REPORT – EAST DEVON – SUNDAY 12TH MARCH

This season’s jockeys’ championship is hotting up, with Will Biddick in a determined mood to regain the title he held seven times up to 2019. A treble at the East Devon fixture, following his Cothelstone double on the previous day, put him level for the title with Jack Andrews on the 22 winner mark

Biddick kicked off his Sunday haul by sending out four-year-old Rickety Bridge from his burgeoning Somerset training yard to make a winning debut carrying his own colours in the young horses Maiden sponsored by Mount Vets. He reported “He was travelling well and a bit keen early. He won with his ears pricked though and handled the ground well.” This impressive winner, bought at the Arqana sales as a yearling, is from the family of Big Bucks, and like a lot of promising successful pointing four-year-olds is already on the market.

His next winner was something of a chance ride as Clever Des Assence fought off Steel Express and Farrants Way in a tight finish to the Woofenden sponsored Conditions event. The winner is trained by Laura Jones for her mother Tracy Parker who explained, “He is a nice family horse we bought at Doncaster three years ago. Natalie had a fall from him at Buckfastleigh and decided not to ride him with her good Cheltenham rides in mind. I didn’t think that Will would say yes when I phoned him, but it has turned out well.”

Biddick’s treble was completed with an easy victory on the Tom Malone owned and trained Koenigsstern in the Valley Construction Restricted. This six-year-old, a four times winner on the flat in Germany prior to his Chipley Park Maiden win, was left clear when Taraleigh unseated Ella Herbison at the 15^th
fence, leaving the winner to come home with 12 lengths to spare over recent Larkhill Maiden winner Great Colewood.

Natalie Parker took her winning tally for the season to seven as her only mount of the day No Comment took the measure of the consistent Millbank Flyer to win the Michael Pidsley & Son Mixed Open. A five-times winner under rules in the colours of J P Mcmanus, No Comment was formerly trained by Philip Hobbs. “We bought him at Doncaster sales last May. We left the cheek pieces off today as he did too much with them at Buckfastleigh. He was much more relaxed today,” said Tracy Parker.

20 –year-old Finn Buckley partnered his first winner as his father Eddie’s gelding Coastal Drift just got the better of 6-4 favourite Amenon to win the six-year-old and over Maiden sponsored by R Greenslade. The Stoodleigh based jockey already looks like following in the footsteps of his brothers Keiren and Tom, each pursuing successful careers under rules, not to mention father Eddie, now assistant trainer to Nigel Hawke. Olive Nicholls, watched by her father Paul, and looking forward to her ride on Shantou Flyer at Cheltenham in the race that used to be called the Foxhunters, was just denied her eighth winner of the season on Amenon.

It was another National Hunt trainer, Ledbury based Tom Lacey , who not only saw his son Sholto win the Novice Riders race sponsored by Paul Whitfield Farrier, but also led up his horse Macfin. 16-year-old Sholto gave a very competent ride to Macfin, a horse he has now won on three times in his short career.

The going got progressively softer and was described by leading jockeys as tacky and very testing as the rain set in for the later races. The day had started in better weather as Josh Newman took himself into double figures for the campaign on Bang On Target in the Harris Timber Products sponsored Hunt race. The winner, in the colours of Terry Hamlin and John Gardener, was making a quick return from her neck defeat at Charlton Horethorne. She was always going easily, getting a stone from runner up Avoir De Soins. “She is very tough, and came out of last week’s race well.” said Kayley Woollacott.