Kentish Express Ashford & District
Hunters Lodge wins National
Point-to-point
Hunters Lodge made a winning debut for new Oxfordshire-based trainer Alan Hill with victory in the Shepherd Neame Kent Grand National on the opening day of the South East season at Charing on Sunday.
Ridden by owner Gareth Henderson, Hunters Lodge got home by a length in the three-mile, four furlong feature event, ahead of Lord Multifix (Will Hickman) – runner-up for the second successive year – and Mr Bennett (Pete Bull) third.
Pre-race odds-on favourite Adept Approach parted company with Charlie Marshall, a circuit from home.
Charlie and his sister, Izzie, rode winners elsewhere on the six-race card, which went ahead on good-to-soft ground.
Charlie won the opening two mile, four furlong Maiden, on Letskeepit Simple, coming with a late run to finish six lengths clear of Florabell, ridden by last year’s winning National jockey, Sam DaviesThomas and third placed Why Lie (Dale Peters).
Izzie then won the Ladies’ Open on Conkies Lad, another six-length success, over Crazy Eyes (Tabitha Worsley) with Rose Grissell third on Wor Rom.
The Gunner Brady showed his liking for Charing, venue for his maiden win in 2014, returning after a year off to win the Restricted by 10 lengths under Darren Edwards.
Kent/East Sussex-based Nick Pearce trained Come On You to a third course win in three rides under Davies-Thomas, landing the Conditions race. Only one horse finished the Maiden finale – nine-year-old Beneficiarius (Hayley Moore) winning, at the 25th time of asking.
Ten started out in what proved to be the most dramatic race of the afternoon. Beneficiarius was left clear three fences from home but still found things tough, scrambling over the final obstacle before walking across the finishing line.
The weather affected crowd numbers with meeting secretary Sally Bowman Kent Grand National winner Hunters Lodge, ridden by Gareth Henderson (purple), followed by second-placed Lord Multifix. Inset, Henderson receives the Kent Grand National trophy admitting: “Racing was never really in doubt, the problem was getting the public and trade stands in after it rained all day on Saturday.”
The next South East meeting is at Godstone on Sunday, March 6.
PWD L F A Ps Blackheath .. 16 12 3 1 70 34 39 Gore Crt ........ 16 10 2 4 66 47 32 Old Bord ....... 15 8 3 4 49 34 27 S’oaks 2 ....... 16 7 4 5 43 35 25 Ashford ........ 16 7 4 5 41 43 25 Tun Wells ..... 15 7 2 6 40 33 23 F’stone ........ 15 7 1 7 37 36 22 Maidstone..... 16 5 5 6 40 37 20 B Ash ........... 15 6 2 7 38 42 20 Crawley ....... 16 5 1 10 42 52 16 Cant Pilgrims 15 2 1 12 18 58 7
Blackheath & OE 8 Ashford 2, Crawley 2 Gore Court 3, Folkestone 1 Canterbury [3] Pilgrims 0, Maidstone 4 Burnt Ash 1, Old Bordenians 3 Sevenoaks 2nds 1.
Fixtures: Burnt Ash v Folkestone, Canterbury [3] Pilgrims v Old Bordenians 1, Gore Court v Blackheath & OE, Sevenoaks 2nds v Crawley, Tunbridge Wells v Maidstone. Cliftonville .... 16 11 3 2 59 35 36 BBHC ........... 16 11 3 2 43 19 36 New Becc ..... 16 9 5 2 48 31 32 U of Kent ...... 16 9 2 5 45 43 29 Blackhth 2 .... 16 7 4 5 36 33 25 Old Bord 2 .... 16 7 4 5 39 39 25 Cant 4........... 16 7 2 7 48 47 23 B Ash 2......... 16 4 5 7 39 38 17 Ashford 2 ...... 16 4 2 10 37 51 14 Marden Rus .. 16 3 5 8 38 54 14 S’oaks 3 ....... 15 2 2 11 27 46 8 Maidstone 2.. 15 2 1 12 35 58 7
Ashford 2nds 2 Canterbury [5] 4ths 4, Burnt Ash 2nds 2 BBHC 2, Cliftonville 3 Marden Russets 3, New Beccehamians 1 Old Bordenians 2nds 2, Sevenoaks 3rds 0 Blackheath & OE 2nds 1, University of Kent 5 Maidstone 2nds 0.
BBHC v Cliftonville, Blackheath & OE 2nds v Ashford 2nds, Canterbury [5] 4ths v University of Kent, Maidstone 2nds v New Beccehamians, Marden Russets v Sevenoaks 3rds, Old Bordenians 2nds v Burnt Ash 2nds. Holcmbe 2a .. 15 12 2 1 49 16 38 F’stone 2 ...... 14 11 2 1 45 18 35 Gore Crt 2 ..... 14 8 1 5 37 30 25 Herne Bay .... 15 6 5 4 35 32 23 Cant Millers .. 14 6 2 6 35 31 20 Tun Wells 2... 14 6 2 6 28 29 20 O Will 2......... 15 6 2 7 33 35 20 Holcombe 3 .. 15 5 3 7 25 26 18 Ashford 3 ...... 14 5 0 9 39 56 15 Blackhth 3 .... 13 2 4 7 25 33 10 O Bord 3 ....... 15 0 1 14 31 76 1
Blackheath & OE 3rds 2 Folkestone 2nds 0, Canterbury [6] Millers 8 Ashford 3rds 2, Gore Court 2nds 2 Holcombe [5] 3rds 0, Holcombe [4] 2a 7 Old Bordenians 3rds 2, Old Williamsonians 2nds 5 Herne Bay 1.
Ashford 3rds v Blackheath & OE 3rds, Folkestone 2nds v Tunbridge Wells 2nds, Herne Bay v Gore Court 2nds, Holcombe [5] 3rds v Canterbury [6] Millers, Old Bordenians 3rds v Old Williamsonians 2nds.
PWD L F A Ps Sutton Val 2 .. 15 11 1 3 59 26 34 Deal .............. 15 10 3 2 71 36 33 U of Kent 2.... 15 10 2 3 47 28 32 Gore Crt 3 ..... 16 10 2 4 49 35 32 S’oaks Shad . 15 9 1 5 39 26 28 BromBeck 5.. 16 6 4 6 43 39 22 F’stone O 3 ... 16 7 1 8 35 36 22 BBHC 2 ......... 16 6 3 7 38 47 21 Gill Anch 2 .... 16 5 1 10 40 53 16 B Ash 3......... 15 4 4 7 24 38 16 S’oaks 4 ....... 16 1 3 12 26 66 6 Ashford 4 ...... 15 1 1 13 21 62 4
Sutton Valence 2nds 7 Gillingham Anchorians 2nds 1, Folkestone Optimist 3rds 3 Sevenoaks 4ths 1, Sevenoaks Shadows 2 University of Kent 2nds 0, Bromley and Beckenham 5ths 1 Burnt Ash (Bexley) 3rds 2, Bexleyheath & Belvedere 2nds 3 Deal 4, Ashford (Kent) 4ths 0 Gore Court 3rds 5.
Burnt Ash (Bexley) 3rds v Bexleyheath & Belvedere 2nds, Deal v Ashford 4ths, Gillingham Anchorians 2nds v Folkestone Optimist 3rds, University of Kent 2nds v Sutton Valence 2nds, Gore Court 3rds v Sevenoaks Shadows, Sevenoaks 4ths v Bromley and Beckenham 5ths. Deal 2 ........... 12 10 1 1 47 7 31 New Becc 3 .. 12 8 2 2 27 16 26 Blackhth 5 .... 11 7 2 2 31 14 23 Graveshm 2 .. 12 7 1 4 31 15 22 Ashfrd Crus... 12 5 2 5 37 28 17 Marden R 4... 12 3 2 7 20 32 11 Gore Crt 6 ..... 11 2 2 7 18 38 8 Old Bord 5 .... 12 2 2 8 15 49 8 Holcmbe 5A .. 10 1 0 9 8 35 3
Gore Court 6ths 3 Old Bordenian 5ths 3, Blackheath and OEs 5ths 2 Gravesham & Wellcome 2nds 0, New Beccehamian 3rds 2 Ashford Crusaders 1.
Gravesham & Wellcome 2nds v Gore Court 6ths, Holcombe 5As v Deal 2nds, Ashford Crusaders v Blackheath and OEs 5ths.
PWD L F A Ps F’stone O 7 ... 15 10 2 3 58 37 32 Holcombe 6 .. 14 10 1 3 49 18 31 Sutton Val 4 .. 14 8 3 3 35 16 27 Cobdown 2 ... 13 8 2 3 19 16 26 Herne Bay 4 .. 14 8 1 5 34 23 25 Blackhth Dyn 13 8 0 5 27 10 24 B Ash 7......... 14 5 0 9 21 36 15 New Becc 4 .. 14 4 2 8 21 39 14 Grvshm Un.... 15 2 4 9 16 25 10 Maidstone 6.. 13 3 1 9 29 47 10 Ashford 6 ...... 15 3 0 12 25 67 9
Sutton Valence 4ths 5 Maidstone 6ths 0, Ashford 6ths 0 Holcombe 6ths 10, Gravesham & Wellcome Unicorns 2 Blackheath and OEs Dynamos 0, Folkestone Optimist 7ths 5 New Beccehamian Men’s 4ths 0.
Holcombe 6ths v Cobdown 2nds, Maidstone 6ths v Gravesham & Wellcome Unicorns, New Beccehamian 4ths v Ashford 6ths, Herne Bay 4ths v Sutton Valence 4ths, Blackheath and OEs Dynamos v Folkestone 7ths. BromBeck 2.. 18 13 3 2 44 18 42 Wapping 2 .... 17 10 4 3 53 18 34 Blackheath .. 18 10 3 5 35 19 33 Havering ...... 18 10 3 5 34 25 33 B Ash ........... 17 9 5 3 34 18 32 Cant 2A ........ 18 10 4 4 45 31 31 Ashford ........ 18 7 5 6 39 25 26 E London ..... 17 6 4 7 30 21 22 Tun Wells 2... 18 5 3 10 28 40 18 BBHC ........... 18 2 4 12 30 61 10 Redbridge .... 18 2 3 13 18 55 9 Thurrock ...... 17 1 1 15 15 74 4
BBHC 4 Thurrock 0, Blackheath OE 0 Redbridge & Ilford 0, Tunbridge Wells 2nds 2 Burnt Ash 2, Ashford 1 Brom & Becks 2nds 3, Canterbury 2A 3 Havering 0, Wapping 2nds 2 East London 0.
None until Feb 27 Marden R...... 17 13 3 1 48 21 42 F’stone O 2 ... 17 13 2 2 48 22 41 Herne Bay ..... 17 9 2 6 43 29 29 Ashford 2 ...... 16 8 4 4 35 26 27 Holcombe 2 .. 17 8 4 5 35 19 25 Tun Wells 3... 17 6 4 7 25 23 22 BromBeck 3.. 17 6 4 7 28 27 22 BBHC 2 ......... 17 5 4 8 32 39 19 S’oaks Acrn .. 17 5 4 8 35 39 18 New Becc ..... 17 5 2 10 16 39 17 Blackhth 2 .... 17 5 1 11 20 34 16 Ashford 3 ...... 16 0 2 14 11 58 1
Marden Russets 2 Blackheath and OEs 2nds 1.
Tunbridge Wells 3rds v Sevenoaks Acorns, Ashford 3rds v Bromley and Beckenham 3rds, New Beccehamian v Herne Bay, Folkestone Optimist 2nds v Bexleyheath & Belvedere 2nds, Marden Russets v Holcombe 2nds, Blackheath and OEs 2nds v Ashford 2nds.