Trainer Chris Honour, based 315 miles from Fakenham, in Ashburton, Devon, was an ‘emotional wreck’ after Time to Bite won the £30,000 Veterans’ Chase at Fakenham’s £150,000 prizemoney Bank Holiday meeting which produced one of the finest days of jump racing seen at the course.
Honour was the jockey on legendary Fakenham winner Cool Roxy in 10 of his 11 victories at the Norfolk course in the early 2000s.
“To win here is amazing. To do this is incredible, just phenomenal,” said Honour, after his 11-year had made all under Bryan Carver to land the Norfolk Community Foundation David Keith Memorial Veterans’ Chase. Victory completed a double for Carver.
“The horse is an absolute rascal but a real star. He has won on all sorts of tracks and ground conditions,” added Honour, about the 5/1 winner who always looked like holding off outsider Mars Harper.
If that victory was emotional, it was matched when Tommie Beau won the £25,000 Chestnut Group Norfolk National under Ben Macey for trainer Seamus Mullins.
Tommie Beau, at 9/2, held off hat-trick seeking Esperti and last year’s winner Stan’s The Man to lift the prize as he had four years earlier.
Owner Simon Prout was his enthusiastic self after the win. “He’s an exceptional horse. He’s come back to what we think is the best racecourse in the country and won the title he won in 2022. We love Fakenham,” he enthused.
The £50,000 feature Chestnut Group Fakenham Grand Prix Hurdle fittingly went to the Lucy Wadham trained Rialannah.
Wadham rarely fails to register a victory at Fakenham and her mare followed up a recent course success, under Gavin Sheehan, returned the 11/2 winner of the £26,000 first prize.
“Gavin did a great job. She’s a lovely mare and a pleasure to train,” said Wadham. Rialannah had failed to win in 16 starts before joining Wadham’s Newmarket stable but held off the closing pack to land back-to-back course victories.
Mighty Fleur, under champion jockey Sean Bowen, made up for defeat at Haydock by making every yard in the Heritage House Mares’ Maiden Hurdle. Beaten a neck at Haydock, there were no dramas as the 11/10 favourite, trained by Mickey Bowen, scored in style.
Best Women, a seven-year-old grey, finished second over hurdles at Fakenham recently, and over fences soared to success in the Norfolk Wildlife Trust Centenary Mares’ Chase under Carver, for trainer Alex Hales, returned at 11/1.
Jack Quinlan, on his 34th birthday, rode the Matt Crawley trained 4/1 chance Pottersmattyeeehaa to success in the opening Each the Nook Novices’ Hurdle and completed a double by bookending the card, winning the Break Mares’ Hurdle with Dartmouth Rose.
It was a third victory at Fakenham for Dartmouth Rose, returned at 15/8 ahead of outsider Masonbrook Meadow, allowing trainer Crawley to collect a Fakenham Double Up reward.
