The crowds were massive at both Flete Park and Trebudannon. There were queues to drive into the races, queues to get out, queues for ice creams, queues to get a bet on and queues to collect.
The sun shone and the Easter fixtures were a “joy to behold”, as the vicar said on Easter Sunday. He also said that the sun shines on the righteous so I must have done something right as luckily the form worked out well.
I joined the pay out queue as early as the opener at Flete Park. I was going to swerve this five runner hunt race, but 4-5 Skylander was too good to miss. Runner up One Tree Hill (4’s to 2’s) ran well and deserves to win a small race.
I had been impressed by Quintin’s Man at Kilworthy, but he was a bit short (2’s to 5-4 fav) in a good Restricted. He will definitely win more races with experience but couldn’t cope here with Honest Opinion (11-4). King’s Quay (5-2) will be better for the race.
I was afraid of Steel Express (11-8) in the Intermediate, but couldn’t pass over Minimalistic, backed from 5-4 to 4-7 whose Open form at Great Trethew was rock solid.
You can’t win them all and Jeremy Central (4-5) was surprisingly beaten by Alternatif (3-1) in the Conditions. Well done to young Otis Morgan who completed his first riding double.
The nine runner getting out stakes looked a punters minefield, but the ex-Irish Champions Hill (13-2 to 5’s) made all and just held on under Conor Houlihan. Hopefully he will be a nice replacement for the Beilby’s Bridge of Spies. Two others well backed in this race were For Luck (10’s to 6’s) and Hold Me Tight (6’s to 5’s). There were three 7-2 co favourites: Jimmy Tew, who seems to be off the naughty stool nowadays (finished 5th), Oyster Perch (keeps knocking at the door) and Young William (messed about at the start and got a red card). I backed the latter and luckily got a refund.
I really like Easter Mondays at Trebudannon. The atmosphere is second to none and the racing is always worth the trip. Well done to the watering efforts at both Flete and Trebudannon for producing safe ground.
There were 10 bookies to joust with at the Cornish track, and plenty of value to be had thanks to a holiday crowd with fun bets in mind. Anybody who had seen Walkin Out (4-7 to 1-2) demolish her rivals (including two subsequent winners) here last month would have fallen over themselves to get on. She scorched round in the fastest time of the day to beat her two opponents.
No Escape was a surprising 6-4 fav in the two and a half miles Maiden. He had finished fourth in a slowly run Mares Maiden at Kilworthy and occupied the same position here. The winner was Between You and Me (11-4) who gave Josh Newman his 100th pointing winner. He had to be forgiven for a below par run last time, but his second to Spanish Jump at Milborne was the best form on view.
Eric The Third (7-4 to 11-8) in the Conditions event and Footloose (10-11) each justified favouritism in their respective contests, but the plunge on Party Tunes (2’s to 6-5) in the Ladies’ Open was denied by Oistrakh Le Noir who drifted so much (evens out to 11-4) that he merited the best value bet of the day. He won on the bit.
Looking For Larry (6-4 to 11-10 fav) had run with promise in a good Great Trethew Maiden and collared Ask The Lady (2-1) close home in the Restricted to give Jake Bament a treble
Summerleaze (5-4 fav) had also shown considerable promise and was the obvious choice in the concluding 11 runner Maiden. However she finished runner up behind 100-7 outsider Little Peachey after the equally long priced Mykonos Ammos had thrown the race away when making for the exit gate and losing his rider after leading at the last.
Cover Photo Credit: Athwenna Irons/WMN
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