The answer to the biggest question arising from the weekend’s results is Newbury, Ludlow and Huntingdon.
Because the thing about Venetia Williams, who enjoyed her first winners of the year – the first in fact for eight and a half frustrating weeks and seventy runners – when first Jeu d’Opale and then Camulus got the show back on the road at Wincanton, is that the floodgates will almost certainly spring open now (they usually do with her), making scrutiny of her upcoming entries essential studying, and they are at Newbury, Ludlow and Huntingdon, followed by Ffos Las and Warwick.
Remarkably, Jeu d’Opale and Camulus, both ridden by Williams’ trusty lieutenant Charlie Deutsch, were providing only winners number eight and nine of the season, and the first since Deutsch steered the mare Lady Pretender to a comfortable success at Plumpton on December 15.
And to make matters worse, more often than not since then the mud has been flying and the ground squelching, conditions that are traditionally associated with purple patches for the Herefordshire-based trainer – though I did quite a lot of research when writing a book for one of her owners about that magnificent warrior Houblon Des Obeaux and a great deal more success than you’d expect has come on good and good to soft ground.
The Wincanton double looks unlikely to have been a flash in any pan as it followed a couple of close-run-things, and I’d say that the Ludlow runners are probably of particular interest given that over the years – she celebrated her thirtieth anniversary sending out winners in November – the course at which she’s most consistently excelled and accrued the biggest tally (91) is indeed the Shropshire venue.
Darren Andrews Keeps Galloping
Amateur jockey Darren Andrews was star of the show at Hereford when teaming up with regular supporters Mel and Phil Rowley to win the novices’ handicap chase on Subtle Fortune, and in the process gain a first Rules win outside hunter chases. A maiden success against professionals – who were headed home, at a respectful distance, by Charlie Deutsch and Gavin Sheehan – is a notable landmark in anyone’s book, but now the 32-year-old has his sights set on a new target as he bears down on a century of winners on the point-to-point circuit of which he’s been a long-time stalwart, particularly in the south-west of England. With names like the recently retired Will Biddick, James King, Josh Newman and, before he turned professional, Jack Andrews (no relation) so dominant in recent years, Darren Andrews found the number of mounts reducing and he toyed with retirement. But an upturn in fortunes this season has brought new energy and focus, and finally reaching 99 only added to that. The weather thwarted the first attempt at reaching 100, but the Brocklesby Park meeting, Lincolnshire and/or the Countryside Alliance Club day at Badbury Rings, Dorset this weekend offer multiple possibilities. While he would no doubt be delighted wherever it happens, being practically part of the furniture at Badbury, not too far from home, near Lyme Regis, would be particularly appropriate and would ensure extra celebrations.
There’s No Doubting Thomas
It will be quite an achievement by Katate Dori if he can repeat last year’s win in Kempton’s Ladbrokes Trophy, the old Racing Post Chase, from an eleven-pound higher weight level than when slamming Hyland and stablemate Our Power this time last year, but the continuing fine form of his trainer Sam Thomas means anything is possible. When the gongs are handed out at the end of the season, Thomas probably won’t even be nominated for Trainer of the Season but a current strike rate of 34% is pretty astonishing and the best in the country amongst the higher profile outfits – nowadays, he’s certainly known for even more than being Denman’s jockey for the horse’s 2008 Cheltenham Gold Cup victory, two of his Gold Cup runners-up placings and his first Hennessy win. It’s true to say that Thomas’ South Wales stable has less runners than some of its rivals but they don’t mess around at smaller tracks; instead, hardly a televised Saturday fixture goes by without him – and Jubilee Express could also line up in a big one this weekend, the stamina-sapping Virgin Bet Eider at Newcastle. For Cheltenham, Steel Ally, owned like most of his runners by Dai Walters, looks like a player in an absorbing Arkle (16/1 with my friends at Fitzdares), and I get the impression Walters’ Justalargewhisky, third in a Chepstow bumper last month under the increasingly accomplished stable jockey Dylan Johnston, is worth a place in anyone’s tracker.
