Vance crashes back to earth

BOB Vance did his best to steal the limelight but Matamata’s Chad Ormsby was the ‘‘young gun’’ in the Cambridge Stud Classic Jockeys’ Series Final at Te Rapa on Saturday and he proved it by taking the two-race series for former jockeys.

Ormsby, 25, had an advantage riding the Graeme and Debbie Rogerson-trained Mr Chez, who raced on the day as ‘‘Ocean Park’’, as he had won a maiden race at Tauranga on the horse when still a licensed jockey. Ormsby showed all the skill and guile from those days as he came from last to surge to the front inside the final 150m and win drawing away by 13⁄ lengths.

Mr Chez races next in the Pirongia Cup on Boxing Day and Ormsby ‘‘will be disappointed if the trainers don’t ring to book me for the ride in that race’’.

Paul Richards, 53, aboard ‘‘Random Chance’’ (Endorsement), chased Ormsby hardest over the final stages to finish second, 11⁄ lengths ahead of Stephen Autridge’s mount, ‘‘Altitude’’ (Babilloni) with Darren Weatherley on ‘‘Rough Habit’’ (Sa- rah Pour) and Kevin Morton on ‘‘Orchidra’’ (Edge Of Fame) the other finishers.

With the late withdrawal of Lee Tiley’s mount and the unavailability of Alwyn Tweedie, the final attracted only six runners and it was unfortunately marred by Bob Vance crashing to the turf as the field thundered down the straight.

Vance had no luck in the first leg of the series, at the Cambridge Jockey Club’s meeting on November 23, when his mount slipped over when about to do the preliminary and was late scratched. Even worse luck struck this time.

Vance was aboard The Patriot, a horse he trains in partnership with his wife Jenny, and raced on the day as ‘‘McGinty.’’

All was going to plan for Vance during the race when he settled ‘‘McGinty’’ third and he was starting to feel confident of victory when he took a gap between the leaders early in the run home. But then disaster struck.

‘‘I had just hit the lead and gave him a couple with the whip and was feeling confident,’’ Vance said. ‘‘Then when I gave him a third one he dived inwards and went through the running rail.’’

As the riderless ‘‘McGinty’’ ran around the inside of the track Vance was laying on the ground getting his breath back and onlookers were relieved to see him stand up and later walk from the ambulance.

Vance later joined the afterrace festivities, taking the fall in his stride.

With mishaps in both legs of the series, Vance has been told by Jenny, and daughter, Maija, his riding days are over. ‘‘But I’ll still be riding trackwork,’’ he said.

Ormsby scraped home by a point in the popular series from Richards, while Tiley and Autridge shared third on seven points with Jim Collett (unable to compete on Saturday because of a minor neck injury) and Weatherley on four points.

Ormsby, who had a warmup for the final when riding Graphic in an exhibition gallop earlier on the programme, looked relaxed riding in his sunglasses. He also had strapped to his chest a GoPro camera to record his part in the race as it unfolded.

‘‘I’ll put it [the footage] up on Facebook,’’ Ormsby said. ‘‘I’ve used the camera a bit in trackwork.’’