NONE of the four hunters’ chases staged in Britain in the period under review, was won by a horse carrying an IRE suffix with the breeding honours being divided equally between Britain and France.

Downpatrick’s David Maxwell was on board the odds-on favourite Stratagem in the two-mile, four-furlong open race at Warwick last Thursday week but that six-year-old son of the Japanese-bred stallion Sunday Break went down by three-parts of a length to fellow French-bred gelding Not That Fuisse.

The latter, a nine-year-old by Fuisse who had won at Fakenham earlier in the month, was ridden by Tristann Durrell for trainer Dan Skelton.

At Newbury the following afternoon, the action got underway with a near three-mile open hunters’ chase in which trainer Fergal O’Brien initiated a double when sending out Ami Desbois to justify favouritism in the hands of Tom Broughton.

The 10-year-old Dream Well gelding scored by two and a quarter lengths from the Will Biddick-partnered Give Me A Copper.

The two British-bred winners scored over similar trips at Kelso on Monday and at Exeter on Tuesday. The first of the pair to strike was the Nick Orpwood-ridden Revoque gelding Takethepunishment who, at the age of 12, kept favourite backers happy when winning the maiden contest at the Scottish track by 19 lengths for trainer Victoria McKie.

The Matthew Hampton-trained Twig also justified favouritism at Exeter. A seven-year-old by Honeysuckle’s sire Sulamani, the 11/10 shot won by two and a quarter lengths in the hands of Beau Morgan.

Irish-breds dominate in Norfolk

THERE were three point-to-points in Britain last Saturday with all six winners at the West Norfolk Foxhounds and North Norfolk Harriers’ meeting at Fakenham having been bred in this country.

Two were ridden by Gina Andrews for trainer/husband Tom Ellis - the eight-year-old Court Cave mare Mammoth (Level 2 conditions race) and the year older Mahler gelding General Arrow (ladies’ open).

The couple’s representative in the concluding maiden, the British-bred favourite Copper Fox, a five-year-old newcomer by Black Sam Bellamy, went down by three lengths to the David Kemp-trained, Alex Chadwick-ridden Stick With It.

This six-year-old Getaway gelding, who was having his third start in Britain, ran three times here last season when trained by Sean Doyle.

There were five Irish-bred winners on the seven-race card at Tranwell where females dominated the training ranks.

The only male to strike was Co Cork-born former jockey Brian Harding who sent out the Lyall Hodgins-ridden Cedar Row to justify odds-on favouritism on his debut in the concluding two-mile bumper for four- and five-year-olds. The 2017 Westerner gelding, who ran in the colours of the late Trevor Hemmings, is out of the Oscar mare Because Of You.

The reigning men’s champion, James King, rode two winners at Bitterley, finishing alone in the mixed open on the Francesca Poste-trained nine-year-old Doyen mare, For Rita.

One of three other Irish-bred winners on the seven-race card was Ballela Sunrise who made a winning debut in the two-mile bumper for four- and five-year-olds.

The 2017 Morozov mare, who was ridden by her owner/trainer Thomas Murray, is out of Tricky Present, by Presenting.

Edgcote

Runners-wise, the best supported of five meetings on Sunday was the Bicester with Whaddon Chase seven-race fixture at Edgcote where Gina Andrews added to her seasonal tally with another double.

She partnered two of the day’s five Irish-bred winners to victory in maidens, landing the two-mile, five-furlong contest for four-year-olds on the Tom Ellis-trained newcomer No Questions Asked (gelding by Ask – Fancy Fashion, by Broken Hearted) and the five-year-old and upwards maiden on the Nigel Padfield-owned and trained Magnetic Zero (2017 gelding by Mahler – And Whatever Else, by Bob Back).

The concluding 10-runner mares’ maiden was won by the Alan Hill-trained, Harry Myddleton-ridden eight-year-old mare Scorpion Lady (by Scorpion – Betty’s A Lady, by Rudimentary) who, previously here with Diarmuid Ryan, was having her second start in Britain.

Bradley Gibbs both rode and trained two winners at this meeting viz the nine-year-old Court Cave gelding Premier Magic (mixed open) and the year younger Aizavoski gelding Dawnie Boy (restricted) while Francesca Poste also saddled two winners, one of them partnered by James King.

Tabley

Briefly elsewhere, Henry Crow partnered four winners at Tabley, three for trainer Tim Garton including the Irish-bred Roevin Star (by Vinnie Roe) who scored twice, landing the members before walking over in the Level 3 conditions race.

There was a walkover also in the four- and five-year-old maiden for the Heidi Brookshaw-trained Soldiers Hour, a 2017 Soldier Of Fortune gelding.

There were five Irish-bred winners on the seven-race card at Andoversford, two of them trained by Fergal O’Brien, including the nine-year-old Presenting gelding Twasn’t The Plan in the maiden.

Will’s walkovers

Will Biddick moved further clear in the men’s championships with two walkover ‘victories’ at Cherrybrook while there were doubles for Will Easterby and Ireland’s Jack Power at Sheriff Hutton.

The featured four-mile, one-furlong mixed open for the Grimthorpe Gold Cup was won by the even-money favourite Point The Way, an 11-year-old Brian Boru gelding trained by Guy Brewer and ridden by Joe Wright.