REPORT – COLLEGE VALLEY & NORTH NORTHUMBERLAND (SATURDAY 21ST FEBRUARY)

It proved to be another rewarding afternoon for Flotterton near Rothbury farmer and Hexham Mart chairman Jimmy Walton at Saturday’s College Valley & North Northumberland fixture at the Ratcheugh Farm course near Alnwick, as home-bred duo High On The Hill and Eastern Storm provided him with a second training double in the space of four weeks at his local track.

After several near misses in recent seasons, High On The Hill (Joanna Walton) finally got her head in front at last month’s Percy meeting and the eight-year-old wasted no time in following up in even more authoritative fashion in the 3m Womble Bond Dickinson Restricted Race.

Always up with the pace, Joanna’s mount tracked Paddy Moans (Isobel Mactaggart) on the final circuit before taking it up with a better jump three out. The mare’s stamina then kicked in as she forged clear going to the next, before being eased down on the run-in to score, with plenty in hand, by five lengths.

This was a 65th career winner under all codes for Joanna, who said: ”She was very good and I don’t think I listened to any of the instructions as the race panned out slightly differently from the word go.

”She travelled away easy enough, came up the hill well after four out and was tough all the way to the line.”

Deputising for regular partner Nick Orpwood, who was stood down after a fall in the opening contest, John Dawson initiated his own double on Eastern Storm in the 3m Lycetts Mixed Open Race.

In a tactical affair run at a very sedate pace (the winning time was 39 seconds slower than that recorded by High On The Hill), Dawson’s mount was always within three lengths of his two rivals before producing an impressive turn of foot on the run-in to overhaul odds-on favourite Fumet d’Oudairies (Gina Andrews) and score, a shade cosily, by three-quarters-of-a-length.

This was a 270th career winner for Dawson (220 between the flags and 50 under Rules), who said of the progressive six-year-old: ”He was very slick at his fences and I had to keep reining him back.

”He has a lot of scope and it was make or break at the last but he met it perfectly.”

Numerous home-bred horses trained on the family farm at Flotterton have tried to win the prestigious Heart Of All England Maiden Hunters’ Chase at Hexham since 1956, with sixteen of them being placed, but Eastern Storm could finally be the one to strike gold in this year’s renewal on May 9.

Dawson completed his double when again deputising for Orpwood on home-bred Where’s Willy in the 3m Charles Stanley Fred Scott Memorial Maiden Race.

Claramount (Amy Milburn) and Where’s Willy set a decent pace at the head of affairs from the outset, before Dawson’s mount seized the initiative three out. The seven-year-old quickened four lengths clear of Kings Cowboy (Ellie Callwood) going to the next and kept on strongly in the closing stages to win by seven lengths.

Dawson said: ”He settled well, enjoyed himself bowling along up front and galloped all the way to the lime.”

Owned by Tocky McKie and trained at Lanton near Wooler by daughter Jess, the winner’s dam My Lady West was bought by Tocky for £3,000 at Goffs UK Doncaster Sale in May 2017 out of Victor Thompson’s yard having previously landed a Tranwell Maiden and Dalston Restricted under Kit Alexander.

Herefordshire-based trainer Chris Barber’s 600-mile round trip to Alnwick paid dividends when his first runner at the track Titi Montmartre made a winning debut under Ed Doggrell in the 2m4f Goffs GB Pointing Bonus Young Horse Maiden Race.

Always lying handy behind the pace-setting duo Admiral Oxo (Harvey Barfoot-Saint) and odds-on favourite L’Hybris Is Born (Gina Andrews), Doggrell’s mount went on three out with Warwickshire raider Short Sell (Joe Wright) before asserting going to the last. The four-year-old debutant, who was in receipt of 14lb from his five rivals, held on gamely up the run-in to beat the promising Midnight Dragon (John Dawson) by four lengths.

Bought for 12,000 euros as a two-year-old at the Arqana Deauville Sale in November 2024, the winner will now head back to the Sales and should make connections a handsome profit.

This was Barber’s 9th winner from 21 Pointing runners this season and he explained that the GB Pointing Bonus was a massive incentive for him making the 11-hour round trip to the North Northumberland track. 

Few jockeys have ridden winners at courses almost 400 miles apart on the same weekend, but that was the case with Doggrell who enjoyed a treble at Badbury Rings on Sunday to take his seasonal tally to a new personal best of nine.

On another good day for Will Ramsay’s Jockey Start scheme, former Charlie Longsdon-trained chaser Harjo provided Jesika Rennie with a 4th winner from only eight rides in the 3m Bedmax Norrthern Area Conditions Race.

The nine-year-old had lost his confidence over fences under Rules but has been rejuvenated by the switch to Ramsay’s yard near Coldstream and the drop in class into Pointing company.

He jumped and travelled well at the head of affairs under a positive ride from the off and, after a prolonged duel with Courting Flow (Christy Furness) down the home straight, found extra when it mattered on the run-in to score by four lengths.

Ex-hurdler Largy Shark (Thomas Easterby) turned the closing stages of the 2m4f Alncom Conditions Race into a procession, forging clear from three out to beat Potters Party (Ellie Callwood) by eleven lengths.

Easterby, 20, rounded off a great weekend with a double on The Story So Far and Pinged at Duncombe Park on Sunday, the former’s success taking his career tally under all codes to 25.

For the first time at Alnwick, the main action was preceded by pony racing. The Bedmax 138cm Open contest sponsored by The Northern Area Pony Racing Team was won by Ingle Harry Brown (Robyn Coulson), while the Bedmax 148cm Open contest sponsored by Equine Products resulted in a runaway success for recent Berwickshire scorer She’s On a Mission (Daniel Harrison).

The next 3 Northern Area fixtures are at Friars Haugh, Kelso (March 8), Overton Farm (March 21) and Tranwell (March 28).