Sunday, 1 July 2007
Ardent Spy
When I was still at school back in the early eighties my mum used to pick me up at the end of the day and she always brought the Sporting Life and the Sporting Chronicle for me to read on the way back home.
I always used to follow jockeys like John Francome, Lester Piggott and my friend the National Hunt rider Roy Davies who used to ride horses like Milliondollarman, Jo Colombo, Casbah, Pearlyman (in his early races) etc. As a matter of interest Roy Davies's last winner was Crowecopper at Wolverhampton and the same horse was my first in the Tom Beckett Amateur Riders Steeplechase at Uttoxeter on Midlands Grand National Day 1987. Crowecopper was also my first winner as a professional jockey at Bangor 1988.
One of the horses that John Francome used to ride was Ardent Spy for Roddy Armytage
Francome won novice chases on him
To cut a long story short when I became a professional jockey one of the horses I rode was Ardent Spy. I still can't hardly believe that one of the horses that I followed as a kid I ended up riding in races.
I won on Ardent Spy at a night meeting at Uttoxeter in 1990.
Not one of the great racehorses but from reading about Francome winning on him in the Sporting Chronicle to actually getting the leg up on him and winning the Freddy Dixon Memorial Trophy Handicap Steeplechase was and still is one of the high spots of my race riding career.
Adding to that I also rode Ardent Spy when he sadly died
Anyhow, here is the result of the Freddie Dixon Memorial Trophy Handicap Steeplechase
Freddy Dixon Memorial Trophy Handicap Chase
Winner £3,132.00, Second £936.00, Third £448.00, Fourth £204.00 20 fences 3 miles 2 furlongs Going Good
1st Ardent Spy - Age 13 - Weight 10-2 (7 ow) - Jockey Richard Bevan(7) - Odds 12/1
½ length
2nd Proverity - Age 9 - Weight 12-0 - Jockey Norman Williamson - Odds 9/4F
6 lengths
3rd Mithras - Age 12 - Weight 11-5 - Jockey Gary Lyons(3) - Odds 11/4
4 lengths
4th Alice´s Boy - Age 9 - Weight 10-0 - Jockey Luke Harvey - Odds 11/1
4 lengths
5th Wiggburn - Age 11 - Weight 11-2 - Jockey Brendan Powell - Odds 11/2
Fell Green Tops - Age 8 - Weight 9-13 - Jockey Brian Storey(3) - Odds 9/2
6 ran TIME 6 minutes 39.00 seconds (slow by 22.00 seconds)
I always used to follow jockeys like John Francome, Lester Piggott and my friend the National Hunt rider Roy Davies who used to ride horses like Milliondollarman, Jo Colombo, Casbah, Pearlyman (in his early races) etc. As a matter of interest Roy Davies's last winner was Crowecopper at Wolverhampton and the same horse was my first in the Tom Beckett Amateur Riders Steeplechase at Uttoxeter on Midlands Grand National Day 1987. Crowecopper was also my first winner as a professional jockey at Bangor 1988.
One of the horses that John Francome used to ride was Ardent Spy for Roddy Armytage
Francome won novice chases on him
To cut a long story short when I became a professional jockey one of the horses I rode was Ardent Spy. I still can't hardly believe that one of the horses that I followed as a kid I ended up riding in races.
I won on Ardent Spy at a night meeting at Uttoxeter in 1990.
Not one of the great racehorses but from reading about Francome winning on him in the Sporting Chronicle to actually getting the leg up on him and winning the Freddy Dixon Memorial Trophy Handicap Steeplechase was and still is one of the high spots of my race riding career.
Adding to that I also rode Ardent Spy when he sadly died
Anyhow, here is the result of the Freddie Dixon Memorial Trophy Handicap Steeplechase
Freddy Dixon Memorial Trophy Handicap Chase
Winner £3,132.00, Second £936.00, Third £448.00, Fourth £204.00 20 fences 3 miles 2 furlongs Going Good
1st Ardent Spy - Age 13 - Weight 10-2 (7 ow) - Jockey Richard Bevan(7) - Odds 12/1
½ length
2nd Proverity - Age 9 - Weight 12-0 - Jockey Norman Williamson - Odds 9/4F
6 lengths
3rd Mithras - Age 12 - Weight 11-5 - Jockey Gary Lyons(3) - Odds 11/4
4 lengths
4th Alice´s Boy - Age 9 - Weight 10-0 - Jockey Luke Harvey - Odds 11/1
4 lengths
5th Wiggburn - Age 11 - Weight 11-2 - Jockey Brendan Powell - Odds 11/2
Fell Green Tops - Age 8 - Weight 9-13 - Jockey Brian Storey(3) - Odds 9/2
6 ran TIME 6 minutes 39.00 seconds (slow by 22.00 seconds)
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