Arab Racing 2002


The Arab Horse Society

AHS RACE REPORT 2002

 

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.




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