- to- points.
Tom Strawson (Jockey) I am very much looking forward to Sunday; hopefully I will have four rides. Panama Canal will run in either the Member’s race or the Mixed Open and he is really well. I may ride Gonalston Cloud in the Mixed Open instead and I also have Lord Golan for Roger Jackson in the three miles Open Maiden. Roger tells me he is well and if he travels and jumps better on the first circuit than he did at the Quorn he should go well. I managed to persuade Emma Forman to enter her Maiden Infantry Officer in the two and a half mile Maiden and now that there are only six entries I think she is pleased I did! He’s a lovely young horse bought from Tattersalls Ireland last August; I have been part of the story from the start and I am tremendously excited about riding him. Hopefully he will have a nice experience in a small field and if he gets round and fills a place we probably won’t get much sense out of Emma for the next week!! I am looking forward to a party with Tom Morgan in the Royal Horseshoes after racing to celebrate winning the championship.