Tales of a weeny winner, dope tests and a race in the balance
For more than half a century I have had the pleasure of reporting on the point-to-point racing scene and during that time I have witnessed some remarkable races.
Take the open maiden race at the Llangeinor Hunt Steeplechases at Laleston near Bridgend in 1998. The three-circuit course was being used for the first time and Mountain Slave – owned and trained by local farmer Bill Howells and which had failed to complete the course in her previous four races – had, according to the Hunter Chasers and Point-To-Point annual, “run and jumped badly in six non-completions and finds the job extremely hard work, which is not surprising considering she is so weeny.”
So when 18-year-old Tim Vaughan, now a leading Welsh National Hunt trainer, brought her from last to first place and to lead three fences from the finish to score an easy eight-lengths win from the favourite Zatopek, partnered by Jonathan Tudor, punters could hardly believe their eyes.
Odds of 33-1 and more had been available about the shock winner and Mr Howells, when I interviewed him after the race, told me that he had won a couple of thousand pounds on his mare, which had clocked a time some 20 seconds faster than the winners of the first two divisions of the race.
Vaughan has good reason to remember the occasion too, as that day he also won on Cairneymount and Abbey Waters.
Back in 1985 the Jockey Club launched an investigation after the handlers of a horse called Captain Equity failed to allow a routine dope test after it had finished fourth in the restricted race at the Banwen Miners meeting at Llantwit Major.
The horse’s owner Jim Harkins told me at the time that Dennis Williams, the horse’s trainer, was asked to put the horse on the mobile dope test wagon but apparently the horse wouldn’t go up the steep ramp and, after several attempts, the horse was loaded in his lorry and driven off.
One witness told me: “It was quite funny to see the two dope-testing officials running after the lorry shouting at the driver to stop.”
Mr Harkins explained: “Dennis just didn’t understand the rules.”
Then there was the time at the South Herefordshire Hunt races in 1983 when a horse called Ferreter, owned by hunt-racing official Cynthia Higgon, finished first but was disqualified following a Jockey Club inquiry.
The Jockey Club officials also disqualified the third, fourth, fifth and sixth horses and awarded the race to the runner-up, Scottish Salmon.
All the horses in the race should have carried 12st 7lb, but the clerk of the scales insisted, despite pleas from owners and riders, on weighing them out at 12st.
However, because Scottish Salmon’s rider carried 8lb overweight, thus being the only horse to carry 12st 7lb or over, it was awarded the race. Had all the horses carried the wrong weight, the race would have been declared void.
In 1985 a horse named First Attempt won on her second attempt at the Tivyside fixture. First Attempt, ridden by Alan Rhead, was favourite for the men’s open race but fell early in the race.
Around an hour later First Attempt faced lone rival Portfield Fair in the adjacent hunts’ race, which she won after her solitary rival failed to complete the course.
Sad to report that Eileen “Ray” Hughes, of Gilfach Goch, has died aged 85. Eileen, her husband Arthur and sons Gareth, Brian, Stephen and the late Vivian were all closely involved in point-to-pointing as owners, trainers and riders.
She had been married to Arthur for 67 years and some of the horses owned and trained by the family were Henley Fair, Opera Fan, Gallic Belle, Prematicio and Doubting Donna, names that will be music to the ears of many hunt-racing enthusiasts.
Her funeral will take place at Coity Crematorium at 3.15pm on January 25.
You can send your racing news and views to Brian Lee by emailing brianlee4@virginmedia.com or phoning 029 2073 6438.