Llangadog Races Kicks off Season
The traditional start of the season with Llangadog playing host, was another successful afternoon of sun shining on some exciting racing providing a welcome taste of the coming season. The all weather track at Tai’r Gwaith in the Amman Valley of Carmarthenshire was in superb condition with fast times being the order of the day. With the early spring, the horses all looked in wonderful condition and the racing certainly lived up to the spectators’ anticipation.
As usual the nursery race was the first on the card with the inexperienced horses providing a good opener, the well respected Greenhill Cliff driven by Mark Evans from Brecon and owned by teenager Dale Williams from Brecon was first over the line from a young driver Jason Munro from Bridgend with his own Hafod Tyson while Bills Mate owned and driven by local man Richard Booth was third.
The two Novice heats were the next event, in the first it was the back marker Tricksters Dream driven by Derek Pritchard for the Flint family from Bridgend who claimed first prize, from the black mare Luck Matters belonging to the Roach family from Llanybydder while Fold Eventful (Jones, Church Stretton) was third. It was Alpine Heights in the Davies stable from Kington who took the second heat, with Lee Morris at the controls, in second was The Crusader (Greenway Michaelchurch Eskley) with True Grit and Janet Thomas from Tregroes in third.
The biggest fields of the day were in the Grade A with the first heat providing a well earned win for Louisa Barton on the old favourite Bon Bethan (Weigel Llanddewi Velfrey) beating husband Rob on new horse Blackfield Buddy (Barton Clunderwen) into second while last year’s winner Wellfield Xpense (Langford Ludlow) was third. Lee Morris claimed a second winner driving Scoobys Dream (Lloyd Kington) in the second heat followed by Meadowbranch Mike (Jones, Llanllwni) with the grey Live the Dream (Tibby Cornwall) in third.
The impeccably bred Fold be Nimble took the honours in the Grade B, ably assisted by Joe Know for Martha Perks from Presteigne, while Saunders Playboy(Pritchard, Rhosgoch) had to settle for second place with Blackfield Willy (Barton Clunderwen) in third.
In the Baby Novice race the aptly named Hold the Cards provided his young owners the Williams family from Pencader with their first official win beating newcomer Highbrooks Impress (Probert Merthyr) while Brywins Jo Jo (Jones Ammanford) was third.
The Dash is always a favourite as the horses sprint from gate to tape. It was the little homebred East of Eden (Pritchard, Rhosgoch) trained by their grandson Jacob, driven as usual by Derek Pritchard who passed the post first from Blackfield Willy (Barton Clunderwen) with fast finishing Serenity (Jones, Llanllwni) in third.
The Novice Final was another competitive race with the grey Alpine Heights providing Lee Morris with his third win of the day, for new owner Ivan Davies from Kington, in second was the back marker Tricksters Dream (Flint Porthcawl) while Fold Eventful (Jones Church Stretton) came in third.
The finale as usual was the Grade A final and it proved a fitting end to a wonderful afternoon of racing with the first two horses locked in combat down the home straight. It was new recruit Blackfield Buddy (Barton Clunderwen) with Robert Barton aboard who claimed the verdict from Scoobys Dream (Lloyd Kington) on a scintillating run, while Bon Bethan (Weigel Llanddewi Velfrey) was third.
Detailed Results
Race 1 - Nursery | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Position | Horse Name | Handicap | Prize | |
1 | Greenhill Cliff | Gate | £0 | |
2 | Hafod Tyson | Gate | £0 | |
3 | Bills Mate | Gate | £0 | |
4 | Ayr Miracle | Gate | £0 | |
5 | Ithon Hope | Gate | £0 | |
Time: 2.186 | ||||
Race 2 - Baby Novice | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Position | Horse Name | Handicap | Prize | |
1 | Hold The Cards | Gate | £60 | |
2 | Highbrooks Impress | 20 | £30 | |
3 | Brywins Jo Jo | 20 | £15 | |
4 | Nimbles Dream | 10 | £0 | |
5 | Glan Dancer | Gate | £0 | |
6 | Dragon Fly | Gate | £0 | |
Time: 2.122 | ||||
Race 3 - Novice H1 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Position | Horse Name | Handicap | Prize | |
1 | Tricksters Dream | 20 | £30 | |
2 | Luck Matters | Gate | £20 | |
3 | Fold Eventful | Gate | £10 | |
4 | Bon Hasty | Gate | £0 | |
5 | Brywins Badlands | 20 | £0 | |
Time: 2.091 | ||||
Race 4 - Novice H2 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Position | Horse Name | Handicap | Prize | |
1 | Alpine Heights | 10 | £30 | |
2 | The Crusader | Gate | £20 | |
3 | True Grit II | Gate | £10 | |
4 | Clares Own | 10 | £0 | |
5 | Cross Current | Gate | £0 | |
Time: 2.079 | ||||
Race 5 - Novice Final | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Position | Horse Name | Handicap | Prize | |
1 | Alpine Heights | 10 | £75 | |
2 | Tricksters Dream | 20 | £30 | |
3 | Fold Eventful | Gate | £15 | |
4 | Clares Own | 10 | £0 | |
5 | Luck Matters | Gate | £0 | |
6 | True Grit II | Gate | £0 | |
F | The Crusader | Gate | £0 | |
Time: 2.073 | ||||
Race 6 - Grade B | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Position | Horse Name | Handicap | Prize | |
1 | Fold Be Nimble | Gate | £300 | |
2 | Saunders Playboy | Gate | £70 | |
3 | Blackfield Willy | Gate | £30 | |
4 | Ithon Cracker | 10 | £0 | |
5 | C U Boykin | 10 | £0 | |
Time: 2.029 | ||||
Race 7 - Grade A H1 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Position | Horse Name | Handicap | Prize | |
1 | Bon Bethan | Gate | £30 | |
2 | Blackfield Buddy | Gate | £20 | |
3 | Wellfield Xpense | Gate | £10 | |
4 | Ithon Ace | Gate | £0 | |
5 | Serenity | Gate | £0 | |
6 | Carl Hall | 10 | £0 | |
7 | Shermanator Sam | Gate | £0 | |
Time: 2.046 | ||||
Race 8 - Grade A H2 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Position | Horse Name | Handicap | Prize | |
1 | Scoobys Dream | 30 | £30 | |
2 | Meadowbranch Mike | 10 | £20 | |
3 | Live the Dream | 10 | £10 | |
4 | Ithon Eagle | 20 | £0 | |
5 | Bellieve | 30 | £0 | |
6 | Vodka Express | 10 | £0 | |
7 | Mahogany Duke | 50 | £0 | |
Time: 2.028 | ||||
Race 9 - Grade A Final | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Position | Horse Name | Handicap | Prize | |
1 | Blackfield Buddy | Gate | £500 | |
2 | Scoobys Dream | 30 | £70 | |
3 | Bon Bethan | Gate | £30 | |
4 | Wellfield Xpense | Gate | £0 | |
5 | Meadowbranch Mike | 10 | £0 | |
6 | Ithon Ace | Gate | £0 | |
7 | Ithon Eagle | 20 | £0 | |
Time: 2.064 | ||||
Race 10 - Dash | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Position | Horse Name | Handicap | Prize | |
1 | East of Eden | Gate | £85 | |
2 | Blackfield Willy | Gate | £40 | |
3 | Serenity | 20 | £20 | |
4 | Vodka Express | 30 | £0 | |
5 | Boomshakalakka | Gate | £0 | |
Time: 1.355 | ||||