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First Classic of Season Goes to Vodka Express

Jump Straight to Results

The first classic race meeting of the season with the top prize money was held on Saturday at the Synod Inn track with Talgarreg race committee playing host. It was a blustery day, but no rain fell during the afternoon to spoil the exhilarating racing which featured some thrilling finishes.

The Nursery race saw locally bred Glan Martini (Evans Talgarreg) partnered by young Dale Williams from Brecon build on previous experience to win from another improving horse Just Hold On (Neville Guilsfield) while Hefin Evans’ other horse first time out Glan Marie was third.

The Novice section is probably the most competitive of Mid Wales racing and with three heats there were some well fancied runners. In the first the favourite was Highbrooks Impress (Probert Merthyr) with Mark Evans on board, and the horse lived up to his name beating Brywins Jo Jo (Jones Ammanford) and Brywins Snowflake (Weigel Llanddewi Velfrey).

The favourite in the second heat was the heat specialist Clares Own (Evans Newcastle Emlyn) and she duly delivered a satisfying victory ahead of a much improved Bon Hasty (Collingwood, Huntington) with Radnor Chips (Lewis Presteigne) a worthy third. Another favourite came home in front in the third heat as Cross Current (Sisto Glanamman) provided Derek Pritchard with his first win of the day, in second was backmarker Boomshakalakka (Lloyd Kington) with Razzle Dazzle (Thomas Llanybydder) recording third.

Derek Pritchard from Rhosgoch proved in top form by taking the first heat of the Grade B with his own Saunders Playboy ahead of much fancied The Red Devil (Greenway Michaelchurch Eskley) with the grey Alpine Heights (Davies Kington) third. Abernant belonging to the Greenway of Michaelchurch Eskley and Hardwick of Brecon partnership added another win to his record with Mark Evans at the controls, while Faraway (Atherton Narberth) was second and Family Circle (Barton Clynderwen) was third.

Derek Pritchard clinched another win in the first Grade A heat with his little chestnut mare Believe beating the returning to form Obi-wan-kenobi (Williams Llanafan) with newcomer Kouros Boy (Thomas, Rhymney) in third. Springhill Horizon belonging to race president Brian Lloyd from Cribyn and driven by daughter Marie produced a surprise win in the second heat to just deny maximum trail Scoobies Dream (Lloyd Kington) with Meadowbranch Mike (Jones Llanllwni) in third.

The first Baby Novice race went to one of the outsiders but provided a popular victory for the Tromans family from Newcastle Emlyn when Sable Sam squeezed victory from Dragon Fly (Weigel Llanddewi Velfrey) and Kickstart (Williams Brecon). In the second race it was favourite Greenhill Cliff (Williams Brecon) with Mark Evans on board who won from Nimbles Dream (Lloyd Kington) and Murray (Gittings Guilsfield).

The Consolation gave just that to Merrington Man and his connections the Thomas family from Rhymney and gave mechanic Mark Evans from Brecon his fourth driving victory on the day in second place was C U Boykin (Hitchcock Haverfordwest) with Fold American (Perks Presteigne) in third.

The first of the finals was the Novice with nine runners and Derek Pritchard having qualified three had to choose his drive. He went with Brywins Jo Jo (Jones Ammanford) and they swept to a narrow victory from the far from disgraced back marker Boomshakalakka (Lloyd Kington) while Jo Jo’s stablemate Cross Current, trained by the energetic chef from Llandeilo Mathew Thomas, but owned by the Sisto family from Ammanford was third.

Derek Pritchard returned to the winners enclosure in the Grade B final when partnering his own Saunders Playboy to victory ahead of Fold be Nimble (Perks Prsteigne) and Alpine Heights (Davies Kington). Derek claiming five wins during the afternoon’s racing.

The Grade A final produced a surprise race as Vodka Express (Weigel Llanddewi Velfrey) caught them all napping as he tore off in front on the second lap and held on from Scooby’s Dream (Lloyd Kington) giving his all to beat the sixty yard handicap while Obi-wan-kenobi (Williams Llanafan) running his best race for a couple of years was third.

Detailed Results

Race 1 - Nursery
Position Horse Name Handicap Prize
1 Glan Martini Gate £0
2 Just Hold On Gate £0
3 Glan Marie Gate £0
4 Lily Agnes Gate £0
5 Hyar Temptation Gate £0
6 Ceiron Omega Gate £0
7 Immortal Ellie Gate £0
Time: 2.304

Race 2 - Baby Novice
Position Horse Name Handicap Prize
1 Sable Sam Gate £100
2 Dragon Fly Gate £30
3 Kickstart Gate £15
4 Blackies Boy Gate £0
5 Overland Gate £0
Time: 2.251

Race 3 - Baby Novice
Position Horse Name Handicap Prize
1 Greenhill Cliff 10 £100
2 Nimbles Dream 10 £30
3 Murray 10 £15
4 Durham Direct 20 £0
Time: 2.214

Race 4 - Novice H1
Position Horse Name Handicap Prize
1 Highbrooks Impress 10 £20
2 Brywins Jo Jo Gate £15
3 Brywins Snowflake 10 £10
4 Fold American Gate £0
5 True Grit II Gate £0
6 Luck Matters Gate £0
Time: 2.213

Race 5 - Novice H2
Position Horse Name Handicap Prize
1 Clares Own 10 £20
2 Bon Hasty Gate £15
3 Radnor Chips Gate £10
4 The Crusader Gate £0
5 Strike A Light 10 £0
Time: 2.217

Race 6 - Novice H3
Position Horse Name Handicap Prize
1 Cross Current 10 £20
2 Boomshakalakka 20 £15
3 Razzle Dazzle Gate £10
4 Greenhill Megan Gate £0
5 Sandside Cash Gate £0
6 Glan Minstrel Gate £0
Time: 2.230

Race 7 - Novice Final
Position Horse Name Handicap Prize
1 Brywins Jo Jo Gate £300
2 Boomshakalakka 20 £30
3 Cross Current 10 £10
4 Highbrooks Impress 10 £0
5 Clares Own 10 £0
6 Brywins Snowflake 10 £0
7 Bon Hasty Gate £0
8 Radnor Chips Gate £0
9 Razzle Dazzle Gate £0
Time: 2.198

Race 8 - Grade B H1
Position Horse Name Handicap Prize
1 Saunders Playboy 20 £25
2 The Red Devil Gate £20
3 Alpine Heights Gate £15
4 Ithon Cracker 10 £0
5 Blackfield Willy Gate £0
6 Glan Master Gate £0
7 Chinatown Maori Gate £0
Time: 2.182

Race 9 - Grade B H2
Position Horse Name Handicap Prize
1 Abernant Gate £25
2 Faraway Gate £20
3 Family Circle Gate £15
4 Fold Be Nimble 20 £0
5 East of Eden Gate £0
6 Bon Beti 10 £0
7 C U Boykin Gate £0
Time: 2.216

Race 10 - Grade B Final
Position Horse Name Handicap Prize
1 Saunders Playboy 20 £400
2 Fold Be Nimble 20 £35
3 Alpine Heights Gate £20
4 The Red Devil Gate £0
5 Abernant Gate £0
6 Faraway Gate £0
7 Family Circle Gate £0
8 Ithon Cracker 10 £0
Time: 2.186

Race 11 - Grade A H1
Position Horse Name Handicap Prize
1 Bellieve 20 £25
2 Obi Wan Kenobi Gate £20
3 Kouros Boy 30 £15
4 Bon Bethan Gate £0
5 Ithon Ace 10 £0
6 Serenity 10 £0
7 Merrington Man Gate £0
Time: 2.210

Race 12 - Grade A H2
Position Horse Name Handicap Prize
1 Springhill Horizon 20 £25
2 Scoobys Dream 60 £20
3 Meadowbranch Mike Gate £15
4 Vodka Express Gate £0
5 Shermanator Sam Gate £0
6 Ithon Eagle 10 £0
7 Mahogany Duke 40 £0
8 Blackfield Buddy 20 £0
Time: 2.194

Race 13 - Grade A Final
Position Horse Name Handicap Prize
1 Vodka Express Gate £1000
2 Scoobys Dream 60 £50
3 Obi Wan Kenobi Gate £20
4 Meadowbranch Mike Gate £0
5 Bon Bethan Gate £0
6 Springhill Horizon 20 £0
7 Kouros Boy 30 £0
8 Bellieve 20 £0
Time: 2.191

Race 14 - Consolation
Position Horse Name Handicap Prize
1 Merrington Man 40 £60
2 C U Boykin 20 £0
3 Fold American 10 £0
4 Sandside Cash Gate £0
5 Mahogany Duke 60 £0
6 Greenhill Megan Gate £0
7 East of Eden 20 £0
Time: 2.201