First hurdles win for classy Bourgeois (From Gazette & Herald)

First hurdles win for classy Bourgeois

AFTER losing both days of its traditional New Year fixture, due to frost, Catterick got its show back on the road last week and, as well as providing an interesting afternoon's racing, gave the spectators the full range of British winter weather - in three hours.

The first race was run in glorious sunshine and provided the opportunity for Tim Easterby's useful stayer Bourgeois to register his first win over hurdles - at the second attempt.

After a somewhat disappointing debut at Wetherby, the seven-year-old had much too strong a hand for his rivals here and ran out a convincing six-length winner.

In the following race, Wuxi Venture, from Richard Fahey's Musley Bank yard, came out on top in an eventful contest. After jumping really well, the horse survived a jumping mistake at the last fence to win from Farlington, with the favourite, Mick Easterby's Super Sammy, a well-beaten third.

By this time, sunshine had given way to rain and the final contest of the day, in which Richard Fahey's Classical Ben gave his trainer and jockey Padge Whelan a double, was run in semi-darkness and a blizzard.

Richard also trained Hout Bay, who dead-heated on the all-weather track at Southwell the same afternoon.

Wetherby's Saturday meeting was touch and go until the last minute.

The heavy rain left parts of the course waterlogged in midweek, but a dry, windy Friday cleared the course and racing went ahead, but only after two inspections.

The afternoon's main contest, the Tote Exacta Steeplechase, was won by Keiran, who was also successful over this course and distance in November.

One of Harry Hogarth's small string, trained at Stillington, Keiran gives the impression that he could well score again in long distance chases.

Updated: 09:46 Wednesday, January 21, 2004