Brother and sister show their mettle on continent
“HAVE saddle, will travel” is certainly the motto of Wales’ David Prichard, aged 28, and his 23-year-old sister Charly.
David, representing Great Britain at the recent Pardubice Festival in the Czech Republic, won the Joseph Jancar Memorial Hurdle aboard the mare Golden Irene after making all the running and holding on to win by half a length in an exciting finish.
The race is part of the Gentlemen’s League Fegenti series and in the previous leg at Merano in Italy David had finished third on a former Ben Pauling inmate, Creep Debois, and is currently leading the series.
Meanwhile, Charly rode her first winner as a professional jockey in France recently at Les Sablesd’Olonne. Riding a horse called Figue in a four-year-old hurdle race, she made most of the running to score by one and a half lengths.
It was her fourth winner over jumps in France and she can also boast of having ridden six winners on the Flat. Two of these wins were in France, two in Corsica and one in Mauritius.
And another success last Sunday at Saumur in France means that since turning professional she has ridden two winners from three rides.
Both Charly and David began their race-riding careers in pony races before taking part in point-topoints.
■ Meanwhile, congratulations go to Carmarthen’s Ben Jones, 19, who at Hereford last Wednesday (October 15) had three rides and won on all three of them!
Ben, who knows what it’s like to ride a hat-trick in point-to-points, was chalking up his first treble under Rules and two of those wins were for Chepstow trainer Grace Harris.
Ben, a 7lb claimer, took the opening handicap hurdle on her topweighted Searching, which came home five lengths ahead of Cougar Kid.
Then later in the day he won the mares’ handicap chase for her on Field Exhibition, a 13-lengths winner.
His third win came when, in a close finish, he took the mares’ handicap hurdle on Runasimi River, which beat Artichoke Heart by a head.
Ben’s father is the legendary point-to-point champion rider Dai Jones, who chalked up 206 winners between the flags. However, I think it is safe to say that Ben has already ridden more winners under Rules than his father.
■ Brian’s Blast From The Past
These days, veteran trainer Milton Bradley is better known as a Flat trainer rather than a National Hunt one, but under the heading “Marine puts Bradley on crest of a wave”, this is what I had to say in the Western Mail on January 18, 1977:
“Given the choice, Chepstow trainer Milton Bradley would prefer to win the Grand National to the Cheltenham Gold Cup. But for the past few months he’s been too busy turning out winners from Fontwell to Newton Abbot to give the thought much consideration.
“Last year, for instance, he trained nine Flat winners and 24 jumpers. Not bad for someone who took out a licence only six years ago.
“Bradley’s success probably comes from his shrewd placing of his horses. He says: ‘What’s the use of finishing second or third at Ascot when you can be a winner at Plumpton?’
“Pride of his Sedbury yard is eight-year-old Mighty Marine, a hard ground specialist who has won 17 races, seven of them in succession. Mighty Marine won those seven races in five weeks and three days, and is owned by Mrs Phyllis Lothian, of Reynoldstown near Swansea.
“Stable jockey Mike Williams has been with Bradley ever since he left school and, at 21, there are not many jockeys who can claim to have ridden winners on the Flat over hurdles and in steeplechases. Mike, who has ridden 34 winners, prefers riding over obstacles to the Flat.
“Bradley is helped by his wife Ruth, who does all the secretarial work. No mean task with some 30-40 horses in the yard.
“One horse Bradley will always find room for is 15-year-old Octroi. This brave mare won 24 point-topoints for him before he took out a trainer’s licence.”
■ You can send your racing news and views to Brian Lee by emailing brianlee4@virginmedia.com or telephoning 029 2073 6438.