by Emma Forman

A large crowd attended the superbly organised South Wold Point-to-Point races held at Revesby Park on Sunday by kind permission of the Wiggins-Davies family. The highlights included a 100^th career win for rider Zack Baker, Lords Park Star qualifying for the Connolly’s Red Mills Intermediate Hunter Chase final at Cheltenham and a win for promising four year old Tom O’Roughley.

Baker’s centenary came in the feature race the, Men’s Open race kindly sponsored by D & M Barthorpe Ltd (Electrical Contractors) riding Big Man Doe for Martin and Jane Wanless. “That was easy; he is a nice horse and he loves to gallop from the front, he is high class.” Said the delighted Zack Baker who opened his account at Hackwood Park aged 16 in 2011 and is the brother of flat jockey George Baker. Panama Canal finished in second in this contest but had earlier walked over in the opening Asher Swimpool Centre Ltd. South Wold, Blankney and Burton Members race, the first time the Robinson family have encountered a walk over in many years of taking part in Point-to-Point racing in the area. Ridden by Philip Armson, Panama Canal was recording his tenth Point-to-Point win. Heidi Robinson’s black Labrador Maverick was placed second in the Sporting Pedigree class in the Skinners Dog Food sponsored dog show which took place before racing.

There was drama in the Melvyn Leach Open Maiden Memorial race, sponsored by Steve and Yvonne Alcock, Wragby. Three horses lined up here but when Ellary unseated rider Rory Bevin and Keep It Simple ran out, the inexperienced four year old Tom O’Roughley and Jack Teal were left to complete a circuit of Revesby Park alone. This was the fifth win of the season for Jack Teal who is in flying form since returning from injury. Tom O’Roughley is owned and trained by Peter Fahey, he has Peter Beaumont’s old yard at Malton where 13 four year olds are stabled. “This horse will run next in the Goffs UK Point to Point bumper at either Aintree or Exeter before going to the sales.” He said. Fahey trained Station Master to be successful in 2017.

The perseverance of the Pomfret team was rewarded when Lords Park Star landed the Intermediate raced sponsored by ADM Agriculture in the hands of Jack Andrews. “This horse has lots of ability, he idled in front because he wanted to go back to his horsebox as he passed it heading to the finish.” Said the winning rider. Lords Park Star, who is owned by Sarah McLean, is ridden by trainer Laura Pomfret’s husband Nick each morning. “He had a terrible injury when he struck into himself in 2016 and was on box rest for 9 months. We bought him from the Cheltenham sale having won a Point-to-Point and a bumper in Ireland. He has been hard to place as the weights are not in his favour in conditions races which makes life difficult but this will have given him a confidence boost. The plan now is to go for the Intermediate final at Cheltenham where I think he has a serious chance of running well.” Explained Pomfret.  Lake Batalon was in second place for the Martin and Jane Wanless team and may have been closer at the line but for a bad jumping error. The Revesby Park leading owner / trainer combination also sent out Monetaire to walk over in the Skinner’s Ladies Open race with Emma Todd and Kyles Faith walked over in the Eight Year Olds and over Conditions race sponsored by St. James’ Place meaning that they had supplied 5 of the 11 horses that participated at the meeting and making the two and a half hour journey from their stables near Stratford on Avon worthwhile. “We have been to all three meetings at Revesby now, we could have raced closer to home today but we wanted to support the team here who have worked so hard to put on racing. We will enter the horses again for the Easter weekend.” Said Jane Wanless.

The Bevin family benefitted from the other walk over with Raleagh Mountain in the Restricted race sponsored by the Spilsby NFU (Philip Odling). The dearth of runners led commentator Ian Mackenzie to recall a Burton meeting in May 1984 at the Carholme at Lincoln. That day there were 8 runners; 4 walkovers and 2 matches. Revesby Park hosts a country fair on Sunday 4^th August while racing in the Midlands area continues at the weekend with the Woodland Pytchley Point-to-Point at Dingley on Saturday and the South Notts Point-to-Point at Thorpe Lodge on Easter Monday.

Results from Revesby

Race 1 - Members

1st PANAMA CANAL (Philip Armson)

Race 2 - Open Maiden

1st TOM O'ROUGHLEY (J. Teal) 7/4

Race 3 - Ladies Open

1st MONETAIRE (Miss E. Todd)

Race 4 - Mens Open

1st BIG MAN DOE (Zac Baker) 4/9F
2nd PANAMA CANAL (Philip Armson) 5/4

Race 5 - Intermediate

1st LORD PARK STAR (Jack Andrews) 7/4
2nd LAKE BALATON (Zac Baker) 9/4
3rd SOMMERVIEU (Philip Armson) 11/10F

Race 6 - Restricted

1st RALEAGH MOUNTAIN (Rory Bevin)

Race 7 - Conditions 8YO+

1st KYLES FAITH (Zac Baker)