Young Hurricane storms to Champion Hunters' Chase glory

POINT-to-point followers were out in force at Stratford for Friday evening’s hunter chase meeting, the highlight of the season for followers of racing between the flags, writes David Hucker.

Always a popular fixture, this year’s seven-race card, run on perfect ground, offered total prize money of £84,000, making it the richest all hunter chase meeting held anywhere in the country.

There was a parade of the ten runners for the feature £25,000 Pertemps Network Stratford Foxhunters Champion Hunters’ Chase, now in its 59 year, which was taken in both 2014 and 2016 by Paint The Clouds.

Paul Nicholls ran two, with Bryony Frost on Rebel Rebellion, who was fresh from wins at Warwick and Newton Abbot, and Wonderful Charm, last seen out in the Grand National and ridden by top amateur Sam Waley-Cohen.

It was Wonderful Charm who was all the rage in the betting ring, going off at 11-8, ahead of the Irish raider Balnaslow, but he was struggling some way out, dropping down the field until running on again at the end to take third.

Up ahead, Balnaslow looked the likely winner as the runners straightened up with just one fence to take, but John Dawson had ridden a patient race on 16-1 shot Young Hurricane and came with a perfectly-timed run to jump ahead and win by two lengths.

There was an impressive winner in the opening Subaru “Restricted Point-To-Point” Series Final, now in its third year, in the shape of 7-4 favourite Bay Sly, who made all the running to score by five lengths from Ruperra Tom. The runners had closed up down the back straight where Bay Sly made a couple of mistakes but, with the final fence omitted after a faller on the first circuit, he stretched away again for a comfortable win.

The championship, however, went to a horse who wasn’t entered in the final in Cheltenham Mati, who finished on 38 points, five ahead of Pride Of Parish.

New sponsors Fox Denton Gins supported the following two-mile Open Hunters’ Chase, which featured another well-backed market leader in Are They Your Own, who was looking to follow-up his recent Cheltenham win. Amongst the opposition was the 2016 winner Decade Player, ridden by Sam Davies-Thomas, who came into the meeting just one winner behind James King in the race for the amateur jockeys’ championship.

But, favourite backers didn’t have a chance to collect, as Are They Your Own was reluctant to line up and had planted himself behind the others when starter Nigel Wakley let the field go.

It was Exclusive Rights, backed from 66-1 to half those odds, who went straight into the lead with Claire Hardwick, followed by Numbercruncher. That’s how it stayed until the turn for home where owner/trainer David O’Brien sent Numbercruncher to the front and they quickly went clear for a five-length success.

Next up was the £20,000 Pointtopoint. co.uk Champion Novices’ Hunters’ Chase, won last year by Irish raider Quiet Account. With likely favourite Frelia an absentee, it was Jepeck who topped the betting to seal the riders’ title for King.

In a race run at a fast pace throughout the three and a half mile trip, Now Ben, ridden by Alex Edwards, who has amassed 31 winners in point-to-points this season, took over the running after the first circuit to hold off the late challenge of Tinkers Hill Tommy.

The runner-up was ridden by a star of the future in 16 year-old James Bowen, younger brother of Sean who, despite not riding for the whole season, notched up a record 30 winners for a novice rider between the flags and will now turn professional.

Skinners Pet Foods are another company in their first year of sponsorship, backing the Ladies Open series and their final had been the aim for Pauline Harkin’s consistent mare and 2016 runner-up Popaway.

Also in the line-up was the 2015 Subaru winner Dabinett Moon, ridden by Claire Hardwick, but, it was Patricktom Boru who the punters favoured.

Jodie Hughes rode a positive race on Patricktom Boru to lead going out on the final circuit, tracked by Dabinett Moon. The order changed at the penultimate fence where Dabinett Moon put in a good jump and looked to have the race won until an untidy leap at the last let the favourite back in with a chance.

But, it turned out alright in the end, as Dabinett Moon stuck her neck out for another course success.

The only Handicap Hunter Chase of the British season returned after a two-year break. Previously run at Newton Abbot, the contest was hosted by Stratford for the first time and it proved a real thriller with the lead changing hands several times from the second-last fence.

First, Driftwood Pride looked a likely winner, then Swallowshide took over, only for Shane Roche to bring Curraigflemens through approaching the final jump and land the killer blow.

Eight lined up for the Irish Thoroughbred Marketing Point-to-Point Bumper which rounded off the evening, with My Dance, from the Dorset stable of Anthony Honeyball and ridden by champion point-to-point jockey Will Biddick, the odds-on favourite.

Restricted to four, five and six year-olds who have been first or second between the flags this season, My Dance had scored on her sole start at Littlewindsor under Biddick, but he was hard at work on her with half a mile to travel.

At the end, it was Pistol Shoot and Darren Edwards who prevailed by just a head from Askphilmor who, despite losing momentum when jumping a path, put in a storming finish under James King, but couldn’t round off what has been a memorable season for the newly-crowned champion.