REPORT – FERNIE (SUNDAY 3RD MAY)

The Fernie meeting at Dingley has turned out to be our last Midlands
Area fixture of the season so it was appropriate that we finished with
a flourish and some excellent performances.

We are once again very grateful to Charles Millington and Charlie
Reynolds, our Clerks of the Course, who oversaw a mammoth watering
effort during the preceding week in which they were distributing
between 200 and 500 bowser loads of water every day and produced
ground which was officially deemed good on the day.

The Welland Valley Feeds Mixed Open – The Fernie Four Miler – is the
traditional Midlands Area Feature Race, a proper test of stamina
around three circuits of this great Leicestershire course.

There was little doubt among the bookmakers that Master Templar, Mrs
Hayward’s 11-year-old by Robin des Champs, was going off as odds-on
favourite of the three well qualified runners. Horses, though, are
great levellers, and there was a discussion about going on to the
course which indicated that things might not be straightforward for
jockey Gina Andrews. On the other hand, Bothwell Bridge (Ellie
Callwood), owned by the sizeable Fernie Dingley Syndicate and trained
by Kelly Morgan who had given birth two days previously, had clearly
heard the rumour that this might be his last run before retirement
from pointing, and decided that he was going to make it special.
Making most of the running with the help of Red Maple (Cian Murphy),
the 11-year-old by Stowaway did not fade, nor did Master Templar
appear from the back as many expected he would, and instead jumped the
last clear ahead and kept on to win by a couple of lengths.

BOTHWELL BRIDGE (Ellie Callwood)

“That is his last run. I think he knew.” Ellie Callwood said. “He’s
given it everything, jumped amazingly, and just kept going from the
front. I didn’t have a choice, to be honest, he was off. It’s a bit
emotional for everybody. He’s the best racehorse I’ve ever sat on. I
ride him every day at home and I’m really going to miss him.”

The day’s opener, the JCB Watling 2m4f Maiden race saw nine runners
set off from under the Judge’s box but at the last it was a two horse
race. Julian Sherriff’s five-year-old Grey Area, trained and ridden by
Bradley Gibbs, looked like he might have enough to win the run in but
the four-year-old Ocean View, trained by Gina Andrews but ridden by
Zac Baker, jumped the last half a length clear and held on well to
record the win. “I’ve done quite a bit of work with him at home and
Gina was quite happy for someone else to ride him. He’s very keen and
feisty. “The race fell apart coming down to the second last, and
coming down to the last it was just a case of when do I time my run.
He’s done it really well. He’s got plenty of flat speed and did it all
on the bridle,” Zac Baker said.

GREY AREA (Bradley Gibbs) and OCEAN VIEW (Zac Baker)

Although Toss Again (John Morrey), previously trained by Henry de
Bromhead, started the Tattersalls Conditions Race for Novice Riders as
heavy odds-on favourites they still had to get the job done and their
match race challenger Native Nellie (Felix Foster) was not going to
let them have it easily. The eventual winning distance was 4 length or
so. “I’ve had a back injury, which resulted in me not riding since
January. I had some injections in my back three weeks ago which were
life changing and I’ve been back in the saddle ever since. Boris
[Ball], who has ridden him fantastically for me three times said I
should just sit and he would sort himself out, and he did. James and
Jenny [Owen] have done a great job and he’s buzzing.”

TOSS AGAIN (John Morrey)

After the Four Miler we had eight runners for the Sharnford Tractors
Restricted Race and this time, third time lucky, Gina Andrews was able
to win on a horse she rode as well as trained. Main Stage, the
seven-year-old by Jet Away out of a Presenting mare took full
advantage of a seven-pound allowance to beat the favourite,
five-year-old Spartan Brave (Dale Peters), by ten lengths for the
Marriage and Signy families. “She’s very tricky in the preliminaries,”
Gina told me. “She gets very worked up so we had to put a red hood on
her today just to try to keep her a bit calmer, but when she performs
like that it doesn’t really matter does it? She’s a superb jumper and
a strong stayer but she picked up an injury so it’s taken her a little
while to get back in the swing of things having had a bit of time
off.”

MAIN STAGE (Gina Andrews)

Double Century-hunting Dale Peters came out on top in the Savills
Level 2 Veterans Conditions Race which followed this, riding
Bowtogreatness. The ten-year-old by Westerner out of a Supreme Leader
line found more speed whenever the chasing bunch caught him and just
did enough to hold off the challenge from Who’s In The Box (Paddy
Barlow) and Larry (George Gorman), with Hunting Percival (Henry
Barfoot-Saunt) in fourth place. Dale said, “We obviously didn’t buy
him to be running here at this time of year, he was meant to be
running at Cheltenham in March, but a few things haven’t gone right
with him. He’s got loads of ability, but he’s go this own quirks and
some niggles so he’s probably bought himself another go now.”

KINGS COWBOY (Ellie Callwood)

Ellie Callwood returned to the Winner’s Enclosure after winning the
seven-runner James Mossman-sponsored Rod Millington Open Maiden Race,
our last race of the day. This time she beat 2/1 favourite Corra
Bheinn, ridden by Huw Edwards for Francesca Poste and The Picnic
Partnership, on the KM Racing Club’s Kings Cowboy, an eight-year-old
by Doyen out of a French mare line. Kelly said, “he’s been a really
fun horse for the KM Racing Club this season. He jumped classily and
will make an ideal Novice Riders Horse for next season.”

Sadly it was announced on the day that the heavy watering which was
necessary to produce good ground for this fixture has left the course
with no reserves to use for the Fitzwilliam meeting on 23rd May. The
difficult decision has therefore been made to abandon that fixture in
good time and allow the remaining horses in training to plan
accordingly.

The 2025-26 season has see 247 runners start in the Midlands Area, at
an average of 30 per meeting. We thank you for your support and look
forward to welcoming you to the Cottesmore’s early season fixture at
Garthorpe in November.