Robert And Evan On A High At Taunton Races

Chepstow’s Robert Stephens and Cowbridge’s Evan Williams both saddled winners at Taunton (writes Brian Lee).

Stephens, like Williams a former amateur rider, won the Invest South West Handicap Hurdle with Beltor, who was racing in public for the first time in 624 days, and Williams scored with recent winner Railroad Junkie in the Age UK Somerset Handicap Chase.

Beltor, ridden by TJ O’Brien and a 5-1 chance, won by three parts of a length from the well fancied  Evan Williams trained Gwalia and Railway Junkie, well supported at odds of 5-2, won by two-and-three-quarter lengths from the Oliver Sherwood trained Broughtons Rhythm.

https://twitter.com/TauntonRacing/status/1079400077557465088

Hudson Yard, a four-year-old filly who scored at Chaddesley Corbett, has unofficially become AP McCoy’s first trained winner of a point-to-point.

The daughter of Yeats was listed in the racecard as being owned and trained by Ciaran O’Brien, who is head groom at McCoy’s Lambourn yard. 

However, O’Brien gave the credit to 20-times champion Jump jockey McCoy.

“This is the first horse we’ve run in a point-to-point and didn’t want to over-do the publicity so she ran in my name, but AP has done all the work on her,” he said.

https://twitter.com/TauntonRacing/status/1079384375526129667

“She was difficult when she first came to us, but from the moment we started schooling her she changed completely.

“We’re running a pre-training yard, but it’s quieter in the middle of winter so we decided to have a couple of pointers to keep things ticking over – we’ve got this one and a five-year-old called It Might Work who could be running next month.”

2019 Point to Point fixtures:

JANUARY

Sunday 6

LARKHILL RACING CLUB

LARKHILL, WILTSHIRE

Sunday 6

WEST PERCY

ALNWICK, NORTHUMBERLAND

Sunday 13

DUNSTON HARRIERS

AMPTON, SUFFOLK

Sunday 13

NORTH CORNWALL

WADEBRIDGE, CORNWALL

Sunday 13

YORKSHIRE AREA POINT-TO-POINT CLUB

SHERIFF HUTTON, YORKSHIRE

Saturday 26

ROYAL ARTILLERY

LARKHILL, WILTSHIRE

Sunday 27

HEYTHROP

COCKLEBARROW, GLOUCESTERSHIRE

Sunday 27

JEDFOREST

FRIARS HAUGH, BORDERS

Sunday 27

MIDLANDS AREA CLUB

THORPE LODGE

Sunday 27

NORTH NORFOLK HARRIERS

HIGHAM, SUFFOLK

Sunday 27

TIVERTON

CHIPLEY PARK, SOMERSET

FEBRUARY

Saturday 2

THURLOW

HORSEHEATH, CAMBRIDGESHIRE

Sunday 3

PERCY

ALNWICK, NORTHUMBERLAND

Sunday 3

SOUTH DORSET

MILBORNE ST ANDREW, DORSET

Saturday 9

CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY DRAGHOUNDS

COTTENHAM, CAMBRIDGESHIRE

Sunday 10

ALBRIGHTON & WOODLAND (NORTH)

CHADDESLEY CORBETT, WORCESTERSHIRE

Sunday 10

SINNINGTON

DUNCOMBE PARK, YORKSHIRE

Sunday 10

VINE & CRAVEN

BARBURY RACECOURSE, WILTSHIRE

Sunday 10

WESTERN

WADEBRIDGE, CORNWALL

Saturday 16

BROCKLESBY

BROCKLESBY PARK

Sunday 17

COMBINED SERVICES

LARKHILL, WILTSHIRE

Sunday 17

CURRE & LLANGIBBY

HOWICK, GWENT

Sunday 17

SIR W. W. WYNN’S

BANGOR-ON-DEE, WREXHAM

Sunday 17

SOUTH EAST HUNTS CLUB

CHARING, KENT

Sunday 17

SOUTH POOL HARRIERS

BUCKFASTLEIGH, DEVON

Sunday 24

COTTESMORE

GARTHORPE

Sunday 24

COUNTRYSIDE ALLIANCE CLUB (WESSEX)

BADBURY RINGS, DORSET

Sunday 24

EAST CORNWALL

GREAT TRETHEW, CORNWALL

Sunday 24

ROSS HARRIERS

MONMOUTH SHOWGROUND

Sunday 24

TYNEDALE

CORBRIDGE, NORTHUMBERLAND

Sunday 24

WAVENEY HARRIERS

HIGHAM, SUFFOLK

Sunday 24

WEST OF YORE

ASKHAM BRYAN COLLEGE, YORKSHIRE