REPORT – Cirencester Races (Saturday 21st March)

Cirencester Races – racing under its new name for the second time, having previously been known as the VWH point-to-point – was blessed with fine weather for the usual large crowd, along with plenty of runners. 43 faced the starter in total across the six races – the highest figure of the eight meetings across the country last weekend – and racing saw a homebred double for a stalwart of the sport, while at the other end of the scale, two trainers enjoyed a first winner.

Owner-breeders James ‘Chub’ Castle and his wife Sally have been involved in point-to-pointing all their life and enjoyed the first of their two winners when their six-year-old mare Bluescape, trained and ridden by Bradley Gibbs took the ten-runner Craig Fuller Property Search Restricted Race. Always prominent, Bluescape – whose dam Blue Zealot won on the flat and whose half-brother Lanzealot took a Didmarton Maiden for the Castles – and Gibbs went second at the third last, headed leader Farfromaway after two out and ran on well to score by one-and-a-half lengths. O’Halloran’s Castle, running his best race of the season, was five lengths third.

“We’ve been breeding horses from this family for five or six generations,” confirmed Chub afterwards, “And we’ve got four pointers with Bradley this season, all home bred. She won easily, didn’t she? She jumped well and I know Bradley didn’t want to hit the front too early. It’s too soon to have a plan for her – you’d have to ask Bradley.” Sally explained how they had chosen Gibbs as their trainer. “I’m related to the Mathiases (former top riders John, his father Phil and Phil’s mother Diana) from Pembrokeshire. Bradley used to ride for them when he was based in Wales, so they suggested him when he moved to his present yard near Hatfield. We’re based at Long Crendon in Buckinghamshire, which isn’t too far away.”

The Castle-Gibbs double came in the following race, the Butler Sherborn Maiden Race, the first ever race to be run at the track over the shorter distance of 2m4f. Seven took part and, this time, the Castles’ homebred was debutant Askafrontman, out of Ask Away, placed on all her three starts between the flags for the Castles when trained by Pauline Harkin and a half-brother to dual winning pointer Ask Elli, also trained by Gibbs. The five-year-old may have been somewhat fortunate as fellow debutante, favourite Sainte Crystal, had just taken the lead when falling two out. Gibbs and Askafrontman were left in the lead from the front-running Laudable and stayed on to win by four lengths. Night In Deauville was left in third, 30 lengths away.

“I don’t think we’ve had a double before,” said Sally afterwards. “If we have, it would have been a long time ago! I call him ‘The Barger’ – when he was an unbroken two-year-old, I was in his stable topping up his feed, he barged me over and I broke my hip on the concrete floor. He’s forgiven now though.”

“That was very good,” confirmed Gibbs. “I thought the only thing that would get him beat was greenness – he’s so babyish that he’s like a two-year-old in his mind and it’s taken me a long time to get him to the track. He’ll come on for that.” As for Bluescape, “She’s a lovely mare. She ran well at Kingston Blount, where she needed the run, and she’d come on massively since then. I was confident today.” It was an eighth training success of the season for Gibbs – six of them ridden by him – but he admitted, “The horses are running well but we keep hitting the crossbar – I had three seconds last week. I’m enjoying the riding more than ever (he’s now had over 250 winners in point-to-points alone) and have no goals other than to keep training and riding as many winners as I can. We don’t have many Open horses, but Fier Jaguen could end up in a Hunter Chase.”

The Sotheby’s International Realty Conditions Race (Level 3) for Novice Riders was another contest to have seven runners, and it went to Slipway, a second pointing success (and third overall) for jockey Molly Armytage, but getting James Luck – who is based at Hinton Waldrist near Faringdon – off the mark as a trainer. Always going well, the 11-year-old, under the welter burden of 12st10lbs, took the lead at the 12^th fence, only to be headed by Jorah three out. However, a slow jump at the last did for the latter and Slipway led again close home, winning by three-quarters of a length. Early pacesetter Major Dundee, who pressed the winner for a long way, was seven lengths back in third.

“James has been in New Zealand, so I’ve been training him,” said a delighted Claire Luck, James’ wife, afterwards. He came from Ben Pauling, and we’ve only had him a month – Tessa Greatrex found him for us. James is living his lifelong dream of training pointers – we have two, with two more to hopefully come back next season. It’s our second full season training and this is the monkey off our back! We do it for the people – our other horse Aikenbreakinheart is owned by a syndicate in the village – and the horses do all their work at home on the farm. It’s a fun team, and I want to mention Shannon and Ben, who are here today and are so much help.”

James’ brother Nick is a well-known racing journalist, and Claire laughed, “There’s no pressure to win unless Nick’s here (he wasn’t on Saturday). People think James is Nick, which is a running joke!” Asked about her choice of jockey, Claire explained, “We like to support novice riders (Hugh Lillingston also rides for them) and we’ve known the Armytages for ages – Molly is great friends with my daughter.” James chipped in to respond to my question about targets with, “We’ll look for something similar in the middle of next month, then there’s a Hunter Chase at Perth on 13^th May – he won the Highland National there when he was trained by Ben.”

“He’s so good,” smiled Armytage of Slipway. “He just goes and goes and goes and his jumping’s lovely. I wanted to get in front before the final circuit, which is why I closed on Major Dundee round the bend but, when Jorah came looming up, I thought, ‘Oh no – I’d better get to work!’ I tried to get back up to him and knew jumping the last that I had the race won.” Molly was low key about her ambitions, saying only, “Just keep cracking on, and get my Category B licence (to ride against professionals).”

The second trainer to break her duck was Jo Lang, whose Jeu De Pic won the Dubarry of Ireland Maiden Conditions Race, another seven-runner race. Jeu De Pic was the mount of Albi Tufnell, son of owners Jane and Mark, and returning to the race-riding this season after a four-year break. In an incident-packed race in which only two finished, Jeu De Pic was the second winner of the day to make all, being left clear when the only danger – A Mighty King – unseated at the penultimate fence and withholding the late challenge of Chiroqui Princess by two lengths.

It was a local success, as the Tufnells are based at Calmsden, just 15 minutes away from the course and Lang trains the horse on their farm. “I’ve worked for Jane and Mark for over 20 years,” confirmed Lang. “I do their hunters and Jeu De Pic is our only pointer. Former jockey Ali Stirling – who also works for Jane and Mark – rides him. She hacks him round the farm, and we take him to Fergal O’Brien’s – we’re lucky that he’s close by – three times a week.”

When I mention to Mark that I last talked to Albi when Call Me Vic won (at Barbury in 2019), he recalled with a smile, “I remember when the pair of them won at Sandown a year later. They were both teenagers – Albi was 19 and the horse was 13!” Pressed on plans, the owner said, “We’ll go to Lockinge or Paxford on Easter Monday, have one more run after that, then send him to Fergal’s for a summer rest. He ran well to be third twice before disappointing last time, and I think first time blinkers made a difference today.”

Albi – whose last winner before Saturday was Captain Cattistock in the Cheltenham four-miler in 2021 – told me the reasons for his long absence from the saddle… and why he’s come back. “I went to Cambridge to study Arabic, including spending a year in Cairo, and am now a maths teacher in Elephant & Castle in London. My aim was always to ride in the Aintree Foxhunters – we entered Captain Cattistock, but he picked up an injury just before the race. Milo Herbert’s a good friend – he also took a year off but said to me, ‘I’m going round Aintree this year and you need to come too!’ We have A Moments Madness with Fergal – he’s qualified, entered and I think he’s guaranteed a run.”

Talking me through his season to date with Jeu De Pic, Albi said, “I was rusty at Cocklebarrow, which wasn’t his track, he ran well at Larkhill, we went off too quick at Kingston Blount and he didn’t stay, and we did the same today, but it worked! It’s nice coming back – there’s no pressure as, if I get it wrong, people say, ‘He’s just a teacher!’ and I think I’ll keep going after this season, as it’s pretty infectious.”

Five went to post for the Arkell’s Brewery Mixed Open Race, which was won by Kilfilum Woods, trained by Francesca & Charlie Poste’s Station Yard Racing and ridden by Clara Brewitt. The ten-year-old, getting off the mark for the season after three seconds and who seemed to enjoy the quick ground., made all for his improving young rider, was well clear three out and was eased down after the last to come home by seven lengths from Innisfree Lad – also runner-up in this race last year – with Didero Vallis a never-dangerous 13 lengths third.

Kilfilum Woods is owned by a partnership that includes Mark Burgess, David Doolittle and William Welton and they told me, “It’s the second season we’ve had him. We got him when Paul Webber retired from training – Fran spotted him – and he’s tough. He ran ten times last season, winning five, including a Huntingdon Hunter Chase. He’s had seconditis this year but has been running well behind good horses – Noble Blue, Lavorante and Illico De Cotte – and had a wind operation before Christmas. The ground’s been against him until today, and he jumped fabulously.” As for plans, “You’ll have to ask the trainer. He’ll probably go Hunter Chasing, but we may look for something over Easter first. He wants good ground, but it can’t be too quick. Clara’s developed a good relationship with him and she’s got huge potential. She really attacked the fences today and is improving with every ride.”

The opening contest was the Earl & Countess Bathurst Adjacent Hunts Conditions Race (Level 1). This contest was traditionally for horses qualified with the VWH only but, this year, was opened to five more adjacent hunts to increase entries and runners. It was the fourth race of the day to see seven take part, and the winner was outsider Calidad, returning to form for trainer Chris Clarke and given a fine ride by Megan Bevan. Last early, the ten-year-old made smooth progress through the field down the back straight, took the lead five out, and kept going to hold off the challenge of odds-on favourite Learnalot by two lengths. Equinus kept on for four-and-a-half lengths third.

After Calidad’s win, I spoke to 21-year-old Ollie Hayes, who trains three horses himself at the same Cutsdean base – near Jonjo O’Neill’s Jackdaws Castle yard – where Clarke trains Calidad. “An enigma is the best way to describe him,” grinned Hayes when I asked about the improvement in form after two pull-ups this season. “He’s got all the ability in the world but doesn’t finish off his races. You’d swear he has a problem, but he doesn’t. He needs good ground and it’s hard to hold him up. He never sees a gallop, we just train him round banks and fields. He’s our best work horse, which makes him even more frustrating! We’ll see how he comes out of the race before making any plans, but we’ll go somewhere flat and quick. Megan’s given him a great ride – she’s a real asset to the yard.”

Hayes explained how his association with Clarke came about. “We met in a pub (!) and I started working for him last season. I work for Fergal O’Brien in the morning and ride out for Chris and train my pointers in the afternoon.”

Bevan is an under-rated and under-used jockey on the pointing scene, and it was just her eighth victory between the flags, to go with five under rules. “That’s actually my first winner of the season,” she said after the race. “I won at Charing on Kansas Du Berlais for Chris, but we were disqualified for carrying the wrong weight.” Asked why she doesn’t get more rides between the flags, she admitted, “It’s probably because don’t ride out for many pointing trainers – I ride work for rules trainers like Harriet Dickin, Ella Pickard and Syd Hosie. I ride more under rules than in points and have had nearly 75 rides against professionals now, so my aim is to turn conditional – it’s either that or stay pointing. There are courses in the summer, so that’s going to be my focus.”