Almeley Racing
The Charity race meeting to end the season is always a day of highs and lows, it is a day where the prestige of winning far outweighs the monetary reward, while sadness at the prospect that retirement of the old favourites will mean the end of their racing career. This year there was the usual party atmosphere but the rain did rather dampen some of the exuberance of the occasion.
The first race was the Nursery where the Greenway family from Michaelchurch were rewarded for their dedicated support for the sport with a win by locally bred Talavary Crown driven by Shane Eggerton, in second was Fold Take Flight (Miles, Merthyr) while Cool Runner (Lloyd, Kingswood) was third.
The first race for the punters was the Novice where C U Maggie (Bevan, Llanddewi) continued to impress under the gentle guidance of Mel Langford coming home ahead of Ook whos Coming (Evans, Brecon) while the lightly raced Afanbells Princess (Jones, Cribyn) was third.
Habberley Haste a gentleman of a horse both on and off the track took top honours in the Grade B for proud owners the Lloyd family from New Radnor driven as usual by trainer Andrew Hardwick from Brecon while in second place was the reliable Talavary Activator (Roberts, Dinmore) while Enter the Dragon (Harrison, Onibury) thankfully recovered from his mishap last week, ran well in third.
The Grade A race was the last race for the people’s favourite Scoobys Dream, a horse that has given so much pleasure to so many people over the years, instantly recognisable this long striding grey has enjoyed an illustrious career. He led from the gate but on the final lap the other grey in the race, Ayr Hero (Bevan, Llanddewi) ran like a hero with Mel Langford as his partner to claim the spoils, while Second Affair (Thomas, Rhymney) was second from Habberley Playboy (Johns & Gittins, Shrewsbury) who ran on to be third.
In the Baby Novice Hilltop Recon with Francis Morgan aboard gave the Lloyd family from New Radnor another win, from the Norwich based Hightops and stablemate Mr Blue Sky (Brightwell, Norfolk) taking the minor placings.
The second half of the programme was taken up with the ‘fun’ races, in the first it was the turn of the humans to try pulling a sulky with a ‘driver’ on board. First passed the post was Shannon Edmunds driven by Carly Bradley, while the team of Emma McPhee and Harry Harrison was second and Ellie Tromans with Laura Bevan took third.
In the Non whip race Fronfelin Duchess (Hawkes, Wigmore) ran well in the hands of Steven Williams from Pencader beating Afanbells Princess and owner Oli (Farrier) Jones, Cribyn while Turn the Paige with her owner Paul Miles from Merthyr was third.
In the Junior race it was newcomer Martha Duggan, from Howey on her fifteenth birthday taking on the experienced duo of Ellie Tromans and Ceri Bevan. Martha was mounted on the saddle specialist Hurricane Howard and they swept to victory just ahead of Habberley Haste (Lloyd, New Radnor) with Ellie Tromans on board, while Ceri Bevan on C U Maggie (Bevan, Llanddewi) was close behind in third.
The last race of the afternoon was the non drivers as usual this was quite a battle, with jockey Jayne Bevan from Llanddewi swopping stirrups for sulky seat to urge her own Ayr Hero to snatch victory from ex-driver Alan Peters from Shrewsbury on the Gittins, Johns partnership from Shrewsbury’s Habberley Playboy while last year’s winner Stella Havard from Dinmore drove their own Talavary Activator to be third.
At the end of a wet but very successful day when the joint charities of St Michael’s Hospice and MacMillan Nurses will be the beneficiaries, the season closes. The horses will be turned out, the tack cleaned ready for next season, the drivers’ colours will be washed and ironed until the new year when thoughts will turn to the 2019 trotting season.
Detailed Results
Race 1 - Nursery | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Position | Horse Name | Handicap | Prize | |
1 | Talavary Crown | Gate | £0 | |
2 | Fold Take Flight | Gate | £0 | |
3 | Cool Runner | Gate | £0 | |
4 | Yanky Strider | 20 | £0 | |
5 | Duke Special | Gate | £0 | |
6 | Fronfelen Duchess | 20 | £0 | |
Time: 2.357 | ||||
Race 2 - Baby Novice | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Position | Horse Name | Handicap | Prize | |
1 | Hilltop Recon | 20 | £25 | |
2 | High Tops | Gate | £10 | |
3 | Mr Blue Sky | 10 | £5 | |
Time: 2.350 | ||||
Race 3 - Novice | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Position | Horse Name | Handicap | Prize | |
1 | C U Maggie | Gate | £25 | |
2 | Ook Whos Coming | Gate | £10 | |
3 | Afanbellsprincess | 10 | £5 | |
4 | Hurricane Howard | 20 | £0 | |
5 | Lady Lisleen | 10 | £0 | |
6 | No Stoppin | 20 | £0 | |
Time: 2.252 | ||||
Race 4 - Grade B | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Position | Horse Name | Handicap | Prize | |
1 | Habberley Haste | Gate | £25 | |
2 | Talavary Activator | Gate | £10 | |
3 | Enter The Dragon | 10 | £5 | |
4 | Greenhill Lillian | Gate | £0 | |
5 | Made In Wales | Gate | £0 | |
6 | Tillies Larg | Gate | £0 | |
Time: 2.239 | ||||
Race 5 - Grade A | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Position | Horse Name | Handicap | Prize | |
1 | Ayr Hero | 30 | £25 | |
2 | Second Affair | 10 | £10 | |
3 | Habberley Playboy | Gate | £5 | |
4 | Scoobys Dream | Gate | £0 | |
Time: 2.233 | ||||
Race 6 - Junior | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Position | Horse Name | Handicap | Prize | |
1 | Hurricane Howard | 20 | £25 | |
2 | Habberley Haste | 30 | £10 | |
3 | C U Maggie | Gate | £5 | |
Time: 2.274 | ||||
Race 7 - Non Whip | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Position | Horse Name | Handicap | Prize | |
1 | Fronfelen Duchess | 20 | £25 | |
2 | Afanbellsprincess | Gate | £10 | |
3 | Turn The Paige | Gate | £5 | |
Time: 2.286 | ||||
Race 8 - Non Drivers | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Position | Horse Name | Handicap | Prize | |
1 | Ayr Hero | 70 | £25 | |
2 | Habberley Playboy | 40 | £10 | |
3 | Talavary Activator | 20 | £5 | |
4 | Dernol Yankee | Gate | £0 | |
5 | Made In Wales | 20 | £0 | |
Time: 2.284 | ||||