Secretary: Mrs Susie Old

Address:  Belflyns Stables, Ibberton, Blandford, Dorset, DT11 0EN

T:  01258 817101

M: 07967 589543

E: andrew@aold.orangehome.co.uk

Entries:  Mr Terry Sellby

Address:  The Chase, Hinton Martell, Wimborne, Dorset, BH21 7HE

T:  01258 840650

M: 07770 427394

E:  terry.selby@btconnect.com

Entry Fee: £30 for a single race, £15 per additonal race same horse

or enter online at: www.pointtopoint.co.uk

Entries Close:  Monday 28th March 2015, 12 noon

Races:  Intermediate - 4,5,6 year old Maiden (2m4f) - CA Club Members Novice Riders - Mixed Open - Restricted - Open Maiden - Confined

Badbury Rings near Wimborne stages its second meeting of the season on Sunday when the Portman hold their annual point-to-point meeting and with an impressive entry of 123 horses for the 7 scheduled races there should be some excellent racing for racegoers to look forward to. There will be a big screen available to watch the racing and with the recent rain the ground should have eased to make the surface suitable for the majority of the entries. 

The Intermediate race opens proceedings and three recent winners look the pick of the 14 entries namely Doyen Dynamo, Earthpower and Minella Selfie. Of these Doyen Dynamo looks on the upgrade after his win at Didmarton and is chosen to continue the good form of his trainer Ed Walker. Earthpower will not find the ground as soft as the race he won at Ottery St Mary whereas Minella Selfie had a bloodless victory when finishing alone at Larkhill last Saturday. Others to consider are Mausefalle runner up at Kilworthy and Driftwood Pride, already a winner at Badbury, and placed second at Hackwood Park. 

The Maiden race over 2miles 5 furlongs features a number of unraced horses from leading stables. Jack Barber has entered both Bistouri D’Honore and Clo Sacre whereas Sophie Lacey has entered Polydora who is a half-brother to Roberto Goldback, the winner of 6 races for Nicky Henderson and Mr Brinkley the winner of his only point to point in Ireland earlier this year. A watching brief should be made on these newcomers. Of those that have already run Boygojumping was a good second at Milborne St Andrew and Kapoupakap was fourth on his English debut at Cothelstone and could improve on that outing. 

The Club race for Novice Riders may see a duel between Done a Runner who is unbeaten in his three races this season when ridden by Jack Andrews and Minella Fifty who has won his last two Ladies races when ridden by Taylor Pook. The latter’s jumping has been spectacular at times and he is taken to end Done a Runner’s winning run. Of the others Boss in Boots who won cleverly at Milborne St Andrew, the veteran PresentandCorrect and Kostaquarta who will both be making their seasonal debuts and Beuvron who won at Buckfastleigh all come into consideration. 

The Mixed Open could see an intriguing battle between the tough mare Posh Totty, already a four time winner at Badbury, the progressive Winter Soldier who will be making his debut in Open company and Jepeck who has won his last two races. Dancing Olga won a Hunter Chase on her last outing at Newton Abbot in April last year and Ni Sin E Mo Ainm who gave Alexandra Bell a win at Cothelstone on only her second ever ride should not be discounted as well as Sobre Tresor who has won eight races in his career and is in good form. Winter Soldier is narrowly selected to defeat Posh Totty and Jepeck. 

The Restricted race may see the return of Judge John Deed the winner of his only race at Kingston St Mary last season and he is the unknown quantity of the 9 entries. Tom Barton won well at Larkhill last Saturday and Road to Success was a comfortable winner at Cothelstone in March for Liam Trott. He had previously narrowly been beaten by Guerrilla Tactics at Badbury Rings and the Camilla Scott gelding is selected to confirm his form over Road to Success. 

The Open Maiden race has attracted 29 horses and may be divided on the day. Jack Barber has entered both of his unraced 4 year olds who also hold entries in the shorter Maiden and San Satiro who only had one race last season when unseating his rider at Stafford Cross. Ed Walker appears to have a strong hand with both Rainbow Stripes, the runner –up at Milborne St Andrew and Vila Cova who was third at Ston Easton holding strong chances. Broadway Blueshirt ran well at Ston Easton and Armchair Hero was a good second at Trebudannon last year and should improve for his seasonal debut. 

The meeting concludes with the Confined race where Champagne Rosie and Swallowshide look to be the two form horses. Champagne Rosie won under Will Biddick at Milborne St Andrew and might be too good for Swallowshide who was placed in the Open race at Milborne St Andrew. Rossmore Lad might be one to give the two principals a race as he ran well in the Ladies race at Milborne St Andrew

Intermediate (11 ran)

1 Credit Crunched 12/1 J Bailey; 2 Fourstar River 10/1 M Legg; 3 Driftwood Pride 5/1 D Andrews. 6mins 15s. 1l, 2l. (Laura Thomas)

Open Maiden 45&6yo 2m4f (9 ran)

1 Boygojumping 3/1 G Hiscock; 2 Fazakerley 10/1 D I Turner; Justu 20/1 E Doggrell. 5mins 27s. Distance, 6l. (Martin Peaty)

CA Club Members (Nov Rdrs) (10 ran)

1 Archie Rice 10/1 H Hunt; 2 Boss In Boots 5/2 D Sansom; 3 Kostaquarta 4/1 M Bastyan. 6mins 12s. 3l, ½l. (Nikki Frost)

Mixed Open (5 ran)

1 Posh Totty 4/6 W Biddick; 2 Ni Sin E Mo Ainm 4/1 Miss A Bell; 3 Winter Soldier 5/4 M Legg. 6mins 5. 5l, 25l. (Jack Barber)

Restricted (7 ran)

1 Tom Barton 3/1 Stan Sheppard; 2 Guerrilla Tactics 4/1 Miss L Scott; 3 Judge John Deed 5/4 W Biddick. 6mins 23s. 3l, 1l. (Sally Alner)

Open Maiden (15 ran)

1 Seenigora 25/1 Miss A Goschen; 2 Broadway Blueshirt 12/1 S Woods; 3 Rainbow Stripes 9/4 W Biddick. 6mins 15s. 8l, 12l. (Rilly Goschen)

Confined (5 ran)

1 Champagne Rosie 1/2 W Biddick; 2 King’s Wood 6/1 E Henderson; 3 Lajidaal 8/1 D Andrews. 6mins 17s. 30l, 12l. (Stuart Penny)

N/A

The going at the Portman point-to-point was just on the faster side of good which resulted in 62 horses running in the seven races which was an excellent turn out the week after the Easter period. The weather remained dry until after racing had finished and it will be a day that octogenarian owner John Meaden will remember as two of his home bred mares won the two final races. Earlier another mare Posh Totty had gamely won the Mixed Open race and in the process notched up her fifth course victory. 

Credit Crunched and Fourstar River had a good battle in the Intermediate race with the former running out the winner by a length. Owned by Norman Thomas and trained by his daughter Laura this was the gelding’s fourth career victory for the Thomas family having formerly been trained by Alan King. Norman credited the better going for the improvement in his form and did say that this was his first winner this season. 

An eventful younger Maiden race followed with three four year olds fighting out the finish. GoBoyJumping had made most of the running but had been joined by debutants Clo Sacre and Polydora at the third last fence with both of these still travelling well. However Clo Sacre made a bad mistake and rider Stan Sheppard was unseated and at the next fence Poldora blundered and Tommie O’Brien was also unseated. This left GoBoyJumping to come home virtually alone with the winning distance being the length of the run in. Owned by Martin and Kathryn Peaty the gelding has an interesting background in that his dam Maisie Malone is an unregistered hunter who finished runner up in the Wilton Hunt race in 2011 and was then put in foal to Midnight Legend. Martin missed the race as he was away skiing in France but had the commentary relayed to him by mobile phone. 

The Novice Riders race had a dramatic twist after Maxi Chop had beaten off the attentions of Archie Rice and Boss in Boots to win by three lengths to give his rider Lewis Ferguson his second point-to-point career victory. However Lewis omitted to weigh in and was automatically disqualified with Archie Rice ridden by Hugo Hunt being awarded the race. This was Hugo’s second point to point win following 4 victories on the Flat for Andrew Balding and a chase win at Ascot for Martin Keighley. Archie Rice has been a fine servant to Jimmy Frost winning two hurdle races for his daughter Bryony and before that had won 9 races on the flat and now has a new role as a schoolmaster for Hugo and trained by Jimmy’ s wife Nikki Frost. 

After Posh Totty had taken over the lead at the eleventh fence Will Biddick kept finding more from his willing mount to hold off the attentions of Ni Sin E Mo Ainm ridden by Alexandra Bell by 5 lengths. One of her enthusiastic owners Richard Hall only just made the course having served lunch at his Wine Bar in Crewkerne and was able to cheer her home from his vantage point near the winning post. Will with a smile said in the winner’s enclosure that ‘ she is still my favourite horse as she keeps finding more when I ask her’ 

Tom Barton caught the front running Guerrilla Tactics to follow up his victory last week at Larkhill to win the Restricted race and give Stan Sheppard another winner. Bought by Sally Alner as ‘a potential Badbury horse’ she thought that his run at the previous meeting when he was third to Guerrilla Tactics had made ‘a man of him after hitting some of the fences and realising that he had to jump properly’ He certainly looks on the upgrade having turned round the form on his last run at Badbury. 

The biggest field of the day took part in the Open Maiden when 15 horses set off. Following the departure of one of the fancied horses Bistouri D’Honore at the first fence the race turned into a duel with the two front running horses Seenigora ridden by Rilly Goschen and Broadway Blueshirt ridden by Saul Woods having the race between them with the former winning by eight lengths. Bred and owned by John Meaden and trained by Rilly the mare was showing improved form on the better ground. Rilly recalled that she rode her first winner at Badbury Rings in 1995 aboard Great Uncle trained by the late John Dufosee for whom she rode with such great success for many years. 

John Meaden’s tough mare Champagne Rosie gave Will Biddick a double on the day when comfortably winning the Confined race. Tracking the leader Falcon Island for much of the final circuit she was fully in command when her rival fell at the last fence leaving the mare to win by thirty lengths. Trained by Stuart Penny he joked that ‘my placing of the mare is getting better as she has now won her last two starts’