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Eastern Storm, the youngest of 11 runners in Saturday’s Heart Of All England Maiden Hunters’ Chase at Hexham (5.05), is bidding to fulfil a cherished victory for the racecourse’s chairman.
Owner/trainer/breeder Jimmy Walton, who purchased the venue ten years ago in the name of his family’s Hexham and Northern Marts, went close to landing the prize as an amateur rider on Mighty Mark who was trained by his father, Frank. Mighty Mark ran in the race as a six-year-old – the same age as Eastern Storm – and again at seven, but was beaten each time, although he and Jimmy won the following year’s NH Chase at the Cheltenham Festival. Twelve months later, in 1987, Mighty Mark won the Scottish National at Ayr under professional jockey Brian Storey.
Now Eastern Storm, a son of Shade Oak Stud stallion Telescope out of a mare from a long-line of Walton family breeding, attempts to win ‘the Heart’ under Nick Orpwood (pictured above) who sums up the race’s stature when saying: “Up here the two biggest races [for amateurs] are the Buccleuch Cup and the Heart. I’ve won the Buccleuch [run at Kelso] twice and been placed in the Heart, but I’ve not won it.
“To be honest I can’t wait to ride Eastern Storm again, but there’s a small bit of pressure because he’ll be nearly favourite and there’s the Jimmy Walton factor and his long wait to win it.”
Eastern Storm with Orpwood and Jimmy Walton (right) after an early-season Hexham win (photo by Northern Point-to-Point)
Eastern Storm is unbeaten in four point-to-points since November, on three occasions when ridden by Orpwood, and while their first race together last season resulted in victory it ended with a touch of embarrassment for the jockey.
Orpwood, who farms in Northumberland and whose land boundary is the Scottish border, says: “I rode him in a two-runner maiden at Alnwick and we simply cantered round and then had a sprint over the final three fences. We won, but I couldn’t pull him up and there’s a white rail about 100m after the finish which we jumped.
“He was still weak and backward and when he ran in a deeper restricted race next time he finished fourth, but the race taught him something.
“This season we got the ball rolling straightaway with a win at Hexham. He seemed more mature and was going in the right direction. I’ve won twice more on him, although John Dawson took over when he won at Alnwick [in February]. I damaged my nose in the first race, and while getting a lift back on a quad I was thinking, ‘can I still ride Eastern Storm in two races time’ but it wasn’t to be. John also won the maiden on one of my rides so it wasn’t a great day.
Eastern Storm (John Dawson) is about to catch Fumet D’Oudairies (Gina Andrews) at Alnwick (Grace Beresford)
“Running Easter Storm in the Heart was always in the back of their minds, but I just waited for Jimmy’s phone call. The horse is only six and it’s a big ask against some decent rivals, but it would be great to win it for Jimmy. He’s an amazing man in the area and has a great squad of people working at the mart and the racecourse. Pulling on the Walton colours is always a pleasure, and I’ve ridden a good few winners in them, but the Heart would be special.”
