Point to point
May 9 2009 The Journal
FOLLOWING heavy rain in Cumbria earlier in the week, the soft ground specialists will be in their element in today’s Cumberland fixture at Heathfield, near Aspatria. The seven-race card with 111 entries gets under way at 2pm and admission is only £8 per person.
The Members Race is an intriguing contest featuring four out-of-form rivals and it will be interesting to see how the bookmakers price them up.
Scurry Dancer is on a losing run stretching back to November 2001, Natural has only won one in the last four years, while Solway Flo has failed to finish in six of her eight starts since scoring at Alnwick in February 2008. Lolipop has been placed twice in 12 career starts spread over four seasons. The latter gets a tentative vote in the hope that she can reproduce the effort which saw her beaten one length by Ellandshe at Crossford in March. Good Prospect got off the mark on his first outing from Andrew Richardson’s Hexham yard at Balcormo Mains a fortnight ago and the 11-year-old can strike again in the Restricted Race.
John Carr’s gelding was value for more than the official three lengths winning margin that day and also boasts a couple of decent placed efforts over course and distance in recent seasons behind Hartburn and Baltrasna.
The main threat comes from My Wee Woman, who scored in soft going at Hutton Rudby last year and comes here fresh after finishing sixth behind Opio on her reappearance at Kelso in January.
Roger Green’s ultra-consistent mare, Anshan Spirit, lifted her career tally of wins to 11 in last week’s Lauderdale Men’s Open Race and it is difficult to see the likes of Behavingbadly and Salveo preventing a follow-up in today’s equivalent contest. The 19 Ladies Open Race entries are headed by Robbers Glen. Val Jackson’s Stable Star finished fifth behind Cappa Bleu in the Cheltenham Foxhunters in March and has had a six-week break since chasing home The Reverend in a Kelso Hunter Chase.
He shouldered top weight of 12st 8lb at the latter venue on ground quicker than ideal and must be a certainty here, carrying 22lb less with underfoot conditions in his favour.
Old Rolla showed that he is still a force to be reckoned with at Mosshouses under a fine tactical ride from Kelly Bryson and should go well again, while the Elaine Smith-trained mare, Delfinia, has won two of her last four starts in this grade.
The veteran Briery Hill is fancied to land his first win for three years in the NPPA Club Members Race.
Tommy Morrison’s mount found only Ardnaclancy too good last week and is hitting form at the right time. Dontpassgo shaped well when fifth behind Heavenly Leader on his hunt racing debut at Hexham last May and should be fairly straight after being pulled up on his reappearance in Risk Assessment’s race six days ago. He is preferred to Kalatime and Tomopolly in the first division of the Open Maiden Race.
The second division of the Open Maiden Race can go to Freya Hartley’s appropriately named nine-year-old gelding, In To Win, who ran a blinder last time on only his second career start when beaten one length by the useful Passport Control at Whittington.
Of the others, Danny John Boy is open to further improvement, while Salmon Rising carries the well-known Brockbank colours on his home course. The latter kept on well when runner-up to Rock Port at Tranwell and there could be more to come.
PETER BURGON
