THE highlight of the re-arranged Harkaway Club point-to-point meeting at Chaddesley Corbett on Saturday was the emphatic win of Father Tom, partnered by Claire Allen in the Ladies' Open race.
Bookmakers before the race saw it as a match between Father Tom, who they made favourite, and veteran Ladies' Open winner Upton Adventure.
And they were proved correct as soon as the flag fell with Upton Adventure making the running, trying to draw the finishing burst out of the closely following Father Tom.
Upton Adventure tried to stretch her opponent but, after being content to sit in behind the leader for most of the race, Allen seized the initiative at the second last fence to quicken up.
She quickly drew clear for a smooth and impressive eight-length win.
Hanley Swan trainer Andy Hobbs has been in great form recently and he continued this with another easy win for Saint Reverien in the opening Members race, under jockey Adrian Wintle.
The winning margin of six lengths over runner-up Bold Tactics gave no indication of the ease of the win.
And Hobbs confirmed: "We will bring him back for the Lady Dudley Cup but at the moment we are just keeping his confidence high".
The Men's Open race went to Moscow Court, ridden by Sam Waley-Cohen, who always had too many guns for the veteran 13-year-old Galway.
The partnership outpaced the runner-up from the final fence to score by two lengths on odds of 11/8.
The winner is owned and trained by David and Celia Plunkett whose daughter Alice is the Channel Four racing presenter.
Results, Members: 1. Saint Reverien (A Wintle) 1/3 Fav, 2. Bold Tactics 20/1, 3. Welburn Boy 50/1. 7 ran.
Restricted: 1. Four Opinions (M Harris) 4/1 JF, 2. Master Jed 5/1, 3. Slip The Ring 14/1. 12 ran.
Ladies: 1. Father Tom (C Allen) 8/11 Fav, 2. Upton Adventure 13/8, 3. Pacon 25/1. 5 ran.
Open: 1. Moscow Court (S Waley-Cohen) 11/8 Fav, 2. Galway 5/2, 3. Mister Felix 6/1. 4 ran.
Intermediate: 1. Ballyvaden (J Snowden) 11/10 Fav, 2. Sherwood Rose 5/2. Only Two finished. 5 ran.
Maiden 5,6, 7 yo: 1. Fresh Love (W Hill) 9/2, 2. Willie The Kid 5/1, 3. Dicks Dream 4/1, 17 ran.
Maiden 8 yo: 1. Fosse Prk (D Sherlock) 5/2 Fav, 2. Strolling 11/4, 3. Jeroboam 9/2, 10 ran.
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