AFTER the faltering start of a two-horse hurdle race, last Friday’s third and final evening fixture of the season provided four competitive contests with one or two surprising outcomes as local trainers went head-to-head in the absence of any runners from the UK.
The large crowd of spectators included a celebrity in the shape of Paul Nicholls, a 14-time champion jumps trainer.
Profit And Loss has a firm grip on the season-long Polygon Collective Championship, which this year will go to the top sprinter.
After winning The Butterfield Sprint, Simon and Florence Harrison-White’s speedster has put daylight between himself and his nearest rivals for the title.
It was an impressive performance; running off a 10lb higher mark than at the start of the season Profit And Loss produced a powerful late run to catch the in-form frontrunner Timetodock to score a shade comfortably.
Gemcutter came with a late run again to be third, but was not able to land a serious blow. Victoria Malzard rode the winner, which is trained by her mother Alyson, who also saddled the second and third.
Casaruan put a consistent but luckless run behind him by winning The Millbrook Handicap under Raul Da Silva. He is trained by Karl Kukk and owned jointly by honorary club president Bunny Roberts and chairman Jim Cantle and was scoring for only the second time in 20 starts.
Surprise of the race was Just Jersey, the lowest rated horse in training here, with a handicap mark of just 25. She ran above all previous form to finish second with Birkie Boy third.
The Oche Club Darts & Kitchen Bar Handicap had a troubled start. Maquignon, who has shown little since joining Alyson Malzard from France, was quietly fancied to show much improved form, but there were warning signs when the gelding was reluctant to go to the start as Victoria Malzard kicked her feet out of the stirrups and tried to coax him gently down. Once there he refused three times to line up and, finally pointing the right way, he dug in and refused to jump off, leaving supporters frustrated. It was another Malzard runner, Roi Du Monde, who won. Well ridden by Fred Tett, he got the better of a three-way battle with Touching Hands and Nan Brady, the latter running by far her best race to date.
In the parade ring before The Edwards Handicap, Cueros looked commanding – a fine strong gelding by Territories he looked to stand about a hand taller than his rivals and went on to dominate in the race, despite giving lumps of weight all round.
The winning distance of one length was not an adequate measure of his superiority and it is hard to see what might beat him in the Jersey Derby later this month.
He was a second winner on the card for Victoria Malzard and a third for Alyson Malzard. Between The Covers was an excellent second despite carrying 6lb overweight with I’m Digby third.
Whatzupwithme carried 5lb overweight and, as he was 4lb out of the handicap, he had 9lb more on his back than his official handicap mark, so his fourth-place finish was better than it looked. There is a low-level handicap over a mile and a quarter at the September meeting where he will meet easier opposition.
Tom Cannon’s visit to Jersey was made worthwhile by his success on George Bancroft in the Tote Pick 4 Jackpot Handicap Hurdle, comfortably beating Diplomatie. He has been well trained by Kark Kukk to win six hurdle races from eight starts.
The best-turned-outs were judged to be George Bancroft, Birkie Boy, Akkeringa, Touching Hands and Nature; notably three of them from the Celine De La Haye stable.
The fixture marked the halfway point in the season. With a treble Alyson Malzard drew level with Neil Mulholland for the trainers’ title, both having eight wins, but Karl Kukk, with less ammunition, remains in touch with six.
Visiting professional jockey, Liam Keniry, not present on Friday, leads the jockeys’ table with four victories. The next meeting for, among other races, The Jersey Derby, is on Sunday 28 July.
