All the fun of the Fayre: Fruit Fayre romps to victory
Hadnall trainer Sheila Crow has pencilled in the John Corbett Cup at Stratford next for Fruit Fayre after the mare won the Men's Open at the South Shropshire Hunt point-to-point at a packed Eyton-on-Severn yesterday.[gallery]
Fruit Fayre cruised in by a distance under Paddy Gerety from John Smith Maxwell aboard Piment D'Esruval, writes Arthur Shone.
Crow said: "She is improving all the time. She has to have plenty of races as she gets so stressed, it is a way of cooling her down.
"She will run next at Stratford in the John Corbett Cup. It would be nice to win the race again after Lord Harry and My Flora in the past, and it would nice for the owner Robin Lewis to win a race like this as well."
Only two of the four runners finished. De Forgotten Man, from the in-form Phil Rowley yard at Bridgnorth, was still in contention when falling four out.
Shales Rock, owned and trained by Caroline Robinson at Sherrifhales, sprang an 80-1 shock when winning a hunter chase at Stratford earlier in the season.
In the Ladies Open at Eyton he was 4-7 on and, despite a couple of blunders, won again with the trainer's daughter Immy in the saddle. Jane Williams, from Enville, was riding course specialist Glidewell who may have got closer if he had pinged the last.
Trainer Robinson said: "Immy had to sit tight after a couple of mistakes. The main thing is they got around, which is a relief."
Bravery Scotch was a prolific winner of hunter chases and points when trained by Paul Jones at Burnhill Green. Now with Zoe Hammond at Abberley, he won the Confined with his 43-year-old rider and owner Barnaby Shaw aboard. They beat course specialist Lord Louis from Phil Jones' yard at Welshpool, by three lengths.
The two and a half mile Maiden went to Cheshire trainer Ollie Greenall's Spitfire Ace under a very confident ride from Ed Glassonbury. The combination won unchallenged by 15 lengths from Cressage jockey Alex Edwards aboard Overplan.
Greenall and Glassonbury completed a double in the Restricted with Our Crusade, with the line coming just in time to fend off the fast-finishing Pillbox under Jane Williams. The winner is owned by the Ridgeway Racing Club syndicate.
One of syndicate members is David Bostock, who co-owns Vincesson with Pip Harney, the former master of the North Shropshire Hunt. Their horse won the Open Maiden under Josh Guerriero despite idling in front after taking up the running two out.
