Andrews the star turn in Cornwall

Record champion Gina Andrews made a winning return to the sport on Sunday, ahead of schedule.

A version of this article first appeared in the Racing Post on Friday 8th December.

The ten-time senior women’s title-holder was not expected to ride until the Christmas week, when husband Tom Ellis starts engaging full throttle with the couple’s Warwickshire-based string, but an unexpected call saw her head to Wadebridge in Cornwall on Sunday. Ellis, who has won five trainers’ championships, went along as driver.

His wife opted to take a single ride in the ladies’ open race on the John Heard-trained Singapore Saga, a talented and consistent mare who now has six wins and three placings in nine point-to-points after a hard-fought win, plus a solid record in hunter chases. She was Andrews’ first ride for Okehampton-based Heard, who last season won the national trainers’ championship in a new category for stables with five or fewer horses.

John Heard, who enticed Gina Andrews on an eight-hour round trip to ride Singapore Saga

Explaining the booking, Heard, who also had two third places at the meeting, including last season’s Cheltenham hunter chase winner Quintin’s Man, says: “I was speaking to Darren Andrews who rides Singapore Saga, and explained that Quintin’s Man had come to hand earlier than expected and I wanted to run both horses at the meeting. I didn’t want them to run against each other, and he said, ‘What about Gina Andrews for the mare?’.

Singapore Saga, pictured under regular rider Darren Andrews, became a first – and winning – ride of the season for Gina Andrews on Sunday

“I did think the best local women would have rides in the ladies’ race, so went with his suggestion. It gives us another string to our bow.”

Enticing a national point-to-point treasure to the Cornish coast was quite a coup, and sporting of Andrews to make an eight-hour round trip for one ride. She says: “I like riding winners. John does well with his horses – he gets them fit.

“Unfortunately it was our staff Christmas party the night before, which wasn’t ideal, but I roped Tom in to drive.”

Andrews had ridden at Wadebridge once before – in 2017 – when beaten a head on the odds-on favourite Start Royal, a multiple winner trained by Alan Hill. The rider left the course that day questioning the judge’s decision, but since then rudimentary camera equipment in the form of iPads have been placed with judges at all meetings.

The champ is a fan, saying: “Before they came in, Jack [her brother] and I rode at a meeting. He was placed second in a race he had definitely won, while in another race I was declared the winner when sure I had finished second. Then last season I was placed second in a race I thought I had won, so asked to see the camera evidence. It was good of them [stewards] to show us, and it was clear I had finished second. They [the iPads] have given riders more confidence in judges’ decisions.”