Block · one region of the page, as the scanner read it. It may hold a whole story, part of one, several, or an advertisement; stitching blocks into articles is the next step. Text is supplied OCR.
Page 7 · column 1 of 6 · from the scan, no model involved
By BETSY BRANSCOME
Rappahannock News Staff Writer
BERRYVILLE — In an electrifying performance, open timber daelists Thanks Henry and Friendly Retreat shared the winner’s laurels m the featured William Dreyer Mertibrial open timber event at the Blue Ridge Hunt Point-to-Point at Woodley Farm March 7. ;;; The rescheduling of the races from Saturday to Sunday due to hbavy rains last Thursday did not perturb Thanks Henry’s connections
owner Chrissy and trainer-rider Bay Cockbum — nor did the change trouble Friendly Retreat’s owner Marion Nicoll or trainer-rider Don Yovanovich.
The going at the course was considered good to soft for Sunday’s 12race card, much better than expected during this rainy winter. Soft spots were confined to the landing side of fences late in the day; overall, the course was in very good form. 7 “The going was just about perfect for racing,” Cockburn said following the rousing three-mile timber chase in which judges were unable to separate top finishers Cockburn and Yovanovich. “Waiting a day made all the difference in the world.”
Touted as the day’s premier event, the race pitted former champion timber topper Friendly Retreat Versus a solid field at the Woodley oval. The open timber ’chase drew seven entries but scratched down to teur by post time. 1,1 The local favorite was Blue Ridge master of foxhounds Mrs. George Greenhalgh Jr.’s Tempus Quartus, a maiden winner over timber here last year.
Thanks Henry, whose initial ’Chasing try was a triumph in the owner-rider timber at Casanova iF*eb. 20, broke smartly at the drop of the flag. Friendly Retreat soon took Command of the pace and led the gyoup at a steady, honest pace.
“The only thing I could think of were visions of ’92,” said Cockbum. “In this race last year, I crashed at the last. I rode a little conservatively this year.’’Cockbum sat out most of last spring with two broken arms from the crushing fall with Concatenation at Blue Ridge.
Yovanovich galloped unchallenged in the lead, with 9-year-old Friendly Retreat running and jumping confidently on the front end.
“I thought I had a good lead on tpe whole field,” Yovanovich said l^ter. “I thought I was 10 lengths in front landing over the last.”
Once the field turned for home yyith Friendly Retreat up by eight qver Thanks Henry, Cockbum looked to still have a double handful of horse. He seized the opportunity to overtake Yovanovich in the long run-in.
“Racing to the last, I remembered ’92, so I took a firm hold of ftenry and hunted him into it,” laughed Cockbum. “If I hadn’t held Jpm up, he would have flown that ”ppe and might have taken the lead sooner. But also if I hadn’t caught lion napping a bit, he might not have put away his stick so early!” 77 The horses thundered down the Jane stride for stride as Thanks Henry dug in and caught Friendly ' ftetreat four jumps to the line. 77 The nearly 2,000 steeplechasing “ fans were mystified as to the final
88.4%