If the loss of the only Barbury Point-to-Point fixture remaining this season through the lockdown has got racing fans down, the news has thankfully not spread to Marlborough's racing yards, which continue to flourish in this arduous winter.
After a Christmas period where the spotlight largely shone elsewhere, Barbury and Ogbourne Maizey were once again the focus of attention at Kempton and Wincanton this afternoon.
Kempton's Lanzarote Hurdle fixture has only fallen foul of the weather sparingly over the past 20 years, and it's no surprise that trainers love the place for its even and free-draining turf, even if their sentiments are largely unshared by a London public. The Lanzarote, now run over a distance of 2m5f, produced its normal big and competitive field. Turning into the straight for the final time, it looked as if the prize was headed back up the M40 to Olly Murphy, as Hunters Call went second 2 out, but, giving 8lbs to the winner, he found nothing under pressure, and hitting the last did him out of the runner-up berth. Winner Boreham Bill continued the recent success of Emma Lavelle's Ogbourne Maizey yard, and a tenth winner of the term for conditional Ben Jones, some way of his haul of 41 winners last season.
Meanwhile, amid a clutch of 7 Paul Nicholls - trained winners across all 3 cards, it was Alan King's turn to shine at Wincanton. He will have been delighted at the BHA's persistence in reprogramming the Grade II Dipper Chase from waterlogged Cheltenham, as Messine des Obeaux, built on his sound reputation as a winning hurdler in this uncompetitive Novice event, two from two in Novice chases at Wincanton, and surely destined for a tilt at the JLT at the Festival.
Barbury's silverware cabinet was also enhanced by the maiden win of smart Flat recruit On To Victory earlier in the afternoon. His last Jumps season, he was something of a nearly horse, filling the minor placings twice before falling at Kempton in March, but since then, he's been lording it at our smartest Flat courses, and earning his keep in middle distance handicaps, including winning the November Handicap to round off the Flat turf season at Doncaster. Expect to see more of him over the sticks with improvement to come.
With Pointing now sidelined almost certainly until the end of February or later, Pointing owners and trainers are working out how to qualify for the three big Foxhunter Chases of the Spring, culminating in Stratford's Pertemps Network Foxhunter on May 28. Whilst Cheltenham and Aintree may be more glamorous, they are also more targetted by professionally trained horses from licenced yards. Starting on January 21, nine hunter chases have been retained by racecourses to ensure a full contingent of British-trained horses gets to the starting gate at Cheltenham on March 12.
If the loss of the only Barbury Point-to-Point fixture remaining this season through the lockdown has got racing fans down, the news has thankfully not spread to Marlborough's racing yards, which continue to flourish in this arduous winter.
After a Christmas period where the spotlight largely shone elsewhere, Barbury and Ogbourne Maizey were once again the focus of attention at Kempton and Wincanton this afternoon.
Kempton's Lanzarote Hurdle fixture has only fallen foul of the weather sparingly over the past 20 years, and it's no surprise that trainers love the place for its even and free-draining turf, even if their sentiments are largely unshared by a London public. The Lanzarote, now run over a distance of 2m5f, produced its normal big and competitive field. Turning into the straight for the final time, it looked as if the prize was headed back up the M40 to Olly Murphy, as Hunters Call went second 2 out, but, giving 8lbs to the winner, he found nothing under pressure, and hitting the last did him out of the runner-up berth. Winner Boreham Bill continued the recent success of Emma Lavelle's Ogbourne Maizey yard, and a tenth winner of the term for conditional Ben Jones, some way of his haul of 41 winners last season.
Meanwhile, amid a clutch of 7 Paul Nicholls - trained winners across all 3 cards, it was Alan King's turn to shine at Wincanton. He will have been delighted at the BHA's persistence in reprogramming the Grade II Dipper Chase from waterlogged Cheltenham, as Messine des Obeaux, built on his sound reputation as a winning hurdler in this uncompetitive Novice event, two from two in Novice chases at Wincanton, and surely destined for a tilt at the JLT at the Festival.
Barbury's silverware cabinet was also enhanced by the maiden win of smart Flat recruit On To Victory earlier in the afternoon. His last Jumps season, he was something of a nearly horse, filling the minor placings twice before falling at Kempton in March, but since then, he's been lording it at our smartest Flat courses, and earning his keep in middle distance handicaps, including winning the November Handicap to round off the Flat turf season at Doncaster. Expect to see more of him over the sticks with improvement to come.
With Pointing now sidelined almost certainly until the end of February or later, Pointing owners and trainers are working out how to qualify for the three big Foxhunter Chases of the Spring, culminating in Stratford's Pertemps Network Foxhunter on May 28. Whilst Cheltenham and Aintree may be more glamorous, they are also more targetted by professionally trained horses from licenced yards. Starting on January 21, nine hunter chases have been retained by racecourses to ensure a full contingent of British-trained horses gets to the starting gate at Cheltenham on March 12.
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