Isabel Williams blazes a blistering trail for Wales
THE Welsh horse-racing bandwagon rides on and on. Last Saturday at Haydock, the Vale of Glamorgan’s Isabel Williams came in for praise from legendary former National Hunt champion jockey AP McCoy after she won the £100,000 Betfair Stayers Handicap Hurdle on her father Evan Williams’ Dans Le Vent – a 16-1 chance.
AP McCoy said: “Isabel rode a patient and confident race.’’
Eight-year-old Dans Le Vent won by one and a quarter lengths from the Harry Skelton-partnered Riggs.
Isabel said: “My mount was just brilliant and so tough.’’
There was further Welsh success later in the day when Christian Williams-trained StrictlyADancer won the BetFair Handicap Chase under Jack Tudor and, at Ascot, Cardiff trainer Sam Thomas took the big handicap chase with Before Midnight, who was winning for the fourth time on the trot.
At Exeter during the week, Evan Williams’ Mack The Man was successful under stable jockey Adam Wedge, while at Taunton Lorcan Williams won the opener ner on Celestial Force.
On the same day at Market Rasen, James mes Bowen scored on Peejaybee and his s brother, Sean, took the closing race on Mister Sweets, while Richard Patrick, born in Hereford but raised in Wales, won on Chilli Filli.
On day one of the he three-day Cheltenham ham meeting, Lorcan Williams lliams took the opener on Paul Nicholls’ Skatman and Sean Bowen won the feature cross-country race on Martin Keighley’s Back On The Lash.
And at Warwick last Wednesday, David Prichard got his mount GetALead home by a short head from Guernesey and, at Ascot on Friday, won on GetALead.
At Ffos Las, Alan Johns won the opener on the Tim Vaughan-trained Dalomoi and Sean Bowen came away with a double on Chinwag (111) and Fairlawn Flyer ( 5-1 ).
The former is trained by Nick Mulholland and the latter by Sean’s father, Peter Bowen.
Evan Williams, the leading trainer at Ffos Las, won with Brooksway B Fair, ridden by stable jockey Adam Wedge. W However, west Wales’ l ’ Ben Jones must be congratulated on riding his first ever hat-trick under Rules when scoring on Sandy Boy, Little River Bay and Akkapenko at Uttoxeter.
The last named is trained by Ebbw Vale’s Dai Burchell, who must be Wales’ most senior trainer. If you know of any Welsh trainer older than Dai then do let me know.
Ben was just 18 when he chalked up his first-ever point-to-point treble at the Glamorgan Hunt Steeplechases at Bonvilston in 2019, and on the evening before he won the £142,375 Ladbroke Trophy at Newbury on the Emma Lavelle-trained De Rasher Counter; he was awarded the Rising Star Award at Chepstow Racecourse that year.
Meanwhile, last week’s Turf Talk Questionnaire guest Mollie Phillips won on 12-1 chance Rose Hip at Lingfield last Saturday.
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