Lotus blossoms for Dudley success
Two stalwart local pointing families feature among the winners
THIS was the venue for the blue riband of point-to-points, the Lady Dudley Cup, which is run over 3m 2f and widely regarded as the most prestigious race of the season. This year’s renewal drew a disappointing field of four, but the lack of quantity was rebalanced by the high quality of the field.
Squirrel Esquire and James Martin led for the first two miles at a good pace, with Grandturgeon and Lotus Pond in close attendance. Iberico did not help himself in the rear with
an indolent round of jumping. As the race drew to a climax, the pacesetter fell away, leaving Grandturgeon to be stalked by the strong-travelling Lotus Pond. On the approach to two out Peter Bryan gave Lotus Pond an inch of rein and he readily drew clear to win by an increasing 18 lengths.
The Bryan family have been in the point-to-point world for longer than the hills, and both Peter’s grandfather and uncle had won the race. When asked how his father Willie, also a former rider, had fared in the race, he joked: “If you can’t do it yourself you have to be able to breed a good one!”
A CHAMPION’S THREAD
ANOTHER family synonymous with local pointing success is the Tollits. The matriarch, legendary rider Pat, was there to see her colours carried to a win in the hunt race by granddaughter Josephine Banks, aboard Well Mett in a thrilling finish from favourite Mistercobar and Alice Stevens.
It took only an hour for Mrs Tollit’s colours to be successful again, this time with younger granddaughter Abs aboard her mother Christine Banks’ hugely impressive Arthur’s Secret. Harried and pressed for the lead by most in the race, the keentravelling eight-year-old was simply too good for the rest.
“We were worried about the extended trip of 3m 2f but he has done it well,” said Christine.
Elsewhere on the card the
Alex Edwards/Phil Rowley bandwagon thundered on with yet another double, the first in the split conditions race, aboard The Crazy Dealers’ Stoleaway and the second in the young horse maiden with a facile success with The Maestro. This formed part of a great weekend for the partnership as they enjoyed four more winners the next day at Brampton Bryan.
The novice riders’ race featured another thrilling finish as Milo Herbert dictated from the front aboard his mother’s Ballycahane. This was the third win of the season for the partnership. The horse was sourced by the trainer Nicky Sheppard’s husband Matt, from Arthur Moore in Ireland.
“Although he was still a maiden at eight when we bought him, Arthur said he would be an ideal schoolmaster for Milo, and how right he was,” said Nicky.
This gave Shrewsbury College student Milo his fourth winner of the season.