The Fernie meeting at Dingley has turned out to be our last Midlands Area fixture of the season so it was appropriate that we finished with a flourish and some excellent performances.
We are once again very grateful to Charles Millington and Charlie Reynolds, our Clerks of the Course, who oversaw a mammoth watering effort during the preceding week in which they were distributing between 200 and 500 bowser loads of water every day and produced ground which was officially deemed good on the day.
The Welland Valley Feeds Mixed Open – The Fernie Four Miler – is the traditional Midlands Area Feature Race, a proper test of stamina around three circuits of this great Leicestershire course.
There was little doubt among the bookmakers that Master Templar, Mrs Hayward’s 11-year-old by Robin des Champs, was going off as odds-on favourite of the three well qualified runners. Horses, though, are great levellers, and there was a discussion about going on to the course which indicated that things might not be straightforward for jockey Gina Andrews. On the other hand, Bothwell Bridge (Ellie Callwood), owned by the sizeable Fernie Dingley Syndicate and trained by Kelly Morgan who had given birth two days previously, had clearly heard the rumour that this might be his last run before retirement from pointing, and decided that he was going to make it special. Making most of the running with the help of Red Maple (Cian Murphy), the 11-year-old by Stowaway did not fade, nor did Master Templar appear from the back as many expected he would, and instead jumped the last clear ahead and kept on to win by a couple of lengths.
“That is his last run. I think he knew.” Ellie Callwood said. “He’s given it everything, jumped amazingly, and just kept going from the front. I didn’t have a choice, to be honest, he was off. It’s a bit emotional for everybody. He’s the best racehorse I’ve ever sat on. I ride him every day at home and I’m really going to miss him.”
The day’s opener, the JCB Watling 2m4f Maiden race saw nine runners set off from under the Judge’s box but at the last it was a two horse race. Julian Sherriff’s five-year-old Grey Area, trained and ridden by Bradley Gibbs, looked like he might have enough to win the run in but the four-year-old Ocean View, trained by Gina Andrews but ridden by Zac Baker, jumped the last half a length clear and held on well to record the win. “I’ve done quite a bit of work with him at home and Gina was quite happy for someone else to ride him. He’s very keen and feisty. “The race fell apart coming down to the second last, and coming down to the last it was just a case of when do I time my run. He’s done it really well. He’s got plenty of flat speed and did it all on the bridle,” Zac Baker said.
Although Toss Again (John Morrey), previously trained by Henry de Bromhead, started the Tattersalls Conditions Race for Novice Riders as heavy odds-on favourites they still had to get the job done and their match race challenger Native Nellie (Felix Foster) was not going to let them have it easily. The eventual winning distance was 4 length or so. “I’ve had a back injury, which resulted in me not riding since January. I had some injections in my back three weeks ago which were life changing and I’ve been back in the saddle ever since. Boris [Ball], who has ridden him fantastically for me three times said I should just sit and he would sort himself out, and he did. James and Jenny [Owen] have done a great job and he’s buzzing.”
After the Four Miler we had eight runners for the Sharnford Tractors Restricted Race and this time, third time lucky, Gina Andrews was able to win on a horse she rode as well as trained. Main Stage, the seven-year-old by Jet Away out of a Presenting mare took full advantage of a seven-pound allowance to beat the favourite, five-year-old Spartan Brave (Dale Peters), by ten lengths for the Marriage and Signy families. “She’s very tricky in the preliminaries,” Gina told me. “She gets very worked up so we had to put a red hood on her today just to try to keep her a bit calmer, but when she performs like that it doesn’t really matter does it? She’s a superb jumper and a strong stayer but she picked up an injury so it’s taken her a little while to get back in the swing of things having had a bit of time off.”
Double Century-hunting Dale Peters came out on top in the Savills Level 2 Veterans Conditions Race which followed this, riding Bowtogreatness. The ten-year-old by Westerner out of a Supreme Leader line found more speed whenever the chasing bunch caught him and just did enough to hold off the challenge from Who’s In The Box (Paddy Barlow) and Larry (George Gorman), with Hunting Percival (Henry Barfoot-Saunt) in fourth place. Dale said, “We obviously didn’t buy him to be running here at this time of year, he was meant to be running at Cheltenham in March, but a few things haven’t gone right with him. He’s got loads of ability, but he’s go this own quirks and some niggles so he’s probably bought himself another go now.”
Ellie Callwood returned to the Winner’s Enclosure after winning the seven-runner James Mossman-sponsored Rod Millington Open Maiden Race, our last race of the day. This time she beat 2/1 favourite Corra Bheinn, ridden by Huw Edwards for Francesca Poste and The Picnic Partnership, on the KM Racing Club’s Kings Cowboy, an eight-year-old by Doyen out of a French mare line. Kelly said, “he’s been a really fun horse for the KM Racing Club this season. He jumped classily and will make an ideal Novice Riders Horse for next season.”
Sadly it was announced on the day that the heavy watering which was necessary to produce good ground for this fixture has left the course with no reserves to use for the Fitzwilliam meeting on 23rd May. The difficult decision has therefore been made to abandon that fixture in good time and allow the remaining horses in training to plan accordingly.
The 2025-26 season has see 247 runners start in the Midlands Area, at an average of 30 per meeting. We thank you for your support and look forward to welcoming you to the Cottesmore’s early season fixture at Garthorpe in November.