Welsh Trotting
Llangadog committee once again hosted the launch of the Mid Wales harness racing season at Tairgwaith all-weather track on a sunny if cold bank holiday Monday. The horses looked glad to be off and the camera man was kept busy with some close finishes.
The nursery races are for young horses just entering the sport, in the first race it was a young driver Steven Williams who guided first time on the track Hold the Cards to an impressive victory, followed in by Greenhill Megan (Morgan Rhymney) with another first timer Black Mountain Jess (Morris Llanigon) in third. In the second race new entrant Brywins Jo Jo (Jones Ammanford) was first past the post with trainer Mathew Thomas on board with Dreamcatch (Langford Ammanford) second and Ceriion Shon with novice driver Amber Hyslop in third.
The Grade B followed with the two lady drivers, both from Pembrokeshire, having a ding dong battle, the victor was Louisa Myers driving the Barton Clunderwen family’s Vyrnwy Chef who took the spoils from C U Boykin with Debbie Hitchcock from Haverfordwest in second with the ever popular square trotter Belleheir (Ladek Kidderminster) in third.
In the first heat of the Grade A it was another lady who led the way, Melanie Langford from Ludlow on her own Wellfield Xpense swept under the wire with newcomer Wilbro Douglas (Evans Tregaron) in second, Lucky Nipper (Thomas, Llandeilo third) and fourth and qualifying for the final was last year’s winner Meadowbranch Mike. The second heat of the Grade A provided one of the closest finishes of the day as the two lady drivers, winners of the previous two races, invited the camera man to decide which horse was in front. The verdict went to Bon Bethan and Louisa Myers from Llanddewi Velfrey while Melanie Langford on her father’s Live the Dream had to settle for second while the little chestnut mare from Rhosgoch with owner Derek Pritchard on board was third.
Sunnyside Geoff produced a good win for trainer / driver Andrew Hardwick from Brecon as this useful Novice belonging to the Clark family from Brecon secured another notch on his way up the racing ladder, in second was Fold American (Perks Presteigne) with Saunders Playboy (Pritchard Rhosgoch) in third. In the second race it was the tough little homebred East of Eden owned & driven by Derek Pritchard from Rhosgoch who showed the fastest way to the winning post, with Ithon Eagle now owned by Steven Williams from Shrewsbury in second and Sam the Man (Tromans, Newcastle Emlyn) close behind in third. East of Eden now qualifies for open racing, when she will have pole position on her first run in the Grade B.
Clare’s Own the determined mare belonging to James Evans from Newcastle Emlyn tore to victory in the first Baby Novice race while Razzle Dazzle (Thomas Llanybydder) did nothing wrong in second and Dragon Penlan (Barton Clunderwen) ran on well to be third. In the second Baby Novice Fold be Nimble (Perks Presteigne) ran a classic race to give Wayne Knox his first victorious drive of the season, with the grey Alpine Heights (Ladek Kidderminster) claiming second and new horse Ithon Cracker (White Porthcawl) was third.
The dash is always fast and furious and this week was no exception as Blackfield Willy rounded off a good start to the season for the Barton stable from Clunderwen with a win for Robert Barton, a close second was Vodka Express (Weigel, Llanddewi Velfrey) while Serenity (Jones Llanllwni) was third.
The Grade A final saw Wellfield Xpense and owner / driver Melanie Langford take an early lead which they never looked like relinquishing as they came home in the fastest time of the day while the little chestnut mare Believe (Pritchard Rhosgoch) took second and the grey Live the Dream (Langford Ammanford) stuck his nose out to claim third.
Detailed Results
Race 1 - Nursery | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Position | Horse Name | Handicap | Prize | |
1 | Hold The Cards | Gate | £0 | |
2 | Greenhill Megan | Gate | £0 | |
3 | Blackmountain Jess | Gate | £0 | |
4 | Hafod Tyson | Gate | £0 | |
Time: 2.126 | ||||
Race 2 - Nursery | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Position | Horse Name | Handicap | Prize | |
1 | Brywins Jo Jo | Gate | £0 | |
2 | Dreamcatcher | Gate | £0 | |
3 | Ceiron Shon | 20 | £0 | |
4 | Village Jackpot | Gate | £0 | |
Time: 2.142 | ||||
Race 3 - Baby Novice | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Position | Horse Name | Handicap | Prize | |
1 | Clares Own | 10 | £60 | |
2 | Razzle Dazzle | Gate | £30 | |
3 | Dragon Penlan | Gate | £15 | |
4 | Fold Eventful | Gate | £0 | |
5 | Radnor Halleluliah | Gate | £0 | |
Time: 2.122 | ||||
Race 4 - Baby Novice | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Position | Horse Name | Handicap | Prize | |
1 | Fold Be Nimble | 10 | £60 | |
2 | Alpine Heights | 20 | £30 | |
3 | Ithon Cracker | 20 | £15 | |
4 | True Grit II | 20 | £0 | |
5 | Seren Penlan | 20 | £0 | |
6 | Kentucky Sunrise | 20 | £0 | |
7 | Wellfield Inspired | 20 | £0 | |
Time: 2.071 | ||||
Race 5 - Novice | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Position | Horse Name | Handicap | Prize | |
1 | Sunnyside Geoff | Gate | £75 | |
2 | Fold American | Gate | £30 | |
3 | Saunders Playboy | Gate | £15 | |
4 | Blackfield Baz | 10 | £0 | |
5 | Vintage Lobell | Gate | £0 | |
Time: 2.127 | ||||
Race 6 - Novice | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Position | Horse Name | Handicap | Prize | |
1 | East of Eden | 20 | £75 | |
2 | Ithon Eagle | 20 | £30 | |
3 | Sam the Man | 10 | £15 | |
4 | Red Adair | 10 | £0 | |
5 | Katie Blue | 20 | £0 | |
Time: 2.071 | ||||
Race 7 - Grade B | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Position | Horse Name | Handicap | Prize | |
1 | Vyrnwy Chef | Gate | £300 | |
2 | C U Boykin | Gate | £70 | |
3 | Belle Heir | Gate | £30 | |
4 | Blackfield Willy | 10 | £0 | |
5 | Chinatown Maori | 20 | £0 | |
6 | Coalford Time | Gate | £0 | |
Time: 2.077 | ||||
Race 8 - Grade A H1 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Position | Horse Name | Handicap | Prize | |
1 | Wellfield Xpense | Gate | £30 | |
2 | Wilbro Douglas | Gate | £20 | |
3 | Lucky Nipper | Gate | £10 | |
4 | Meadowbranch Mike | 20 | £0 | |
5 | Obi Wan Kenobi | 20 | £0 | |
6 | Vodka Express | 10 | £0 | |
Time: 2.072 | ||||
Race 9 - Grade A H2 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Position | Horse Name | Handicap | Prize | |
1 | Bon Bethan | 10 | £30 | |
2 | Live the Dream | 10 | £20 | |
3 | Bellieve | 30 | £10 | |
4 | Mahogany Duke | 30 | £0 | |
5 | Ithon Ace | 40 | £0 | |
Time: 2.119 | ||||
Race 10 - Grade A Final | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Position | Horse Name | Handicap | Prize | |
1 | Wellfield Xpense | Gate | £500 | |
2 | Bellieve | 30 | £70 | |
3 | Live the Dream | 10 | £30 | |
4 | Bon Bethan | 10 | £0 | |
5 | Wilbro Douglas | Gate | £0 | |
6 | Lucky Nipper | Gate | £0 | |
7 | Meadowbranch Mike | 20 | £0 | |
Time: 2.062 | ||||
Race 11 - Dash | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Position | Horse Name | Handicap | Prize | |
1 | Blackfield Willy | 10 | £85 | |
2 | Vodka Express | 30 | £40 | |
3 | Serenity | Gate | £20 | |
4 | Vintage Lobell | Gate | £0 | |
Time: 1.370 | ||||