Towcester Races: You've got to have faith
Never give up on a racehorse or a racecourse, even if massive acts of faith appear to be required.
If the horse in question is Woodlands Genpower running off bottom weight and the course is Towcester, then so much the better. In fact you should back them in a double!
This maxim was brought home yesterday on a day when Towcester's stubborn refusal to cede best to the worst of the English winter reaped dividends simply by taking place.
Of course it was heavy ground, churning up relentlessly throughout another bitterly afternoon.
However, this is Towcester in January for heaven's sake. What else do you expect?
No-one could say Peter Pritchard's 11 year-old grey enjoyed the experience of his second course win in the mud in 11 days.
Paddy Brennan was hard at work in the saddle for most of the 3m and half a furlong of the SIS Handicap Chase.
Yet when they come to film the epic 'Woodlands Genpower: 2005-2008 – The Wilderness Years', it will take some believing.
Luckily the betting exchange punter who staked 100 at 150/1 at the foot of the hill had kept the faith.
The SP 2/1 favourite was being stoked along and seemed hopelessly going nowhere some distance behind Blaze Ahead and Hazeljack.
The Towcester hill though, has played these tricks before, and the grey plugged on best in front of disbelieving eyes.
"I told Paddy beforehand that whatever he did, he shouldn't give up on him," said a delighted Pritchard, who appeared to have a potential star on his hands when his charge split four wins in bumpers and novice hurdles between 2003-05. "I said horses will come to you on the bridle, but that he will keep finding a bit more."
Pritchard added: "He didn't enjoy himself and is a much better horse on better ground. I'm just so pleased for the old horse to win two in a row.
He has suffered a lot with ulcers but I guess it is all about being a Roselier horse and having endless stamina."
For those who doubted the wisdom of racing in such conditions, the gallop was invariably a sensible slow one and there were precious few non runners on the day.
Trainers who come to Towcester on days like these surely know what to expect.
The afternoon proved a frustrating one for county trainers.
After Neil Harvey (11/4) had taken the opening novices' hurdle for his second course of the season for Nick Gifford and Liam Treadwell, there were three near misses from the home crew.
Devils River led over the last in the hands of Charlie Poste in the 2m handicap chase but finished fourth behind winner Lescer's Lad (12/1).
Instead of a winner for Alderton's Anna Brooks, it was Wycombe trainer Ann Woodrow who landed the spoils with Felix de Giles in the saddle.
Then Caroline Bailey's Mars Rock arrived full of running on the wide outside of three horses in the handicap hurdle only to jink left at the last flight, which would normally have been the second last on a day when one hurdle and two fences were omitted.
The former Venetia Williams-trained gelding went down by a length and a half to Captain Tidds (7/2) from the Richard Phillips stable, with Sean Quinlan doing the riding.
In the concluding bumper, the Frank Jordan-trained All The Fashion led for a long way before tiring in the closing quarter of a mile to finish third behind Necromancer (11/4) and Priors Coppice, the pair needing a photograph to split them.
There were also successes for Silk Affair (4/6 fav) for Mick Quinlan's Newmarket yard in the mares' maiden hurdle and Mister Potter (9/2) who fended off Sandhurst by a length and a quarter for the in form stable of Richard Lee, jockey Jimmy McCarthy doing the steering in the 2m 6f beginners' chase.
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Friday 10 February 2012
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