Jockey’s journey from stable boy to victor at steeplechase
Nineteen-year-old Charlie Price, who works as a stable lad for Vale of Glamorgan National Hunt trainer Tim Vaughan, is fast learning all about the ups and downs of steeplechasing.
At the recent Glamorgan Hunt Point-To-Point Steeplechases at Ystradowen, Charlie won the first division of the Seven-Year-Olds And Over Open Maiden race when getting his mount Essteepee home by just a head from Padre Tito, ridden by Bobby Thomas.
But Charlie had no time to celebrate, as he had to weigh out to ride the well-fancied Oscar Fian in the second division of the race, which was run immediately afterwards.
However, any thoughts Charlie had of winning this division of the race as well were soon dashed when he was unseated early on in the race, which was won by Mount Prospex, ridden by Carmarthen’s Ben Jones, who was notching up his third winner of the season.
Charlie, who has made quite a name for himself in the world of Arabian horse-racing, is tipped to go far by Wales’ leading Arabian horseowner and trainer, Delyth Thomas of Aberkenfig.
There were some exciting finishes at Ystradowen and in the opening Glamorgan Hunt Members, Subscribers & Farmers Race. Claire Sherrif’s Fraction Man, partnered by Bradley Gibbs, won by a neck from the previous year’s winner ItchyMei’Mscratch (Tom David).
Fraction Man, backed from 5-1 to 7-4 favourite, was the youngest horse in the race at seven years’ old and is trained by Bradley’s father David Gibbs.
David said: “Fraction Man is very
naughty at home and only Bradley dare ride him.”
There was a close finish to the Timico Mixed Open Race, in which Ken Price’s French-bred War Path was judged to have beaten Roger Willcox’s course winner Patricktom Boru (Ben Jones) by a head. War Path was ridden by Lorna Brooke from mid Wales, no stranger to riding winners between the flags and
under Rules, and who was clearly delighted when her horse was announced the winner.
The Four, Five And Six-Year-Olds Open Maiden Race was another thriller, with the six-year-old bay mare Ann Scott, ridden by Pembrokeshire’s Jodie Hughes, coming with a late dash to pip January Don (Richard Patrick) and Milathlete ( Wayne Maskill), the winning distances
being half a length and a further half a length. Ann Scott is trained by Simon Jones, who runs a pet cemetery near Bridgend and has been sending out winners for more years than he probably cares to remember.
The Glamorgan Hunt Club Members Conditions Race over two miles and four furlongs was won by Carl Price’s 11-year-old Romeo Is Bleeding, which beat Carry On Nando
after Superman De La Rue (James Bowen), who was challenging, fell at the last fence.
Romeo Is Bleeding’s rider, 21-yearold Conor Orr, who is attached to Llancarfan trainer Evan Williams’ yard, told me: “I think I had him beat when he fell.”
Odds-on favourite Colorado Doc was ruled to have not come under orders.
Cowbridge’s Byron Moorcroft, who is riding as well as ever, chalked up his 10th winner of the season when landing the Restricted Race on Keiron Price’s seven-year-old brown gelding Ramble On, who, in a handy position throughout, scored by five lengths from Yeats Ace (Bradley Gibbs).
West Wales’ Lorcan Williams, 17, is having a tremendous season and rode a double at Stone Eston, winning the Confined on Sally Alner’s Thereyasee and the Men’s Open on Rose Loxton’s Monsieur Gibralta, which brought his season’s tally of wins to 14. Evan David took the Open Maiden at Penhurst on Poyntzpass, trained by Andrew Pennock, while at Maisemore Park, James King won the Open Maiden on the Simon Jones-trained Cardinal Tom and the Intermediate race on the Beverley Thomas-trained Moral Hazard.
■ The Ystrad Taf Fechan Point-ToPoint will be held at Ystradowen in the Vale of Glamorgan on April 9. There will be seven races subject to division and the feature race, The John Lovell National Men’s Open, will be run over a distance of around three miles and six furlongs. The winning horse will qualify for the Timico Mixed Open Final at Cheltenham on May 5.
■ You can send your horse-racing news and views to Brian Lee by emailing brianlee4@virginmedia. com or telephoning 029 2073 6438.