Over the stable door: My winged wonder wins and all’s right with the world

My luck has taken an upward turn. It seems to arrive with the spring grass every year and when the sun emergres from hibernation my horses start winning again.

Walking away from my pulverising fall last week was the first sign. God must have be feeling lenient. I have been in lesser falls and come out far worse.

Four days later, I cajoled Winged Farasi past the post to win a hurdle race at Carlisle by less than a length, his first run for three months. My type of coaxing wasn’t quite what the stewards had in mind as they handed me a five-day ban afterwards for overuse of the whip. It is the first of my career and runs over next weekend. Good job I don’t have a ride in the Grand National lined up.

I believe the owners slapped him harder in the winner’s enclosure than I did during the race – they were delighted.

At 25-1, it turns out they have virtually paid off their mortgages with the money they won.

My father Peter leased his horse Gunner Snow to the Yorkshire Point to Point Club after they lost one recently. Better known as “Gunner be Slow” by my staff due to him being so lazy when it comes to doing his work, I took him hunting last week in an attempt to improve his fitness.

The five hours spent cantering around the Middleton Wold’s must have done the trick. He won first time out at the Ripon point on Sunday to the surprise of us all and the delight of the syndicate.

Dad’s first winner was celebrated in a packed sponsors’ tent afterwards. He ended up serving behind the bar with one of the Bramham’s longest suffering and loyal supporters, Sue Burnell – a lady who deserves to have her name above the door at the Rovers Return pub.

After misplacing his glasses, Peter’s measures became incredibly generous, especially to the club members and anyone who admitted backing his horse. Little did the hunt committee realise their profits would take such a downward spiral when Gunner won that day.

Since losing Wetherby as a pointing venue in 2004, the Bramham and Badsworth have struggled to find a suitable course within their country. Settling for courses spread far and wide has seen support from both sponsors and hunt members dramatically dwindle leaving an uncertain future for them.

Thankfully, they may have found the ideal place at Ripon in which to rekindle the success they once commanded. The course is well situated, in a perfect catchment area and has an extremely sociable, well organised layout.

Helped by glorious sunshine the viewing from the car park fence was better than most tracks and the committee have plans to improve it further.

The jockeys’ opinion was “excellent”. Safe, quick jumping ground allowed horses suited to faster conditions to find form. The fences were well placed thanks to ex- jockeys arranging the course (with only one faller) I was rather surprised and disappointed there were not more runners for the large crowd watching.

Support for our struggling local meetings should be a priority if we expect them to survive this cold climate.

Spare a thought for our reigning Yorkshire Champion.

Chris Dawson travelled four hours to a meeting in Lanarkshire last week and ended his day in Glasgow hospital. He suffered a nasty tumble resulting in a dislocated hip. Two doctors tried and failed to manipulate it in to place.

At this stage, his leg had turned blue and he was at risk of losing it, so they were forced to operate. Happily, Chris is now on the mend but will miss the rest of the season unable to defend his title.

His brother John is left at home holding the fort – or rather the mucking out fork – with 20 horses and 1,500 sheep to care for.