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After being hit by 70mph winds from Storm Malik on Saturday which blew down the wings at several fences and sections of running rail,
the weather gods were smiling on the Ratcheugh Farm course near Alnwick on Sunday for the Percy Point-to-Point
fixture which produced some high quality action on near perfect ground that hadn't been raced on since March 2020.
The champion trainer/jockey combination of Tom Ellis and wife, Gina Andrews supplemented Saturday's Horseheath double
with a short-priced treble at the North Northumberland venue courtesy of Kalabaloo, Latenightfumble and Arctic Oscar.
Kalabaloo (Right) set the ball rolling for the record-breaking duo with her fifth win from as many visits to Alnwick in the Form Properties Conditions Race.
Ridden more prominently than usual, Shona Westrope's 10-year-old mare exchanged the lead
with Frankies Fire (Lyall Hodgins) on the final circuit before taking command from two out to win, going away, by eight lengths.
Ellis said: ''She is so laid back and not getting
any faster with age but is ideally suited by this stayers track.''
Gina added: ''Apart from putting the brakes on at the first fence,
she jumped well and that was the easiest of her five
wins here.'' Not many mares can match the strike rate of Kalabaloo,
who has won 9 of her 12 Pointing starts since joining
the Ellis yard in 2017 and also landed a Cheltenham Mares Hunters' Chase in May 2019.''
Latenightfumble (Left) relished the step up in trip when winning the Ryecroft Glenton Restricted Race in impressive style from Teescomponents Boy (John Dawson). After taking it up at the eighth, Gina's mount was never headed and only had to be
shaken up after the last to score by six lengths.
Ellis said of the 7-year-old Malinas mare: ''She is from a slow maturing family and is physically stronger this season than she has ever been.
She cantered home without coming off the bridle today and we'll look for a suitable IntermediateRace for her next time.''
Former Irish pointer, Arctic Oscar (Right,Red) looked a cut above average when getting off the mark on only her second start
for the Ellis yard in the MKM Building Supplies (Alnwick) Maiden Race.
Always travelling well behind the leaders in a strongly-run affair, the 6-year-old produced a great jump at the last
to head Courting Flow (Christy Furness) and found plenty when the chips were down to win by two lengths in a good time.
Ellis said: ''She hadn't done much work at home prior to finishing second at Horseheath on December 31 where we diagnosed
a breathing issue. She underwent a soft palate operation two days later and has shown a lot of improvement here.''
Arctic Oscar was bred at Derwent Dene Farm, Ebchester and, unknown to them at the time,
the Ellis horsebox was only 10 miles from there as it headed north on the A1 past the Metrocentre.
This was Tom's 21st winner of the 2021/22 campaign, his best ever start to a season,
while Gina's career tally under all codes is 392, comprising 314 between the flags and 78 under Rules.
It might well have been a four-timer for the yard had odds-on favourite, Latenightpass not fallen at the last when still one length in front of Red Indian ( Left,Alice Stevens).
The 9-year-old was travelling strongly and hadn't been asked a question
when he took off outside the wing and paid the penalty. Gina received a kick from
Billy Bronco (Emily Grice) while she was down on the floor
but eventually hobbled back and rode her last two winners with a dead leg.
After being left in front, former 145-rated chaser Red Indian quickened clear on the flat to beat Looking Well (Charlotte Tailford) by five lengths and preserve his unbeaten record at Alnwick. This was a fourth win from 8 rides in January
for Stevens, 23, and took her career tally between the flags to 35. She said of the 10-year-old: ''He felt like his old self again and it would have been very close if Latenightpass had stood up,'' while in-form Waltham-on-the-Wolds trainer, Kelly Morgan, who
was saddling her ninth winner from 19 runners this term, confirmed that her charge will remain in this grade and not go hunter chasing.
Monbeg Chit Chat ( Right,Christy Furness) extended his unbeaten Pointing run to four in the Sintons Law Men's Open Race.
After a prolonged duel with Cuneo (John Dawson) from three out, Christy's mount was more fluent at the last but had to pull
out all the stops on the run-in to secure a one length verdict in the best time of the day.The 11-year-old's owner,
Grania Furness said: ''He has come on for his seasonal debut at Sheriff Hutton a fortnight ago and we'll look for a suitable hunters' chase next time.''
The concluding Joiners Arms Point-to-Point Flat Race over two miles was a competitive affair with
some well-bred debutants among the 9 runners and the right ones were involved at the business end.
The pace quickened down the far side a mile from home as Bray Dale (Below,white cap )and Top Cloud, both carrying the well known
emerald green and yellow colours of the late Trevor Hemmings, started to make eye-catching headway after being patiently ridden
to that point. They had the race between them more than a furlong from home
but just as Top Cloud (Joe Wright) seemed to be getting the better of the argument,
Bray Dale (Lyall Hodgins) found another gear inside the last fifty yards to snatch victory
by a head, with the promising Tokyo Calling (Nick Orpwood) a further five lengths away in third.Hodgins said of the 5-year-old:
''He is still very green and was looking around a bit in the home straight but took off near the finish and I had a job to pull him up.''
Winning trainer and former top Northern jumps jockey, Brian Harding, who is based near Penrith,
added: ''I rode a lot of winners for Trevor and it's an honour to train one in his colours, especially a home-bred.
I broke him in last yearand was very impressed with the way he went through the line.''
