LES LANDES was a place for the hardy enthusiast as a cold wind and persistent drizzle swept the course for most of yesterday’s meeting.

But those who did brave the elements saw UK-based trainer Jane Southcombe win the feature race for the second successive meeting.

The trainer/jockey partnership of Stephen Arthur and Tony Procter maintained their good start to the season with a double.

Having finished second in the 2004 Jersey Guineas Meelup was one of two entries from the Southcombe yard in this year’s race and started joint favourite with stable companion Easter Ogil.

Perfect Portrait made much of the running but as they turned into the home straight Meelup, ridden by leading lady professional Lisa Jones, swept into the lead.

Although Easter Ogil made good late headway after getting outpaced down the back straight Meelup never seemed in danger of getting caught and won by a comfortable two-and-a-half lengths.

The afternoon got off to a rather pedestrian start when the flag fell to signal the ‘off’ for the two-mile hurdle – none of the six jockeys wanted to make the running.

This meant that the field were barely going fast enough to jump the first hurdle! After the second Shinbang injected some pace and held the lead until just over a quarter-of-a-mile from home when easy winner at the last meeting Jaskini and the unfancied Regal Ali went past.

Those two jumped the second-last in unison before Vince Slattery drove Regal Ali clear for a nine-length success.

The winner, owned by popular bookie Neville Ahier, could be penalised by the handicapper for this performance from 13 lbs out of the handicap, although due to the false early pace the form of the race should be treated with caution.

The five-furlong sprint was the first of two winners on the card for trainer Arthur and jockey Procter as Highland Flight was sent straight into the lead and led all the way to come home by three lengths from Master Rattle, who just held off the challenge of the veteran Johayro, running his best race for some time, by a head.

This was an impressive winning seasonal debut by the seven-year-old grey mare as the runner-up is race fit – she will be hard to beat in races over the minimum distance.

Off Minor provided Arthur and Procter with their second winner of the afternoon in the Geoffrey Edwards Memorial Handicap as the Mike Weaver-owned eight-year-old held off a sustained challenge by the Lisa Jones-ridden Khuzdar to win by a length with Minnie’s Mystery a further eight lengths back in third.

The final race of the afternoon provided the closest finish as the Arthur and Proctor team just failed to complete the treble with Aqua Tiger as his renewed effort was held off by the Colin McCready-trained Snow Lark who won by a neck.

The two were locked together for the last furlong-and-a-half and finished well clear of the remainder of the field, who were headed by Noble Reef, with fourth-placed Returnofthefairy running her best race to date.

The locally-trained thoroughbreds now head for Guernsey, who are hosting their first meeting for 13 years, on 2 May around the flat right-handed L’Ancresse track.

Racing returns to the left-handed Les Landes course on Monday 30 May, first race at 2.30.