A LARGE crowd of 4,000 people had their money’s worth at Chipley Park, near Wellington, on Sunday when 106 runners contested the eight races, writes Granville-Taylor.

Six times national leading point-to-point jockey Will Biddick took the riding honours with a treble to add to his Larkhill win the previous day.

The Biddick treble was initiated with a supremely confident ride on 14-1 outsider Imogen’s Thunder in the Exeter Racecourse Intermediate event. Wendy Jarrett’s gelding, trained by Mary Tory in Dorset, is a likely candidate for the racecourse final of the Intermediate series.

Promising six-year-olds Raging Fire and Crown of Thorns completed a good day for the rider when successful in their divisions of the Open Maiden.

In Arrears – Darren Edwards – battled on well to hold Pancrace in a maximum 16-runner field for the Restricted. “She didn’t handle the bottom bend and I was outjumped over the fences in the straight, but she stayed on really well,” said the winning rider.

The classy Virak landed odds of 4-5 under Natalie Parker in a competitive Mixed Open, just outstaying Navanman. Virak is likely to try to repeat last year’s success in a valuable hunter chase at Haydock Park. It was good to see his trainer Rose Loxton back in action after nasty injuries she suffered late last year.

Millie Wonnacott steered home her mother’s veteran pointer Heaney in the 15-runner Novice Riders’ race. Double Captain, unbeaten in his last four starts, chased the winner up the home straight to finish second.

Another large field lined up for the Mares’ Maiden, where the winner, George’s Legacy, given a bold ride by Kieren Buckley, was always holding his rivals up the final climb.

Another front-running performance saw the useful ex-chaser Jack Snipe under Shane Quinlan win the Hunt race at the expense of last year’s winner Whenharrymetsally.