Held at Ryemeadows PWRC 220 yards Bend & 110 yards straight
All photographs courtesy of Michael Treacher
A ninety-plus entry (very good for a bend meeting) despite coming so soon after the last Championships and with so little time post-lockdown to school the youngsters. The knowledge that the bend is excellent does help and, as always, the track was produced in fine order.
Weather-wise we all wished it would make its mind up. Over the weekend we had Friday evening monsoon when gentle showers were forecast, Saturday started all gloomy then decided to be hot and sunny, Sunday was cool, cloudy and misty with rain threatening all the while, but thankfully never delivering.
We had four new Racing Champions, Luna-Tic, My Girl Enfys, One For Arthur and Figaro. Also, three new Veteran Crowns – WCRCh Ryamber Something Extra, Winterfell Merry Mayhem and Rudy Roo – for their owners, a day to remember.
Well done to all who took part, we had some fine close racing.
This was the first time we’ve used the 110 yards of the home straight for Veteran Crowns. While the 150 yards straight track is a true test of stamina, unsurprisingly the shorter distance rewards fast trapping and finish-line judges have to be on their mettle. We were glad of the video, used for three of the six finals.
First the six- and seven-year-olds. Sarah Layfield’s VC Winterfell Merry Mayhem won the 14-20lb group final by a neck and the same from Liz and Richard’s Ameesha Just A Breeze with WCRCh Sapphire’s Queen’s Pearl, Angie Parker’s bitch, making her big-time comeback after almost four years out.
In the middleweights (21-25lb), Christine Howard’s trio swept the heats but one withdrawal and a semi-final elimination left WCRCh VC Ryamber Something Extra to fly the flag, which she did with distinction from Ruth Mabb’s Trueloveways, who’s proving to be a fine veteran.
In the 26/32lb group, Ian German’s WCRCh VC Radar won his third veteran weight class in three race meetings when he beat the Hunters’ classy campaigner WCRCh Zola Go-Quick by two lengths.
The eight- and nine-year-olds were next. None of these wins were easy, far from it and the 14-20lb final set the tone. Here, Liz and Richard’s WCRCh VC Little Ebs and Garry Comber’s WCRCh Jett Black resumed their rivalry, a close-fought finish but the trapping turned out to be decisive with Ebony beating Jett by just under a length.
Keeley’s and Kevin’s VC Rudy Roo has an impeccable bend-racing pedigree and seems to get better with age. She needed all her toughness to prevail in a very tight 25-25lb group final, for Jason Cooper’s Gambler Jack all but got up on the line. If anything, the heavyweight group final (26-32lb) was even tighter, a true blanket finish with Pat Gant’s WCRCh VC Scallywag edging home by a nose from Sue Meecham’s VC Winterfellin Vanilla Sky, the Strains’ Our Boy Ace a neck behind and the Gilfeathers’ *Max Attraction another neck down in fourth. Definitely one for the video to sort out!
The main Championship finals commenced with a solo run for Mike & Joanne Dexters’ WCRCh(s) Luna-Tic to win the N/E 16lb group, before the Villis’ WCRCh Ameesha Summer Rocket took the 18lb group by four lengths from Diane Gardner’s All About Me. In the 20lb final, the Hunters’ WCRCh My Girl Enfys prevailed by three lengths over David Cairns’ fast youngster It’s A Joey to win her title at the first time of asking. The N/E 22lb final was tighter with Liz and Richard’s *Ameesha Top Tease (who also won Fastest Time with a 13.65 in the semis) beating Christine Howard’s Ryamber Stan The Man half a length.
Dave and Carole Cuttler’s WCRCh Call Me Enchanting, unbeaten in the heats and semi-finals, won the N/E 24lb final as a favourite should, beating the Gilfeathers’ good youngster Final Attraction by four lengths, while the 26lb decider was much closer with under three lengths betwixt first and fourth, the Brearleys’ *Murphy’s Gold taking it by a length from Trish & Graham’s WCRCh Rising Star.
Ruth Mabb’s WCRCh One For Arthur, a fine winner at the Ryemeadows open two weeks before and winning his half-coat a week before that, was always going to be the one to beat in the 28lb group and duly won his title by five lengths from Sue Hoddinott’s Laguna Luna’s Lynx .
WCRCh Feilly’s Gold, proud dad of the 26lb winner, gave Jon and Maggie a great win double when he took the N/E 30lb group final by two lengths from Vicky Colquhoun’s Blu It Is.
Then we closed out proceedings with the Thorpes’ WCRCh Figaro beating WCRCh Gimme Attraction (Trish and Graham’s third runner-up, they were so close to a great day) by three lengths to win his title, only a few minutes after little sister WCRCh My Girl Enfys.
Many thanks to everyone who helped out, we couldn’t do it without you, and a special mention to our kind hosts Dave and Lynn who really do pull out all the stops for us.
Mark Etheridge reporting