Most
impressive winner at the Banwen Miners Bank Holiday
meeting which
attracted the usual big crowd who incidentally were on their best behaviour
this year-was Dai Rees's five-year-old bay gelding
Rimini which won the intermediate race by an
official four lengths from Failte Arais.
Never
off the bridle, Rimini, the youngest horse in
the race, gave John Mathias'
his 27th win of the season and was winning for the third time. Bought from
Mark Gichero, this Irish-bred horse will eventually,according
to his amicable owner/trainer Dai Rees, run under
Rules.
The
Ladies' Open
race was a real thriller with less than two lengths covering the first three
home. First past the post after making all the running was Fruitfull
Citizen well ridden by Lucy Jones who
wasn't sure that she had just held on.
Lucy and her husband Simon ( take a look at their website www.cleddauracing.co.uk
) bought the mare from a Horse and Hound
advertisement in 2006.
The
runner-up was Warsaw Pact (Isabel Tompsett)
which had earlier walked over under John Norman
for the members' race.Third place went to the favourite Petit
Lord (Angela Rucker).
Rimini & John Mathias
However, the day's riding honours went to Mike Byrne who rode his first ever double on Overlut (men's open) and Princesse De Rome ( restricted). The former made all to win by four lengths from Misamon and the latter won in similar style coming home eight lengths ahead of Bless Me Father with the odds-on Frenchfurze Lad a further ten lengths away in third place.
Mike
was fined £40 by the stewards after failing to weigh-in after finishing
fourth on Kimi in the restricted won by Mister Trigger.
Owned by Mr Bert-Llewellin, and ridden by his
daughter Ruth, Mister Trigger's task was made
easier when the favourite Clover Rock (John Mathias),
who was disputing the lead, came down at the penultimate fence. Mister
Trigger was bred by the owner's cousin Derrick
Llewellin who back in 1959 won a division of the Lady Dudley Cup on
Clover Bud which later went on to win the Welsh
Gand National with David Nicholson in the saddle.
