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Ashforth's Angles: Witch doctor may be needed at Taunton

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Witch-doctor-360

A witch doctor may need to cast a spell or two for Tuesday’s racing

 By David Ashforth 6:01PM 22 FEB 2016 

I ONCE approached a witch doctor to ask how to make a woman I loved fall in love with me. The witch doctor told me, “Ooh eeh ooh ah aah ting tang walla walla bing bang.”

In the parade ring at Taunton today, trainer Alexandra Dunn, owner Mrs T Knaggs and jockey Adam Wedge will need to give the Witch Doctor Song (see YouTube) their all if Wallawallabingbang is to make a winning debut in the novices’ hurdle (3.40).

It’s a catchy if irritating number which was a big hit in 1958. So let’s give it a go – “Ooh eeh ooh ah aah ting tang walla walla bing bang.”

Wallawallabingbang’s dam, who cost 800 guineas and won one point-to-point, also has an intriguing name, Suzie Cream Cheese, the subject of another song.

“Suzie Cream Cheese you do sleaze in a breeze with looks that please.” Personally I prefer “You’re a pink toothbrush, I’m a blue toothbrush, Have we met somewhere before?” Each to their own.

Anyway, when it comes to witch doctors it may be worth trainer Tim Vaughan giving one a call on the way to Taunton, in the hope that Tara Mac (2.00), Knight’s Reward or Man Of God (both 2.30) might be magicked into the winner’s enclosure, where they are sorely needed.

Since the start of November Vaughan has had just two winners from 91 runners. I know punters who have got a better record than that. He needs a change of fortune, so fingers crossed for Vaughan, action not currently needed for the remarkable David Evans.

Evans is a bit like a picture on the kitchen wall that has been hanging there for so long that we sometimes barely notice.

It’s partly because Evans, who has been training since 1988, rarely wins big races or big prize-money but he does win, and keep on winning. Twice in the last seven years he has trained over 100 winners on the Flat. This year he’s already sent out 17 winners from 81 runners.

The winners have been ridden by seven different jockeys and that is a feature of the Abergavenny yard’s operation. Evans uses a lot of jockeys – 18 so far this year – including a lot of apprentices.

Who is the yard’s leading rider this year? It’s that promising apprentice Josephine Gordon, with five winners from 20 rides.

Evans has four runners at Wolverhampton today and they are all ridden by different jockeys, three of them apprentices. Gordon rides Thatsallimsaying (4.35), Philip Prince is on Archie Stevens (4.00), the inexperienced Aled Beech partners Smugglers Lane (3.30) while the very experienced John Egan rides Frivolous Prince (5.40).

It’s good news that neither Taunton nor Wetherby have fallen victim to the weather although disappointing that only one of Wetherby’s six races has more than seven runners.

Let’s hope that conditions aren’t too testing because one of the least attractive features of jump racing is the sight of exhausted horses labouring to finish, if they finish at all. It’s a sight that has been too much in evidence recently.

 

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