Cross-country, Cheltenham sale and Cocklebarrow for busy champion

A busy weekend for multiple champion Gina Andrews involves a three-format excursion in the Cotswolds.

The Warwickshire-based rider (pictured above) has a dual role at Cheltenham tomorrow afternoon when riding Latenightpass in the Glenfarclas Cross Country Handicap Chase (1.50) before staying on for the post-racing Tattersalls Cheltenham January Sale at which she and husband Tom Ellis are trading two once-raced five-year-old point-to-pointers. Azlad, who won nicely at Alnwick last month, is Lot 22, while stablemate Slay Girl, who was runner-up at Sheriff Hutton on Sunday, is Lot 23.

Andrews, who has won 11 national women’s championships – sponsored this season by Goffs – then heads to Cocklebarrow for Sunday’s six-race card where she expects to have four rides.

Latenightpass, who began racing in point-to-points and became a high-class hunter chaser, returns to a course at which he has become a regular feature. Andrews said: “He’s always loved it – how could I not look forward to riding him? He’s not getting any younger and he’s probably still high enough in the handicap, but the ground tomorrow should be more in his favour. He definitely acts best on soft, and it was closer to good the last time he ran at Cheltenham [when seventh of 14, beaten 20 lengths by winner Final Orders, who is in the line-up once again] .

Thumbs up from Andrews after a cross-country chase win on Latenightpass (Ce)

“I cannot see how he’s going to turn it around with some of the younger horses, but he’s such a good jumper and his love for the game is still there.”

Of her two sales horses, Andrews said: “Azlad is very tall, about 17 hands, and still quite immature. He has a very good pedigree – his dam won over hurdles and was placed at Gr.2 level and she’s a half-sister to Vieux Lion Rouge [a 13-time winner for David Pipe]. There wasn’t a sale for him to go to after Alnwick, but it hasn’t done him any harm to have a bit of time.

“Slay Girl is a very good looking mare, but her jumping was a bit sloppy at the end of her race last weekend. We weren’t good enough on the day, but the winner had the benefit of a run. We considered running her again in a bid to win a point-to-point, but it made sense to offer her after that one good run. She also has a lovely pedigree [with black type under the second and third dams].”

The horse who beat Slay Girl at Sheriff Hutton, the Joe Hill-trained Barito, is Lot 7 at the sale, while a fourth British pointer, Le Questionnaire from Nick Wright’s yard, is Lot 24. He has finished in the frame in two point-to-points this season.

Barito (left, Dale Peters) is about to beat Slay Girl (Gina Andrews) at Sheriff Hutton (Tom Milburn)

Another promising young horse is making his first start for Andrews on Sunday at Cocklebarrow. Percy De Courcy is a son of Poet’s Word out of Misstree Pitcher, who won a couple of point-to-points and was placed in three of four starts under rules. Five-year-old Percy De Courcy is a half-brother to Another Mystery who won a point-to-point on debut for Andrews’ husband Tom Ellis and was later sold for £55,000 at a Tattersalls Cheltenham sale.

Other rides for Andrews at Cocklebarrow include seven-year-old Entity Of Substanz, who is two from two this season, and the faithful older pair of Master Templar and Mumbo Jumbo.

Andrews is well clear in this season’s women’s championship and we have yet to reach the half-way point. She has ridden 11 winners, eight more than Ellie Callwood and the same distance ahead of former champion Izzie Hill, who is sidelined after breaking her leg and ankle in December. That injury has been no less easy to contemplate given that Alan and Joe Hill’s horses are running well and operating at a combined 32 per cent strike rate in point-to-points.

Andrews, who has won the title 11 times, said: “As ever I’ll just take it [the championship] as it comes, although it’s a pity that it doesn’t look very competitive. It’s awful for Izzie, and I know that feeling having been there myself.”