After one of the wettest winters in recent memory which has resulted in several abandoned fixtures, the glorious spring sunshine was welcomed by those who attended the Quantock meeting on Saturday kicking off the first of three held at Cothelstone. Clerk of the Course Nigel Payne and his team had worked hard to get the course in good shape and although the wetter stretch meant that the open ditch was omitted, there were enough runners to make the racing competitive. Highlights included a dramatic Mixed Open, another win here for course specialist Famous Clermont and a first win for rider, Holly Mitchell on the race outsider.
Four went to post for the Mixed Open and the jockeys sensibly rode according to the tacky and tiring conditions with the race time much slower than normal. With Aimee Jones leading a tightly grouped quartet on One True King, Josh Hatton sat quietly in behind on his own Emancipator. Securing a great jump 3 fences out, he sent his mount into a 10 length lead and looked to be on his way to recording a first winner. However Emancipator chose to run out at the last leaving his two weary pursuers to fight it out. There was nothing in it on the line and the judge awarded a dead heat to the delight of the connections of One True King and Tigerbythetail. One True King is owned by Sarah Shields and she explained “we bought him from Doncaster to replace another and sometimes it is not easy to place an older horse.” She went on to praise jockey Aimee Jones who rides out for her when the horses go to use the gallops at Max Comley’s where Aimee works. Tigerbythetail had won five on the bounce in 2023 before a disappointing spell under Rules. This was his second run back now ridden by Molly Legg whose father Sean put together the Jagger Racing Club made up of friends and family, most of whom are Devon and Somerset based.
The Restricted went to the classy Eileen’s Milan who had won both his races last season. Bought out of Harry Derham’s yard for owners Luke Vaughan and Brian and Carol Blinman, they have been patient with the 7 year old gelding by Milan and he looks to have a big future. Ed Doggrell on board the odds-on favourite sat just behind the leader and only took up the running on the last bend, winning cosily despite a 5lb penalty. He explained, “I wanted to just bring him with the one smooth run rather than mess him about.” Trainer Chris Barber added, “He has only been back in for 10 weeks so still probably needed this and he will improve a lot for that. He coped with the ground but would appreciate quicker and I imagine he will be out again quite soon.”
The Conditions race also went to Chris Barber who brought out Famous Clermont to record his 5th course win (all under different jockeys) under Milo Herbert who will ride him next in the Aintree Foxhunters which he took in 2023 under Will Biddick. Before the race Chris impressed on Milo to keep hold of the talented gelding as long as possible to prevent him stopping and the jockey executed the plan to perfection with Famous Clermont cantering to an easy 6 length victory over Important Notice. “That’s all systems go to Aintree now,” said Chris afterwards, adding, “the sticky ground here was stretching his stamina a bit but hopefully this will put him spot on for next time.”
The first of two maidens, restricted to mares only went to Millyellen, a good looking daughter of Blue Bresil trained by Jennifer Boucher who she had purchased from Josh Newman following two good seconds at Wadebridge earlier in the season. Sent off odds on favourite, she easily brushed away the opposition under Darren Andrews and should progress from this. Jennifer, who only has 2 horses in her yard, had bought her two months previously from Josh for a group of friends local to her base in Horwood which is near Bideford. Called the Friends of Horwood, the syndicate was put together by Kevin Bachelor to replace another horse they had lost. The mare is only 5 and although she was suited by the ground here, she looks to have a bright future.
The second maiden went to the Josh Newman/Will Biddick combination who teamed up with the unraced Bollin Special who nosed out Myfanwy’s Magic thereby denying a second dead heat at the meeting. Bred and owned by Stephen and Brenda Bowditch who used to stand the stallion Bollin Eric at their stud, this was the second year running that they were in the winner’s enclosure here after taking the Restricted with Good Boy Eric last year. Will said afterwards, “We had the right jockey on board today! Brenda has been very patient with the horse and it is very rewarding to win first time out with him.” While Josh added, “I just crept away thinking what a nice horse I had underneath me, kept him rolling and got a really good jump 2 out. I felt he wasn’t ready to be thrown into the last so I just let him fiddle it or he probably would have won further.”
There was an unexpected result to the opening race, the Quantock Hunt Members, when Pyleigh Lord, the outsider of the five runners, belied his odds of 16-1 to virtually make all under Holly Mitchell to hold off the late challenge of Micro Millions ridden by Lucy Mager. Unraced since April 2024 the 8 year old Schiaparelli home bred gelding out of the prolific mare Pyleigh Lady was welcomed into the winners enclosure by his owners Robert and Tigger Pudd with the comment that “he had been working well at home and we hoped we had him fit on his return to racing.” Explaining that although he was a Maiden Robert said “we opted for the Hunt race as we thought that this would be a better race to start his season.” A delighted Holly, 23, was securing her first ever victory on her fifteenth ride. Based now with Philip Hobbs and Johnson White at Minehead the victory was even sweeter as her mother Juliet Seaton had made the long trip down from Norfolk to see her daughter ride and gave her an early Mother’s Day present.
