WADHAM’S WINNING WEEKEND COMPLETE WITH TELEPATHIQUE’S QUEEN BOUDICCA CROWN
Trainer Lucy Wadham’s domination of top prizes at Fakenham continued when Telepathique won the Sky Bet Queen Boudicca Mares’ Chase worth £50,000 on Sunday.
Wadham’s seven-year-old carried 12 stones three pounds under Tom Cannon, but led from start to finish to win at 5/2.
“She was head and shoulders above the rest but had a lot of weight to carry. She was very impressive; it was a good performance,” said Cannon. It was Wadham’s 71st career winner at Fakenham.
Wadham, who enjoyed a double at Ascot on Saturday with Terresita in the bet365 Chase and Jax Junior, said: “We’ve had a wonderful weekend as not only have we had three winners, all of which have been homebreds, but our first grandchild was born.”
Telepathique’s victory came in a pulsating contest marred only by a fall by Micronormous on the flat, which resulted in injury for rider Gearoid Harney.
The concluding bumper was cancelled as the medical team attended to Harney. Clerk of the course David Hunter said: “The incident required the full medical attention of what we had on the course. Because of that, we did not have sufficient medical support to be able to run the final race.
“We didn’t have much time with the sunset when it was, to be able to delay things,” he added.
A stewards’ inquiry into the fall of Micronormous was adjourned with 23-year-old Harney taken to the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital with a head injury.
On a day when more than 40 tractors lined up to show the racecourse’s support for the rural community against the government’s decision to charge inheritance tax on farms, Mermaids Cave produced a 10/1 upset to complete a Fakenham bonus double for trainer James Owen by taking the £25,000 Sky Bet Mares’ Handicap Hurdle.
Winning jockey Ben Bromley said: “She’s a lovely mare. She always travelled nicely and handled the track well,” said Bromley, whose mount ‘scooted away’ to score by three lengths.
Thirty minutes earlier there had been an impressive hurdling debut by 5/4 joint favourite Escapologist, who, under Alex Chadwick made his debut for Owen. The gelding got the better of fellow joint favourite Aviation at the final flight in the Sky Bet Maiden Hurdle.
Veteran Mortens Leam rolled back the years to land the Sky Bet Chase under Harry Reed for trainer Mike Hawker. The 13-year-old, returned at 7/1, won at the course way back in December 2017 when trained by Pam Sly.
Time hasn’t dampened Mortens Leam’s enthusiasm, and he was produced on the inside of Cloudy Wednesday to record a sixth chase success from 34 starts. Despite being beaten, it was a good re-appearance by Cloudy Wednesday, trained at Wymondham by Caroline Fryer.
Favourite backers started well when Mersey Street led from the start to take the Sky Bet Handicap Hurdle. The 2/1 chance never saw a rival to score for the first time, under Richie McLernon for trainer Jonjo O’Neill, the gelding having been runner-up at Fakenham in October.
In the Conditional Jockeys’ Novice Hurdle odds-on Kalif D’Airy was overhauled by Mavis Pike. Trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies’ mare had won at Fakenham in October and under James Turner, survived a poor jump at the last to win at 11/1.
