A COMPREHENSIVE win for Monsieur Gibraltar in the Coronation Gold Cup was the highlight when the Combined Services held their point-to-point at Larkhill.

The day also saw a striking performance of Tea Clipper in the Restricted race while Andy Lewellyn secured his first riding victory.

With the decision made to offer free admission this had some impact on the crowd but there were certainly many in attendance who were enjoying their first point-to-point.

Despite concerns following the recent equine flu outbreak and the need for extra vaccinations before horses could run, the six races still attracted 34 horses with some competitive racing.

Monsieur Gibraltar was much too good for his two rivals in the prestigious Coronation Gold Cup when again ridden by Harriet Tucker thus securing Tucker’s first ever success in a Mixed Open race.

Trained by Rose Loxton at Bruton the gelding was notching her first success in the Coronation Gold Cup with only her second ever runner.

The other Wessex-trained winner on the card was Robin De Boss, who ridden for the first time by George Hiscock, won the Conditions Race.

Trained by Wincanton Racecourse Chairman Jo Hepburn, he returned to the form which led to him winning four races last season and outstayed principal rival The Flying Doc by three lengths.

Llewellyn will remember this meeting fondly as he secured his first riding success on only his second ride in the Novice Riders race aboard Network Rouge.

Assistant to National Hunt trainer Oliver Sherwood, Llewellyn, 35, has come late to race riding.

When asked about this he recalled lodging with former champion conditional jockey William Kennedy and decided he did not want to go through with the rigours of becoming a jockey and instead concentrate on training.

However he decided this season to have a try at race riding and the former Kim Bailey gelding bought by Bart Ryan-Beswick last November at Ascot has proved to be an ideal schoolmaster for him.

Tea Clipper owned by Tom Lacey and trained by his wife Sophie was an impressive winner of the Restricted race.

Only a four-year-old he was making his racecourse debut in the race as he was not eligible for either of the maiden races on the card but defied the lack of experience to beat the game mare Country Legend ridden by Tom Bishop by five lengths.

The Maiden race over two miles four furlongs looked to be at the mercy of Ballyjim trained by Jade Barber and ridden by Martin McIntyre but with the winning post in sight he hung to the left and allowed Draft Pick ridden by Zac Baker to get up and win by a length and a half.

The winner owned by Nick Jones and trained at Kinnersley by James Ridley had shown good form last season when trained by Tom Weston and in particular when runner-up to Toby Maguire at Charlton Horethorne.

The concluding race, the Open Maiden race, was won in decisive fashion by Mankala owned and ridden by Nick Phillips and trained by Elizabeth ‘Dibby’ Brown.

An unlucky loser at the course at the Larkhill Racing Club meeting when unseating Phillips at the second last he made no mistakes this time when beating Fleur Du Pommier and Montarlot who both ran promising races.