Welsh rider rides a real Ledgend to victory at Exeter race
NATIONAL Hunt trainers Sam Thomas, Evan Williams and Tim Vaughan, who are all based in south Wales, have entries at today’s Cheltenham National Hunt Festival four-day meeting.
Former Cheltenham Gold Cup winning jockey Sam Thomas, who trains just outside Cardiff, has entered his French-bred Mario De Paul in the first race of the day, the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle.
Evan Williams runs his Esprit Du Large, a winner of its previous two races, in the Arkle Challenge Trophy and also Silver Streak, third last year, in the Champion Hurdle.
And Tim Vaughan, who like Williams trains in the Vale of Glamorgan, has entered his Copper Gone West in the David Nicholson Mares Hurdle.
Welsh racing enthusiasts will wish them all well.
Meanwhile, one jockey who knows what it is like to ride a winner at Cheltenham is Haverfordwest’s Richard Patrick, 25, who riding 15-year-old Sunny Ledgend, the oldest horse in the three-miles handicap chase at Exeter last Tuesday, came home oneand-a-half lengths ahead of the favourite Ballybreen.
Sunny Ledgend, who is trained by Andrew Martin, was returned at odds of 66-1 but those punters who backed the horse on the tote received odds of almost 139-1!
Richard, a former pony-racing and point-to-point rider, won the valuable BetVictor Gold Cup at Cheltenham last year.
Later in the day, Penhow’s Robert Stephens won the two-mile, threefurlong handicap chase with Tudors Treasure. Meanwhile, at Catterick on Wednesday, Bargoed’s Bernard Llewellyn took the opening selling handicap hurdle with his 12-year-old Flanagan’s Field, the oldest horse in the race, who was ridden by Charlie Price, who deserves more rides than he usually gets.
Brian’s Blast from the Past
Reporting on the Welsh Grand National for the Western Mail on December 23, 1985 and under the heading “Run And Skip is an easy winner”, I wrote:
“Run And Skip made very yard of the running to win the Coral Welsh National over three miles, six furlongs at Chepstow on Saturday. Trained by John Spearing and confidently ridden by Peter Scudamore, Run And Skip, a seven-year-old bay gelding by Deep Run, finished six lengths ahead of the 100-1 outsider Golden Ty, with Kumbi a further two lengths away in third.
“Peter Scudamore, whose father Michael won the Aintree Grand National in 1959 on Oxo, was originally down to ride Jenny Pitman’s Smith’s Man, who was pulled up entering the straight.
“Luckily he changed his mind and teamed up with the winner instead. It was the biggest success yet for Alcester-based John Spearing, who told me in the winner’s enclosure that the horse had improved a great deal at home during the past week or so.
“He said he was confident four fences from home that the horse would not be caught. A modest and quietly spoken man, Spearing said that Run And Skip would now be aimed at the Ritz Club National Hunt Chase at Cheltenham next March, a race in which he finished third last season.
“He has also entered Run And Skip for the Cheltenham Gold Cup and Grand National ‘just in case.’
“Run And Skip, a 13-1 chance, has now won seven of his last 11 races.
“The only hard-luck story of the race belonged to Jonjo O’Neill, who had a crashing fall from Broadheath, who appeared to be going well when falling five fences out. Run And Skip is owned by Mr Walled Marzouk in partnership with two other people.’’
I also reported that: “Popular Welsh point-to-pointer Crosstown had run its last race. A winner of 12 point-to-points and a hunter chase for his owner-trainer, Barry farmer Ted Williams, he will be fondly remembered by Tim Rooney, who chalked up his 100th winner on him at the Pentyrch Hunt Steeplechases last season. Mr Williams bred Crosstown 15 years ago from a mare called Channel View, which he had paid just 50 guineas for at the Newmarket Sales.
“Mr Williams overcame difficulties to get Crosstown on the racecourse and in 1981 he was rewarded when he won five races in a row, including a victory over Grand National runner Sandwilan in Devon.’’
■ Mrs Ruth Burchell, the bubbly wife of veteran Ebbw Vale trainer Dai Burchell, very kindly phoned me to say that they were delighted to read my Blast from the Past piece on them last week. Dai, in his 80s, who hasn’t been in the best of health of late, joked that the doctor has given him a clean bill of health for the next 10 years. So keep those winners coming, Dai!
■ You can send your racing news and views to Brian Lee by emailing brianlee4@virginmedia.com or phoning 029 2073 6438.