Exeter Brace!

The stable had a good day yesterday afternoon at Exeter with a couple of winners and a second from our three runners.  I know that it was only a three runner race and he was aboard the 1/9 favourite, but I still thought that young amateur jockey Tom Bellamy gave Soulard a good front running ride.  Take it from me, it is not as easy as it looks to get the fractions right and he didn't panic when one came to him early in the straight - the fact that he was able to pull away again comfortably between the last two showed that he judged it nicely.  Tom already looks more stylish than his father (former jockey and clerk of the course at Towcester) Robert Bellamy.

The stable had a good day yesterday afternoon at Exeter with a couple of winners and a second from our three runners.  I know that it was only a three runner race and he was aboard the 1/9 favourite, but I still thought that young amateur jockey Tom Bellamy gave Soulard a good front running ride.  Take it from me, it is not as easy as it looks to get the fractions right and he didn't panic when one came to him early in the straight - the fact that he was able to pull away again comfortably between the last two showed that he judged it nicely.  Tom already looks more stylish than his father (former jockey and clerk of the course at Towcester) Robert Bellamy.

Soulard wins at Exeter under Tom Bellamy

Robert worked at Pond House back at the end of the 80's and I always remember him carrying a clipboard around the place.  He always looked busy, so one day I stopped him to find out exactly what it was that he had on his clipboard...you guessed it - nothing!  He told me that if you carry a clipboard around it always looks as though you are doing something!

Unfortunately Shallow Bay was unable to turn the form around with Numen in the novices' hurdle as he again filled the runner-up spot behind his old rival, but Tom Scu gave My Brother Sylvest a positive ride to complete the double in the handicap hurdle.  He made every yard of the running and the result never looked to be in doubt as he readily brushed aside the odds-on favourite in the straight.

My Brother Sylvest (Tom Scudamore) completes a double for Pond House

*****

There is a great piece on legendary bookmaker, the late Freddie Williams in the Racing Post.  Can you imagine laying J P McManus bets?  He laid £100,000 on Reveillez that won at 6/1 at the Cheltenham Festival, as well as £5,000 each way on Kadoun at 50/1 (also a winner).  I bet it was quite a long journey home for Freddie that day!  That was the year that he was also robbed on the way to his car and relieved of another £70,000 - when it rains, it pours!  It's a great shame, but there really are no characters like Freddie left on the rails anymore.