report – knutsford races – sunday 18th may

A good day’s racing took place at Tabley on Sunday in beautiful sunshine. Clerk of the Course Richard Garton had put over half a million gallons of water on the track over the previous week, and the safe ground was complimented by most participants.

Highlights of the day were Buzzard Trix winning the prestigious Lord Daresbury Final for the second year running, and a double for Jo Priest and her jockey Sam Lee aboard Citizen Jane in the Restricted and Thais Toir in the older-horses Maiden.

The Lord Daresbury is a Conditions Race (Level 1), confined to horses affiliated to the West Mercian Area who have qualified during the season and has a valuable prize fund of £1,000. One of the strongest entries Galileo Silver was not qualified because he had already won more than the requisite number of Conditions Races this year. Hopefully, the qualifying criteria for next year will be adjusted to allow the best local horses to run in the area final.

In the race itself, Amber Jackson-Fennell had Buzzard Trix handy early and the eleven-year-old made most of the running and galloped on strongly to beat the only other finisher Barely Famous by nine lengths. Heidi Brookshaw’s charge loves it at Tabley and has now won on his last four visits to the track.

Jo Priest who trained the runner-up brought two other runners to the meeting who both won. In the Restricted, Sam Lee on Citizen Jane took it up in the back straight and went clear to beat Just a Mystery by eight lengths. The six-year-old had won a Mares Maiden for owner Will Gaskins at Chaddesley Corbett two years ago when trained by James Ridley, before running under rules last season.

The second leg of the Priest/Lee double came courtesy of Thais Toir in the concluding Maiden. Lee took it up three out and stayed on strongly to beat Triple Haych by twelve lengths, with half-a-length back to stable companion City Storm. The ten-year-old is owned by Steve Whistance and had previously run under rules for Tom Lacey and Adrian Wintle.

The Mixed Open over the shorted distance of two-and-a-half miles saw a first-time point winner for owner, trainer and rider Imogen Mathias on Jack’s A Legend on her second ride in a point. She judged the pace well leading throughout and had two-and-a-half lengths to spare over Badbad Leroy Brown at the finish. She acquired the ten-year-old gelding from John and Rhys Flint and trains him near Bridgend.

In the Small Keepers’ Conditions Race (Level 2), Jon Smith-Maxwell also rode a good front-running race on Ecco winning by four-and-a-half lengths from Frontal Assault. This was a true family affair as the ten-year-old winner had been acquired by the jockey’s sister Alexandra Dunn from Paul Nicholls and is owned by another sister Rozzy Smith-Maxwell. It was also a first training success for Jessica Evans who trains him in Worcestershire alongside her eventers.

There was a sole entry in the opening four-and-five-year-old Maiden with Count Frollo walking over, ridden by Henry Crow. The victor, who had previously finished first over the line in the unfortunately voided race at Eyton a fortnight previously, is trained by Rhiannon Lodge and owned by Colin Gittins. It was the jockey’s fiftieth winner in points.