Bizarre To Beautiful

The trip to Plumpton today was exciting and rewarding.  It started with Maccabees finishing third in the 2 mile handicap hurdle, but what a bizarre race.   Instructions were to try new tactics and be up with the pace.  They went off very fast and he couldn't lie up with them.  Tom Cannon niggled and nudged him from the rear into the pack going past the stands to the second circuit.  Round the top bend Tom was bumping him along but he rapidly lost ground.  He was tailed off at the back of the eight runners as they went down the back straight and we expected him to be pulled up, he was so far behind.  Then coming round the bottom of the course he started gaining ground as the rest started to die, though he was still a way behind.  He made good progress through the field but was still only a poor 4th approaching the last flight.  He kept on and took third after the last and was rapidly closing on the second at the line.

A bemused Linda and Tom confer after the race as Karen and Maccabees look on.

 



Then it was the turn of Red Anchor who had turned in a couple of disappointing performances recently.  It started well with Frankie winning "Best Turned Out" and £25 with him.

Frankie with her "Best Turned Out" prize.



Tom Cannon was again the jockey and he quickly got Red Anchor jumping well and running upsides the leader.  He was working hard on the horse with over a circuit to go though, but Red Anchor kept responding and they stayed in close touch.  There were just three left in the race turning for home and he stayed on up the hill to take a pleasing second place only a length behind the winner, and he looks like he may have found his good form of old.

Derek Thompson interviews Tom Cannon after the ride on Red Anchor.

And The Champagne Flows

The champagne flowed this morning at the yard when owners, trainer and well wishers gathered to celebrate Itoldyou's victory in the Sussex National.

 

 

Oblivious to all this, Itoldyou went out for a hack around the village.





 

Itoldyou Wins The National.

Itoldyou, ridden by Tom Cannon, gave Linda her biggest ever National Hunt win today when he won The Sussex National at Plumpton.  He was settled in the middle of the 12 runners in touch with the leaders in this 3 mile 5 furlong marathon on ground described as "soft, heavy in places".  Tom got him jumping brilliantly and he looked happy to be racing.  He was moved to the heels of the leaders passing the stables to go out on the final circuit and after three out he started chasing the leader.  He ran in determined style to take the lead before the last fence and, though he started to idle in the lead, he had enough in hand to go on to a 2 length victory. It seemed a popular win, not just with his owners Valence Racing Too, but with many in the crowd who had supported a local trainer at odds of 11/1 or bigger.