After the November running of the Cottesmore meeting brought an unprecedented early start to the Midlands Pointing season, we now brush off the cobwebs of the festive season and look forward to our annual renewal of the South Wold’s fixture, Revesby Races.
We would like to welcome their new Secretary Bridget Crawford to the fold and wish her all the best for what should be a very competitive meeting, with 54 entries across six races. These include a maiden, restricted, intermediate and mixed open races, as well as a novice riders conditions race and one of the new series of races for horses which have been rated up to 110 under the rules of professional racing.
The feature race of the afternoon is the Mark Barthorpe Memorial Mixed Open, kindly sponsored by Mrs Barthorpe and Mrs Wallis, and has very classy entries, all of whom will be looking for qualification wins for later in the season.
Kelly Morgan-trained Music Drive needs little introduction to Revesby racegoers, where he beat Captain Biggles to win this race in style last year. DJ as he is known at home went on to win at Brocklesby, before finishing fourth in the Cheltenham Foxhunter and finishing the season with a win in the Jonathan Neesom Hunter Chase.
The MMI Partnership’s Joe O’Shea-trained Barton Snow will present a real challenge to Music Drive, albeit under Amber Jackson-Fennel for the first time. The Snow Sky nine-year-old won the intermediate race at Askham Bryan last season, before going on to win three hunter chases over shorter distances, including the Restricted point-to-point HC at Stratford. He will give the opposition five pounds.
Classy Eleven-year-old grey Linelee King (James King) is trained by Camilla Murphy and will be making his debut on a point-to-point course this time. He ran twice last season in this country, winning his debut at Southwell in the attheraces.com Hunter Chase in March before going on to finish second behind Autonomous Cloud in the 3m1f hunter chase at Cartmel in May.
Master Templar, also 11, is another high class horse, trained and ridden by Gina Andrews. Starting their season last year with victories at Chaddesley Corbett and Garthorpe, they finished fifth behind Linelee King at Southwell and then fell in the Aintree Foxhunters’.
The opening race of the day is a conditions race for novice riders which has been kindly sponsored by PCS Pedersen. The Herbert family’s Highstakesplayer is the standout based on rating, finishing second in the 2m4f Royal Gloucestershire Hussars Hunter Chase at Cheltenham last May under Sean O’Connor, and starting this season with a third at Larkhill. Giving them a challenge will be Major Dundee (Clara Brewitt) who was second on British Points debut at Charing last month. Coeur Serein started this season with a sixth at Chaddesley Corbett having won last year in this area in a three-runner field at Garthorpe. Seven No Trumps also won at Garthorpe last season, but hasn’t been placed in three runs since.
This is followed by the Robert Harriss Open Maiden, for which 13 are entered. Sally Spink and The Why Not Partnership have some local interest here with the appropriately named Red Letter Day. Competition for the places will likely come from Maxfly d’Agrostis, Just A Joy or Miss Tele, but there are some surprises ahead in this field with some trainers making a long trip for this one.
The Spilsby NFU Intermediate follows the Mixed Open and 1.45pm includes a choice of runners for Midlands trainer/jockey Dale Peters. The well-rated Largy Pearl had a very successful campaign last season, which saw them finish second behind Barton Snow at Stratford in the Restricted Hunter Chase there, having scored three wins from three prior to that. Dale also has Line Em Up, a winner at Alnwick in December which may run in the last. Boley Bob, trained by Joe O’Shea, also won on their first outing of this season in Ireland, but is more likely to run in the last here I suspect. Champagne Glory, also trained in the Midlands – by Stuart Morris, was second in his opening run of this season at Horseheath. Bradley Gibbs trains Premier Fantasy for the Swinburnes, placed on almost every occasion last season and third in their first run of this season at Chaddesley Corbett. Others to mention include Arctic Oscar for Gina Andrews and Andrew Pennock-trained Trojan de Berlais.
Seven horses are entered for the next race, part of The Jockey Club 0-110 Rated Series, for horses who have been rated up to 110 under rules, and two horses stand out in this field. Pillar Rock, trained and ridden by Gina Andrews, won their last four outings of last season, two at Garthorpe and two at Kingston Blount. Wallace Ollinger, trained and ridden by Dale Peters, won twice last season – notably on debut here at Revesby last January, and at Dingley, before finishing the season with a second in a chase at Hexham. Their first run this season saw them brought down when challenging at Alnwick. Tellmesomethingood is trained by Alan Hill and will be having their second run this season here or in the next, finishing third at Larkhill last time out. Whosmydaddy might be one to watch, a winner of two chases under rules, now starting a career between the flags.
The last race of the afternoon is the Restricted Race, sponsored by The Annandale, which includes entries for Boley Bob, Tellmesomethingood and Line Em Up, also entered in previous races but in with good chances here. Joe O’Shea-trained Monfin Girl is another to watch, second on British debut after winning in Ireland. Cadillac Ranch also won on his first British trip, beating a field of twelve at Charing.
Tickets are available online from Midlands Pointing or on the gate. There is always great support for this meeting, and there will be plenty to do for all the family. We look forward to seeing you on Saturday.