Pete ends eventful night for Fox in style; CARLISLE SATURDAY
0 Comments | Racing Post (London, England), The, July 7, 2008
Byline: by Colin Russell
IT was an eventful evening for apprentice Dominic Fox. He had two rides on the card, had a horrible experience on the first of them, Mchepple in the seller, but won on the second.
Mchepple proved reluctant to canter to the start, and with his feet out of the irons, and with some help from the ground, Fox was doing his best to persuade her.
Suddenly she took off, flat out out down the Carlisle hill. With long reins, and his feet out of the irons, for a few seconds it looked a situation fraught with danger for Fox.
Forunately he kept his balance as she lurched, and after gradually gathering his reins, he then coolly set about getting his feet into the irons, which is no easy task downhill at full gallop.
He succeeded and was thereafter gradually able to ease the filly to a more sensible pace before they reached the start.
“She wanted to do the opposite to what I was asking her. She’s a bit like that, a typical female,” said the rider.
After her antics it was no surprise that Mchepple finished last of seven in a contest that went to the William Muir-trained One Night In May, who had failed to beat a rival in two previous starts, and was afterwards sold to local businessman Andrew Tinkler for 7,000gns.
Some two hours later, it was a very different story for Fox because he gained a well-deserved win when guiding Mister Pete home to take the 2m maiden handicap for owner-trainer Wilf Storey.
The winner had already scored over hurdles, but his trainer will keep him to the Flat for the time being.
“He injured himself when he won at Kelso, and it’s taken time to get him right, so I think we’ll stick to the Flat for the present,” he said.
Earlier Wind Shuffle, who got off the mark with a course-and-distance win last month, followed up to take the spoils in a thrilling race for the 1m handicap.
In a race run in driving rain, he was partnered by Danny Tudhope for trainer Jim Goldie to a shorthead success over Celtic Step after having a good tussle through the last quarter-mile. “He seems to like it here,” said the winning trainer.
Mark Johnston took the juvenile maiden auction with Metroland. Sent off favourite at 6-5, she gave her supporters an early scare when she stumbled leaving the stalls, but soon recovered and, making most of the running, ran on to score by half a length for Joe Fanning to become one of her trainer’s four winners on the day.
Miss Daawe, trained by Brian Ellison, gained her second win of the season, and the second of her career, when landing the apprentice handicap by a head in the hands of Lance Betts, and the Kevin Ryan-train Horatio Carter broke his duck with an easy win under Robert Winston in the 7f handicap.
It proved a busy night for the stewards for they suspended three of the six winning riders for using their whip with excessive frequency
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