BARBURY CASTLE 9TH JUNE
2002
By
Claire Taylor
19
YEAR OLD WINS RACE – HORSE THAT IS NOT THE JOCKEY!
A new venue
for Arab Racing, Barbury Racecourse near Marlborough, Wiltshire,
provided a scenic backdrop for the seven different sets of connections
who entered the winners’ enclosure. The racecourse is linked with
Fuller’s Brewery who kindly donated a case of Fuller’s London
Pride to all winning connections. Being about a mile and a quarter
round with a thick covering of Down land turf the course offered
good going for the runners and all round viewing for spectators
from a gentle sloping field. Unfortunately the weather did not
match the rest of the day’s good conditions and persistent rain
in the morning became heavier by the first race and the Heavens
opened at three o’clock drenching the brave participants of the
third race. However after this heavy downpour the sun came out
and everyone was dried off nicely for the later races.
The races
were characterised by owners training their own horses, often
ridden by family members as well. None less so than the winner
of the last race Al Jabal, owned and trained by Andrea Boulton
and ridden by husband Brian. Second in running for most of the
race Brian and 19-year-old ‘A.J’ swept to the front in the final
furlong to win by three lengths. Connection were obviously delighted
with the win and are making enquiries to enter the Guinness Book
of Records as the oldest horse to win a race under Jockey Club
rules. Al Jabal was featured in the March issue of Arabian Link.
It was a day
of firsts as owner/trainer Debbie Crothers saddled her first runner
and first winner, Just Taurean, in the opening race run over 10
furlongs for maidens. Debbie describes her horse as a ‘toughie,
who is easy to do at home’. Based in Pembrokeshire she has been
riding out and training with Lynn Brooker, and got interested
in Arab racing through jockey John Crofts who rode Just Taurean
for her. John, a farrier based near Cardiff, enjoys running and
cycling to keep fit and recently cycled from Land’s End to John
O’Groats a distance of 962 miles in 9 days raising money for the
Noah’s Ark Appeal.
A Stewards
Inquiry was held after the second race, which did not affect the
winner, Sugar Dandy, owned, trained and ridden by Caroline Green,
who deserved this success after four seconds in previous races.
Second past the post was Field Of Dreams ridden by Patrick Murphy,
unfortunately the jockey forgot to weigh in so the Stewards had
no choice but to disqualify the horse.
The Irene
and Ian 40th Wedding Anniversary Stakes saw a crowd
of over twenty in the paddock to greet ‘their winner’ as connections
of Doriket had loaned him for the race to a syndicate from the
Three Horseshoes Pub, organised by Jill Acheson to interest more
people in a day at the races. Doriket duly obliged on the day
by storming in 7 lengths ahead of Borago in conditions more suited
to ducks than Arabian Racehorses. Jockey Rob Woollard reported
that the tight bend and down hill run to the straight allowed
Doriket to get first run on the rest of the field who perhaps
found it tough going in soggy ground.
The Open Race
brought some consolation for trainer/jockey Patrick Murphy as
he won on Fayre Abi for Christine Cone who bred this improving
5-year-old herself and still has the dam, now retired, at home.
The Open Anglo Race was a match between Jennie Candlish’s Rushing
and Hardtoback belonging to Jenny Peyton. Phil Collington set
off to make the running on the favourite, Rushing, tracked by
Hardtoback who made a gallant effort to head the eventual winner
in the final furlong before succumbing to a three quarter length
defeat.