There were nine winners for Wales at the weekend.
The unstoppable Sean Bowen took the bumper on Haydock’s mixed card on Don Cantillon’s So Proud. Once he’d taken the lead two furlongs out the horse gamely repelled three challengers to finish a neck in front. The unraced gelding was sent off at 5/2, a telltale sign that he had shown plenty at home.
It's business as usual at the Bowen yard, where new sole-licence holder Mickey sent one horse up to Hexham, which duly won. River Of Joy, partnered by stable conditional Shane Fenelon, stayed on strongly at the end of the 3m chase at the stamina-sapping Northumberland track.
James Davies’s 22 winners last season was his best score for eight years. At Hexham he got off the mark for the current campaign with Miss Maverick, who he rode to three consecutive hurdle wins this time last year. She lost her form running over fences in the winter and clearly prefers being back over the smaller obstacles.
David Probert was in action at Ascot on Saturday and enjoyed the easiest of successes on the Ian Williams-trained Night Breeze. Now, on his second outing this year and returning to his optimum trip of a mile and a half, he demolished a field of seasoned handicappers, taking the lead a quarter of a mile out and winning by almost four lengths.
Monmouthshire trainer Thomas Faulkner’s recent acquisition Northcliff was another on the Ascot card seeking to complete a hat-trick and succeeding. He made nearly all the running on the far side of the 6f course, benefitting from the plum number 1 draw. Northcliff ran in his wife Danika’s colours, who got home from hospital that morning after giving birth to the couple’s second son.
At Lingfield an unusually valuable Class 5 sprint handicap went to Grace Harris’s So Smart, who was lightning fast coming out of the stalls from a bad draw on the far side. His jockey Kieran O’Neill managed to cross over thirteen others to bag the favoured stands side rail. From there he was never headed.
There were small fields for Sunday’s jumps cards and at Ludlow James Bowen came out on top in the two-runner 3m chase. His mount Shanagh Bob jumped slightly better than his sole opponent and just had the edge on stamina as well, mastering his rival in the final furlong.
Evan Williams took advantage of easy pickings by landing a double at Plumpton. Walkinthewoods made it eleventh time lucky over fences at odds of 8/15, against two very moderate rivals. Adam Wedge had to get serious with him to take the lead approaching the final fence, but from that point it was game over.
Then D’Jelo Dela Barriere, with Ellis Collier (photographed) up, won the conditional jockeys hurdle. The horse had regressed since a facile Hereford novice victory in November, but today he found his level and readily drew away from his main challenger on the run-in.
Our next fixture is on Thursday, 22nd May 2025
