It was the eighth race in the series of 12 qualifiers for the prestigious Dodson & Horrell Point-to-Point Owners and Riders Association (PPORA) Club Members Novice Riders Series. The recent rain meant the going was good to soft, with soft patches becoming soft but this didn’t stop the runners and race goers from having a good day out.
The winner was Ballycarry, a 10 year old bay gelding ridden, owned and trained by Catherine Adam, the combination chased down the favourite who faded at the last to win by eight lengths. Qoubilai trained by Thomas Messenger, owned by Ivan Crane and Jimmy King ridden by Lottie Crane who likes a front run led from the start but had not run for nearly a year and tired dramatically in the approach to the last and came third. Festival Bound ridden by Karen Gowing owned by Mr C. J. Underwood and trained by Sandra Fryer came in second; they have already qualified last weekend at Brafield-On-The-Green, Northamptonshire for the Dodson & Horrell PPORA Novice Riders Series final. Campbonnais ridden by Sam Lee owned and trained by William Wales came in fourth.
The top four qualify for the much coveted Dodson & Horrell PPORA Novice Riders Series final in May 2016, which for the first time is to be held at Garthorpe near Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire. The new venue boasts a central location and Garthorpe has a sound reputation for producing good ground, even in a dry spring and its watering system is a key factor in achieving that aim.
Richard Horrell, Chairman at Dodson & Horrell who presented the prizes on Saturday commented, “Dodson & Horrell is now in its 29th year of sponsoring the Series and it gets more competitive each season. We are looking forward to some exciting racing with four more qualifiers before the final.”
