Huntingdon Winner!

Another day, another runner and another winner!  David sent just the one runner, Prideofthecastle up to Huntingdon yesterday for the 2m4 1/2f handicap hurdle.  It was a good effort from the course to secure decent prize money, with that race worth over £12,000 to the winner.  Prideofthecastle produced a taking performance to make all under Tom Scudamore - he had most of the field in trouble from a fair way out and was always doing enough to hang on by 4 lengths from Art Professor.  He could be very exciting once sent over the larger obstacles, although on this showing he could still win a few more over hurdles!

It is David's 41st birthday today so I would imagine that all of the staff will be given an easy time...he will probably let them all go home early!  Many happy returns David.

There are just two meetings taking place this aftenoon - a jumps card at Kempton and an all-weather flat fixture at Wolverhampton.  The stable has two interesting runners at Kempton - Baltimore Rock and Smiles For Miles.  Our Irish point-to-point import Smiles For Miles makes his handicap debut this afternoon in the 2m5f handicap hurdle - the trip should suit, although he is burdened with topweight of 11-12.

It is also conditional jockey Kieron Edgar's birthday today - he is 20 and he comes in for a nice ride aboard Baltimore Rock in the 1.30pm race.  Who knows, it would be nice if we could have a birthday winner for trainer and jockey?!

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Ilva Westcott (pictured right) has sadly passed away at the age of 86.  She was very well known and warmly regarded around the local racecourses and ran the ever-popular South West Racing Club with her husband Bryan who formed the Club in 1979 with Michael Ayres.

You would often see Ilva running the Racing Club kiosk at the race tracks in the area where you would be able to get race cards, books and Injured Jockeys’ Fund Christmas cards as well as information on all of their exciting upcoming trips and excursions.

Ilva and Bryan had known each other since they were only five years old, although they didn’t necessarily know it back in those days.  It wasn’t until looking through school photographs years later that they realised they were in the same class!  They were married for 62 happy years until Bryan passed away in 2011.

Bryan and Ilva had been great supporters of Martin and David throughout their careers, in the early days with a good horse called Flying Officer who won five times for them and took them to Royal Ascot and more recently with winning hurdler Idian Mix.

The funeral took place yesterday and it was a lovely service for Ilva with lots of racing club friends in attendance as well as relatives including her nephew Gordon who had travelled far to be there.  Martin was sat with Terry and Norman, the owners of a former Pond House inmate Palladium Boy who won twice at Bangor and Market Rasen back in 1998.  He also had a long chat with Colin and Trish Perry who said that Ilva had told them many stories about us.

Ilva and Bryan (pictured together, left) will be fondly remembered – they both contributed so much to the racing community in this area and their presence will be greatly missed.  Our thoughts are with Ilva’s family at this sad time.

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I see that the racing on the snow and ice at St Moritz is about to start up again.  They tell me that it is a brilliant occasion and while we did have a runner, Gold Service in 1990 sadly I was unable to attend.  Susie was the lucky one who was able to go with the horse - there were plenty of drinks on hand...I think she wanted to stay!

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I really do feel terrible for those people who have been affected by the floods.  Somerset and in particular The Levels have been particularly badly hit - an area the size of Brisol has been underwater for several weeks now.  As usual, the government seems to do nothing until it is far too late.  What about the railway lines falling into the sea at Dawlish?  I see there were plans and money to move the railway around Dawlish in the 1930's but as usual, it was never done.