Welsh trainers Tim Vaughan and Grace Harris earned success at Musselburgh following the equine flu lockdown (writes Brian Lee).
Vaughan’s Copper Gone West, trained at Aberthin in the Vale of Glamorgan, made the a 381 mile trip to the Scottish track was backed from 6-1 to 9-2 in the Betway Mares’ Maiden Hurdle.
Copper Gone West was an easy four-and-a-half lengths winner under stable jockey Alan Johns.
Later in the day, Field Exhibition, the 10/11 favourite ridden by Danny McMenamin and trained by Chepstow’s Harris, took the Betway Mares’ Novice Handicap Hurdle.
A good crowd turned out for the second of the two Curre & Llangibby Hunt Point-To-Point Steeplechases at Howick, near Chepstow and nine bookmakers were in attendance.
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The days when there were 40 bookmakers at this fixture are now long gone.
Jack Tudor, aged 16 and from the Vale of Glamorgan, landed the restricted open race.
Tudor was badly injured when a loose horse struck into his mount at the first of the two Curre & Llangibby Point-To-Point fixtures last November and he was hospitalised after breaking his tibia and fibia.
He returned to the course on Sunday and came in for plenty of praise and cheers when winning the restricted open race on the family owned and trained BillyGwyn Too.
They took up the running five fences out from the pacemaking Gowell, ridden by Cowbridge’s Byron Moorcroft.
Tudor, whose father Jonathan was a successful amateur rider, said: “It was lovely to come here and have a winner on my first ride back. Thanks to all the family who have helped out.”
Billygwyn Too, who went off 6-4 favourite, is by Dr Massini, who is also the sire of Accordini who won division one of the split open maiden race at the poiny-to-point meeting.
Accordini, an 8-1 chance, won by three lengths from Field Master and was ridden by James King.
The 23-year-old King, who had won the opening hunt members’ race on The Shinton Family’s Fateh, had 20 lengths to spare over Union Jack D’Ycy.
Accordini, owned by JP Hoskins, is trained by Bridgend’s Gareth Moore in the Bridgend, who said of his winner: “He can be a bit quirky at times.”
Closest finish of the day came in the PPORA Novice Riders’ Race in which Son Of Suzie, partnered by Jacob Pritchard Webb, got home by half-a-length from the blinkered Victory Mill despite making a mistake at the final obstacle.
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The men’s open race went to the Ryan Potter owned and trained French-bred Don Bersy, who made nearly all the running to score by four lengths from the Byron Moorcroft ridden Ramble On.
Six horses faced the starter for the ladies’ open race and Phil Rees’s 11-year-old bay gelding AlfStar took up the running under Alice Stevens to lead four fences out.
AlfStar went on to win by five lengths from favourite Double Captain.
Trainer Joanne Priest said: “He’s a lovely horse and the reason I get up in the morning.”
The second division of the open maiden was won by 14-1 shot Positive Touch, who, under 24-year-old Shane
Quinlan, won by a length from Majingilane.
Moorcroft’s mount Matts Legacy appeared to be travelling well only to fall four fences from the finish. The winner and the runner-up were the only two horses to finish.