May Day bank holiday races are being held on May 4 at Gamelsby so there was a chance for owners to give their hounds a look over the course on Tuesday.
With four races on the card 85 hounds turned out on the night although disappointingly there were only two finishers in the pups after 20 had been slipped.
The consistent pair of Geoff and Gillian Higgins’ and Jake and Zach Green’s Acacia and Azalia headed the betting, and going out of the first field the pair were leading.
They had company, though, in Martin and Molly Burrow, Ian Freyne, Ger and Jennifer Kenneally’s Thorn Daisy as well as Sadie, Kessi and Graham Wilson’s Cinderella.
Unfortunately reports came in from the first road crossing that they had made a miss and 18 out of the 20 were on their way back to the slip.
Once the two remaining hounds were spotted past the field it was Christopher Henderson’s Nash On who was leading by 30 from his littermate Croft Rose for Carol Jackson, Audrey Graham, Lisa Crosby, David Loan, Ricky Deacon and John Grisedale.
Dropping down behind the windmills the pair were now together and having a good race. Then coming out of the beck and onto the finish Nash On showed a good turn of foot to claim his first victory of the season by two lengths from Croft Rose.
The Seniors had gone earlier with 12 entries and Les and Graham Reid and Ellie Napier’s Mel along with James and Ava McClellan’s Countess Ava were sent off as joint favourites.
Going over the brow of the hill and over the first obstacle Les, Graham and Ellie’s pair of Money Talks and Mel were up there along with Countess Ava; Geoff and Gillian Higgins’ Lucky Moon and Ruth and Charlie Dixon’s Let It be.
The hounds then aren’t seen until they are going past the field after roughly 15 minutes running where Mel had established an advantage over Countess Ava who in turn had a nice lead over Denise and Jenny Bland and Kyle and Ella Gallacher’s Jenny’s Chance.
The hounds are then seen for a split second going behind the windmills and Mel was still leading but had been joined by Countess Ava and the pair were head-to-head.
When they came onto the finish Countess Ava did enough to claim the win by two lengths from Mel with a gap to Jenny’s Chance in third.
There was another gap to the next bunch of hounds who were led in by Lucky Moon ahead of Let It Be and Money Talks.
The Open Maidens were next to go with a nice slip of 25, and Nicola McMaster and Sadie Wilson’s Sarah Jane was the favourite despite having last season off.
She got off to a flying start, too, ahead of her kennel mate Darren McMaster, Sadie Wilson, and Anthony Skelton’s Silver Streak. The pair were racing on well and were setting a good pace.
However, like the pups, there was more trouble and reports from the first road crossing confirmed there had been another scale with a group of 10 going away with a nice lead.
Going through the field in front of the spectators Denise and Jenny Bland’s Huntsman’s Quirk was leading from Robyn, Ellie, Grace and Nicola Napier, Neil Brady and Brooke Butler’s pup Foxparke Wanderer in company with Raymond and Glenis Farren and Denise Bland’s Miss Becky and Stephen Irving and Caroline Graham’s Zaya.
Dropping down behind the windmills Colin Satterthwaite’s Thorn Heart was now leading ahead of Silver Streak and Miss Becky.
Out of the beck and onto the finish Thorn Heart and Miss Becky were leading and had a good race to the line.
In the end Thorn Heart edged the win by a length from Miss Becky with Zaya in third.
Fast-finishing Silver Streak finished in fourth ahead of Robyn, Ellie, Grace and Nicola Napier, Neil Brady and Brooke Butler’s pair of Foxparke Waddle Waddle and Foxparke Majesty.
The final race of the night was the All-In which always attracts a good number of hounds and this time 28 lined up at the slip.
Going out of the first field James and Ava’s Baroness Ava was leading from Sarah White and Elsie Horn’s Malfunction.
Going past the spectator’s vantage point Baroness Ava had a 15 yard lead on littermate Malfunction with a small gap to Denise and Jenny Bland’s Huntsman’s Unite in third.
At the last road Baroness Ava was still leading ahead of Malfunction with a small gap to Martin, Molly and Teddy Burrow and Sarah Jackson’s Thorn Soul and Stanley, Carole, and Sarah Jackson, David Loan and Ricky Deacon’s Croft Lass.
Out of the beck and onto the finish Baroness Ava ran on with great determination to win by two lengths and a double for the McLellans on the night.
Malfunction was second and Caroline Clough and the late Barry Laidler’s Snowfell finished third.
The next two tickets went to Thorn Soul and Robyn, Ellie, Grace, and Nicola Napier and Brooke Butler’s Foxparke Fairlady but the sixth was not claimed.
Racing resumes tonight, Thursday April 30, with a four-card meeting at West Woodburn (Seniors, Pups, Veterans, All-In). Seniors slip at 5pm.
Tuesday April 28 – Gamelsby
- Hounds – 1. Countess Ava; 2. Mel; 3. Jenny’s Chance; 4. Lucky Moon; 5. Let It Be; 6. Money Talks. 12 ran, time 28.24.
- Pups – 1. Nash On; 2. Croft Rose, 20 ran, only two finished. Time 21.52.
- Open Maiden – 1. Thorn Heart; 2. Miss Becky; 3. Zaya; 4. Silver Streak; 5. Foxparke Waddle Waddle; 6. Foxparke Majesty. 25 ran, time 19.05.
- All In – 1. Baroness Ava; 2. Croft Lass; 3. Snowfell; 4. Thorn Soul; 5. Foxparke Fairlady; 6. not claimed 28 ran, time 18.43.
