Kestrel Valley brought trainer Kerry Lee both pleasure and pain in victory at Hereford on Friday.
Lee had led the nine-year-old down the chute to the track ahead of the Follow @bresbet On Twitter Novices’ Handicap Chase, but the mare spooked and the handler was pulled over, landing on her face.
Though shaken and sporting nasty grazes to her right eye and hands, she recovered her composure to welcome home the 6-5 favourite, who cruised to a 34-length success.
Lee said: “It is not her fault. It is just an occupational hazard. I went to lead her on to the course and she basically launched and took me with her. I hit these lovely rubber tiles and with your cheekbone, it can hurt a bit.”
She added: “I’m fine. At least she won. I’ll be all right. Isn’t it brilliant to see her doing well? She is really enjoying racing.
“It was nice to put back-to-back wins together. I knew she was well, knew she was a happy horse and we came here rather than Exeter on Sunday. It was either a 16-grand race or a nine-grand race. What are you going to do?
“We are still in 0-100 company and we can’t get carried away. It is difficult to start getting too confident. It is good to get a filly on an upward curve.”
On Ladies Day, Venetia Williams was on the mark with Jikala, who looked to be sauntering to success in the Bresbet: Back To Bookmaking Juvenile Maiden Hurdle under 7lb claimer Ned Fox, only to idle at the end of the two-mile affair.
Jikala did well to hold on to give Venetia Williams another win at her local track (Simon Milham/PA)
After Jikala held off Charles St to score by a short head, Williams said: “She didn’t enjoy herself at Sandown last time, which was a stronger race. When they turned for home and kicked in deep ground, she didn’t enjoy it.
“We thought we’d come here today and kick on.”
Anthony Honeyball’s string is in great heart and I Giorni followed up her recent third in a novice hurdle at Wincanton in the Cazoo Mares’ Novices’ Handicap under Rex Dingle, while David Bridgewater struck in the two-mile-five-furlong handicap chase with Pawpaw.
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Officials at Sandown insist there is “a real fighting chance” that Saturday’s Betfair Imperial Cup meeting will go ahead as planned.
The Esher track was fit to race on Tuesday, although persistent wintry showers have subsequently eased the ground to soft, heavy in places.
Clerk of the course Andrew Cooper said precautions will be taken with the forecast of sub-zero temperatures on Friday evening.
“It has been a difficult 24 hours,” he said on Thursday afternoon. “We raced on Tuesday and caught about seven millimetres of rain in the morning before racing, which increased the damage on the day.
“Yesterday we started off with about three centimetres of snow. The rain gauges are showing about 15mm of something here yesterday and we’ve had bits and pieces today, about 4mm. There is still lingering rain in the mix, certainly until Friday morning, then the forecast is for a frost Friday night into Saturday, just to help things!”
However, while admitting that the track would have “struggled to race” on Thursday, Cooper remains upbeat for the weekend.
“I think we have a real fighting chance,” he added. “The frost is a little sting in the tail that we could have done without and because it is so wet and the timeframe we are in, we are not going to cover everything – you’d trash the place just getting covers onto the course.
“We will cover the shaded area in front of the grandstands and all the bits we know are prone to frost sticking around.
“We are getting there. Although there is rain around, it is not heavy rain and things are certainly settling down and gradually improving in terms of ground conditions. Currently we are moving in the right direction.”
Hereford is also scheduled to stage racing on Saturday (David Davies/PA)
Hereford’s seven-race Saturday card could be in jeopardy, with the course not fit for action at present and an inspection called for 9.30am on Friday.
Clerk of the course Libby O’Flaherty said: “The snow has started to melt, but the track is currently unraceable. We are in the hands of the weather and will give it every chance we can, but we will need a little bit of luck.
“We will have a better idea on Friday morning when all the snow has gone.”
Friday’s meetings at Ayr and Leicester are subject to inspections at 8am and 7.30am respectively, with Wolverhampton’s all-weather fixture also needing to pass am 8am check.
Exeter and Kempton are also scheduled to race.
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It was not perhaps the result she wanted, with Lady Pacifico fading to fourth in the Cazoo Mares’ Handicap Hurdle at Hereford, yet Page Fuller was just delighted to be riding again.
Fuller, 27, was having her first ride since suffering a mini-stroke during a race at Fontwell in September.
She lost the vision in her right eye and had spasms in her right arm as she partnered Touchthesoul in a two-and-a-quarter-mile handicap chase and though she negotiated the first fence despite her limited vision, she pulled up soon after.
Having spent four months on the sidelines and undergone treatment at Oaksey House in Lambourn, Fuller is keen to kick on and resume her promising career.
Page Fuller is glad to be back (Julien Herbert/PA)
“It is definitely really nice to be back,” said Fuller after dismounting from the David Weston-trained Lady Pacifico, who had made much of the running along with eventual winner Maid Of The Night.
“I think it all sounds very serious, but in the grand scheme of things it wasn’t like a lot of people, who have really bad leg breaks or back breaks. I think that is more familiar territory.
“It was a very rare occurrence. We don’t know if the stroke was caused by an earlier fall or a culmination of whiplash injuries, but I was lucky that, to be honest, as soon as I got out of hospital, I was feeling pretty normal. So, it felt more like I was getting over a concussion than anything else. It was familiar territory from that respect.”
Fuller, who has been riding out since the first week in January, has 109 British winners under her belt, including a Sandown Grade Two aboard Anythingforlove for her boss Jamie Snowdon last February.
Fuller was quick to praise friends and family for helping temper her impatience as she continued her rehabilitation.
“Everyone around me has been good at making me take my time,” she added. “To be honest, my body has been in control, I haven’t really just been able to crack on with it.
“Since I could drive, Oaksey House has been brilliant. They know me well enough so they had something to compare it to.
“It was really nice to be back and really good to get the first one out of the way.”
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Richard Dunwoody is strangely happy that Philip Hobbs, who achieved a remarkable milestone in saddling his 3,000th winner when Zanza scored in the Denman Chase at Newbury on Saturday, still has that tea tray.
Of all the memories the three-time champion jockey has of riding for Hobbs, the two-mile Charles Dawson Retirement Novices Chase at Hereford on June 9, 1999, is etched alongside the highs of Grand National wins and partnering such equine stars as Desert Orchid and One Man.
Dunwoody was coming to the end of his illustrious career. His neck and arm injuries, which eventually caused him to retire the following year, were giving him grief.
“At the time, because of my neck, my balance wasn’t great. I was unseated off about four or five horses in a month. I thought, ‘What am I doing?’. But Premier Bay was the one that really tore at me,” said Dunwoody.
“He was a right little monkey, but the worst thing was, I’d ridden an absolutely brilliant race to get him there.
“It was one of his first times over fences. I’d got on AP’s (McCoy) inside at the second-last, I’m galloping down to the last, we’re well clear, and I saw the stride as soon as I turned into the straight.
“I’ve gone for that stride and Premier Bay said, ‘Absolutely no way am I coming up for that one’.
“He stuck the brakes on, jinked to the left and I fell clean off him. It was the most embarrassing thing ever. AP went on to win the race on Galix.”
Richard Dunwoody with One Man during his riding days (Barry Batchelor/PA)
Dunwoody, 59, was brought up to learn his craft by David Nicholson, yet he considers his “two or three years” riding for Somerset handler Hobbs before retirement as “probably the most enjoyable of my whole career”.
He added: “I really enjoyed riding for him. He was extremely good to ride for, in that basically he left it to you.
“You’d know what to do, or he’d offer the advice you needed if there was a horse you hadn’t ridden before.
“He was always the same. If you came in after a big winner or came in on one that got beat, he was generally always the same.
“It took the pressure off. I was riding for owner Robert Ogden and had a retainer that ended just before I retired, but I would love to have kept going for another two or three years, just riding for Hobbsy, really.
“Mind you, I think Dicky (Richard Johnson) would have come along and jocked me off after a year anyway,” he laughed.
Richard Dunwoody and Dr Leunt win the Racing Post Chase at Kempton for Philip Hobbs in 1999 (Tony Harris/PA)
“To put it into context, I rode about 90 winners for him and Dicky probably rode well over 1,200 for him.”
Dunwoody was quick to pay tribute to the team at the Minehead yard after reaching the 3,000 winner landmark.
“They have a great team down there with Johnson White (assistant trainer) and Sarah (Philip’s wife) obviously helping.
“It was a long way away, but I enjoyed going down to school on the odd occasion and ride work.
“I rode a few good winners over those last few seasons, but he’s had a lot of good jockeys riding for him like Dicky, plus some of the younger lads now.
“To have 3,000 winners is a huge tally and obviously I’d like to offer my huge congratulations to Philip, Sarah and the whole team for this remarkable achievement.
“It is testament to their work ethic and ability. It is an incredible achievement – yet it should definitely have been 3,001.”
Dunwoody, who now resides near Madrid, Spain, with his partner Olivia and their daughter Milly, does visit England on occasion and chuckled at the memory of one particular visit to the yard.
“I went there about seven years ago,” he recalled. “Johnson was there, as Philip and Sarah were away racing.
“I walked into the kitchen and Johnson said, ‘I’ve got to show you something’.
“In the kitchen, there is a tray, with a picture of me, in sync, jumping the last fence at Hereford, alongside Premier Bay.
The Hobbs’ tea tray depicting Dunwoody and Premier Bay at Hereford in June 1999 (PA)
“I’d ridden all those winners and he’s gone and got a picture of me, on a tray, not just being unseated, but literally jumping off and flying through the air, with Premier Bay upsides.
“To think of the winners I rode for him – including one or two decent ones including Dr Leunt, who won the Racing Post Chase – and he has that.
“I would have been very disappointed if they hadn’t still got that tray – it is the only reminder he has got of me ever riding for him!
“When you talk about memories of rides, that one is pretty high. When I just look at my career, the day I fell off Premier Bay when 10 lengths clear of AP McCoy will certainly be one of the more unforgettable moments.
“I just hope Philip and Sarah celebrated with more than a nice cup of tea from that tray!”
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Paul Nicholls wondered if Half Dozen had a problem after Harry Cobden’s mount was a market drifter ahead of the Black Mountain Botanicals Novices’ Handicap Hurdle at Hereford.
Yet the strapping six-year-old made light work of his nine rivals in the two-mile heat, scoring by a length and a half at odds of 8-1.
The champion trainer said: “We thought his leg had fallen off, because he drifted from 4-1 to 10-1 or something.
“We thought he had a nice little chance, but he has just been big and backward, needed lots of time and experience.
“He was very keen early in the season, he just wants a bit of time. He will make a nice chaser next year.”
Honneur d’Ajonc gave the Jane Williams yard another success at Hereford (Simon Milham/PA)
Jane Williams has enjoyed plenty of success at the track in recent weeks and Honneur d’Ajonc (100-30) took the spoils in the Hereford Motor Group Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase in the hands of David Noonan.
A trio were in with a chance at the last, but the six-year-old forged clear to go one better than he had at Leicester a month ago.
The Devon handler said: “He isn’t very big, but he is agile. He is a classy horse by Diamond Boy. I’d like to find a few more of them.
“I bought him in the July sale as a two-year-old. He was inexpensive, because he was small, but he was a very good juvenile. We took an extra year, because we didn’t think he’d be a chaser, but in fact, he’s been a fabulous chaser.
“Patrick Waldron, who has just come into racing ownership, his colours only just arrived and he had a winner with his first runner. How about that! That’s a lucky owner – that’s what we want, lucky owners!”
Only The Bold was an easy winner for Fergus Gillard and trainer David Pipe (Simon Milham/PA)
Only The Bold (2-1) followed up his impressive chasing debut at Bangor in November, defying a 10lb penalty under Fergus Gillard and powering to a five-length success in the Ely Memorial Fund Handicap Chase.
Winning trainer David Pipe said: “This is a lot better ground than he had at Bangor and it probably happened quick enough for him today, but Fergus was patient on him. They went a good gallop and they did it nicely in the end.
“There are no big plans for him. He is not over-big, so whether he will jump round the big tracks or not, I don’t know. We’ll see. He is by Jeremy and a typical one by him. He beat (Grade Two-winning hurdler and chaser) Tommy’s Oscar in his point-to-point.
“We’ll what the handicapper does and obviously he is still a novice as well.”
Galop De Chasse gave Venetia Williams a welcome winner at her local track (Simon Milham/PA)
Galop De Chasse came with a well-timed run under Charlie Deutsch to claim the Sky Sports Racing Sky 415 Handicap Chase, beating Rose Sea Has by a comfortable length and a half in something of a rough two-mile race.
Venetia Williams, who was ending a surprising 20-runner barren spell, said: “He has been knocking on the door for quite a long time, with seconds and thirds, so it is great to come to the local course and get his head in front. It was quite a competitively-run race.”
ATLANTA BRAVE landed the odds for trainer Kery Lee and jockey Richard Patrick in the Cazoo Novices' Hurdle at Hereford @PAracingpic.twitter.com/JDElbQSefu
Atlanta Brave (5-6 favourite) followed up his recent Chepstow success, relishing a step up in trip to take the Cazoo Novices’ Hurdle by a cosy three-quarters of a length success from Hauraki Golf.
Kerry Lee’s string is in great heart and the strapping five-year-old looks every inch a chaser in the making.
Lee said: “He is such a lovely horse and is a delight to train. He is so easy to do anything and everything with.
“He is quite far forward for his age and size, because he is a very big horse, and you can only imagine he will improve with age and experience.
“I wanted to give him another relatively low-key run, but we will look at a bigger prize in the spring. He is a three-mile chaser in the making, so anything we do now is bonus territory.”
The wait goes on for jockey Denis O’Regan, whose bid to complete a full set of victories at jumps tracks in Britain and Ireland saw him draw a blank with his two rides.
“We’ll just keep chipping away and hope we get there one day,” he said with a customary smile.
Bennys King gave Heidi Palin her first winning ride under Rules (Simon Milham/PA)
It was a red-letter day for Heidi Palin, who gained her first success under rules when Bennys King caused a 20-1 shock in the hunter chase, beating Magic Saint by three-quarters of a length.
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Nicky Henderson is going through a quiet spell with few runners, so it is notable when they do run in testing conditions.
Punters would have taken the hint at Hereford when City Chief lined up in the three-runner Go Racing With Vickers.Bet Limited Handicap Chase – and the Nico de Boinville-ridden six-year-old did not disappoint.
Up in trip after finishing runner-up to Gelino Bello on his seasonal bow at Exeter, the evens favourite went the shortest route, tracking Jet Plane, and took it up between the last two fences before going on to score by five and a half lengths.
De Boinville said: “It was hard work out there. There was no life to the ground. It’s fine. He jumped a lot better the further he went and he stays all day, so it’s good.
“The mistake he made last time knocked the stuffing out of him. But he has come on leaps and bounds for that run and I’m sure he will come on for that again.
“We need to get his confidence really high and his jumping will get good.”
Kerry Lee is always a standing dish at her local track and she gained winners eight and nine for the season courtesy of Greenrock Abbey and Fay Ce Que Voudrais.
The former gained a second course-and-distance success with a 13-length victory in the two-mile Download The Vickers.Bet App Novices’ Handicap Chase.
Greenrock Abbey sparked a double for jockey Richard Patrick and trainer Kerry Lee (Simon Milham/PA)
Lee said: “It was a really bad race. We were lucky to get him in at 12st 1lb, but when you see loose horses falling at the second-last, you know it is an awful race!
“He did very well to stand up at the ditch and the ground was sticky and hard work, but they are running generally quite well in their grade.
“It is a 0-100 novice handicap chase, but that is what my job is, to win races. The point is, he is in the right grade making it look easy, but I’m sure when we go up to a 110 next time, it will be more difficult.”
Jockey Richard Patrick completed his and Lee’s brace with one of the rides of the season. He lost both irons aboard Fay Ce Que Voudrais (16-5) in the Cazoo Mares’ Novices’ Handicap Hurdle, but still managed to record a two-and-a-half-length success over Crem Fresh.
“She is still learning. She had such a look around and ploughed through the last. Thank goodness I stayed on. I tried to shift my weight the other way. I managed to get the job done, anyway,” said Patrick.
Jaminska kept up the good form of trainer Jane Williams and jockey David Noonan (Simon Milham/PA
Jane Williams has her string in fine fettle and Jaminska underlined the potential shown on her hurdling debut when runner-up at Ludlow, by taking the Hereford Motor Group Fillies’ Junior “National Hunt” Hurdle in the hands of David Noonan.
Williams said: “The juveniles have done really well this year. She is just brave. It was hard work and however she felt about it, she’ll go through with it.
“She will just lay down her life for you. She is growing and has grown quite a bit recently, which was worrying, as when they are growing, they are a little bit weaker. Today was the plan.”
Missed Tee dug deep for Harry Skelton (Simon Milham/PA)
Missed Tee and Leading Theatre showed plenty of guts to fight out a thrilling finish in the Cazoo Novices’ Handicap Hurdle.
The former, who is trained by Dan Skelton, just got back up to score by half a length under former champion jockey Harry Skelton.
The winning rider said: “She was just idling out in front. I’ve always thought she was quite good, but she hasn’t had much racing and has a bit to learn. She stays on well.
“Stepping up in trip helped but she is a little bit fast in the brain – her brain goes a little bit faster than her legs at the moment.”
Harry Cobden was on the mark with Kingcormac, who took the Black Mountain Botanicals Handicap Chase for trainer Joe Tickle, and Lilly Pinchin gained her 21st winner of the season when guiding the Charlie Longsdon-trained Zestful Hope to success in the Download The Vickers.Bet App Handicap Hurdle.
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Denis O’Regan will have to wait at least another two weeks before having a chance at making a little history, after his three mounts at Hereford were beaten on Wednesday.
The veteran jockey has ridden a winner at every other track in Britain and Ireland and needs just a win at the venue, which briefly closed between the end of 2012 and 2016, to complete the set.
O’Regan has had a great career on both sides of the Irish Sea and has raised his profile since Ansar won the Galway Plate 17 years ago, but the wait to make it a full house will have to continue for a while yet.
Before Christmas, Gordon Elliott sent horses to Hereford in a bid to get the elusive winner for his good friend, but is was not to be.
Denis O’Regan has “unfinished business” at Hereford (David Davies/PA)
O’Regan’s quest to complete the feat by the end of 2022 was then scuppered by the frost, when he flew over form Ireland, only to see the meeting called off at the last minute.
And on Wednesday, despite having a decent book of rides on paper, he was again out of luck.
Diego’s Way, trained by Cain Collins, had to play second fiddle to Post Chaise in the Jackson Property Handicap Chase, Presenting Doyen (Lucy Wadham) was fourth to Fairy Gem in the Follow Vickers.Bet On Facebook Mares’ Maiden Hurdle, and his final mount, Skinflint (Henry Oliver), was third to Not Sure in the Black Mountain Botanicals Handicap Chase.
Despite the setback, O’Regan was all smiles afterwards.
He said: “Second, third and fourth I suppose, but it was not what I was hoping.
“All three horses ran well. Diego’s Way definitely comes back again. The filly in the maiden hurdle (Presenting Doyen), it actually looked a better race than we probably thought than it looked on paper. It rode like an OK sort of race and I’d expect improvement from her.
“And the last one, Skinflint, he ran a blinder off top weight. He’s an 11-year-old who hasn’t run in while.
“We were hoping, but it didn’t quite come off. This is just my second meeting of the season at Hereford. I was here for two rides and then flew over when the meeting was called off.
“There is now unfinished business. I will have to keep going now. The pressure is on. The Irish trainers are going to run out of horses to bring over for me!”
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