
By Peter Moore at Newbury Wednesday 15th January 2025
Devon trainer Polly Gundry gained her biggest success as a trainer after capturing the feature race of the day at Newbury on Wednesday.
The Charlie Nugent Memorial Mares Chase, a Class 1 Listed race over 2m 7 1/2 furlongs attracted five runners with the Gundy trained Don’t Rightly Know going off favourite.
Approaching the third last it was an open race with all five runners in contention.
Under champion jockey Harry Cobden, the ten-year-old was always travelling and jumping well to go on and win nicely by one and a quarter lengths from Apple Away.
Gundry,s mare is one of nine horses in training at the Ottery St Mary yard down in the West Country.
Earlier in the day, Cobden rode the Emma Lavelle trained Sherminator to victory in the 2m ½ furlong junior hurdle race to win with a hands and heals ride from Star Of Guiting.
Jasmin De Grugy made it five wins on the spin with a four and a quarter length success over second placed Garincha in the 2m 7 1/2 furlong handicap chase.
Despite the handicap of an 11lb rise, nothing was going to stop another fluent performance from the six-year-old who defied a 46lb higher mark than when he started off handicaps last March.
Previous C&D winner Bucephalus prevailed in the 2m ½ furlong handicap hurdle by holding off the challenge of Norn Iron under apprentice Harriet Tucker who was ridding her first winner for her new boss Neil Mullholland.
Kemble backed up his previous winning run at Exeter on New Years Day by taking the finale on the card for the in form yard of Phillip Hobbs & Johnson White with their sixth winner from the last ten runners.