JANUARY 2009
Saturday 31 January 2009 |
My fourth visit to Sandown Park today. A disappointing day for Choc, with Araldur
finishing last of the 4 who completed.
The horse was going well until turning into the home straight, so
perhaps he doesn’t stay more than 2 miles and will now be aimed at the Arkle
Chase? According to John finished 4th in his event, but
ran well having been off the racecourse for 446 days. Almaydan finished 3rd in the final race on the
card, Choc having ridden him to victory at Doncaster 8 days ago. Sadly, 2 horses lost their lives at Sandown
today: Pressgang, who I saw win at Kempton Park on Boxing Day, and Killaghy
Castle, whose first run it was for 659 days. Choc has just 1 ride tomorrow, at Fontwell Park: 15:10 Head to Kerry – Selling Hurdle (Dominic
Ffrench Davis) Having listened to weather forecasts, it’s
looking like severe wintery conditions may wipe out racing for a longer spell
than it did in early January. And I
was looking forward to the Newbury fixture scheduled for next Saturday,
especially as I have a ticket! And
because it was probably scheduled to be Denman’s return to racing following
his recent health scare. |
Friday 30 January 2009 |
The weather claimed another meeting today, when
Chepstow was abandoned due to water-logging.
I hadn’t been keeping tabs on the weather expected overnight for South
Wales, although I did see the forecast on Breakfast News this morning and it
was showing heavy rain – so I shouldn’t have been surprised to find the
racing was called off. It was a
completely different outlook in Hertfordshire overnight, as I woke up to a
sharp frost! So there are no results for Choc to report today,
but he will be riding at Sandown Park tomorrow (weather permitting of course),
where he has 3 rides scheduled: 14:35 Araldur – Novices’ Chase (Alan King) 15:45 According to John – Handicap Chase (Nicky
Richards) 16:20 Almaydan – Handicap Chase (Richard Lee) So it’s another busy weekend for me, with racing
tomorrow, and updating my website on Sunday … but it will all be an absolute
pleasure. Lingfield is already concerned for its turf
meeting scheduled for Monday – it had already cancelled the hurdle events,
and was concentrating on steeplechases and an all-weather bumper race. But with temperatures set to drop
dramatically the further east you travel, it may have to abandon its fixture. And finally, congratulations to Lee Mead who has
just got engaged to Denise Van Outen, they are expected to marry later this
year. So that’s two lovely young men,
both born on 14 July, who will be tying the knot with their fiancées this
year! |
Thursday 29 January 2009 |
Both Towcester and Wincanton went ahead today,
and this is how Choc got on at the latter fixture: Ellen Tilley won her event, despite landing on
all fours when jumping the last flight (Choc’s 82nd winner of the
season). Christian Williams rode
Alan’s other runner, Delays Expected, to finish 3rd in the same race. Bakbenscher was withdrawn. Black Jacari finished 5th, after a dawdling start
to the race! And Whistlejacquet completed in 2nd place,
galloping all the way to the line, but not quite managing to peg back the
66-1 shot, Roman Conquest. AP was interviewed at Wincanton and was saying that
he’s having a problem getting rides this week, either he’s too heavy or the
horses are being ridden by their stable jockeys. He’s only two short of his 3,000 and still
searching for rides! Unfortunately Martin Keighley’s horse Poliglotti
(aka Peppa Pig) under Sean Quinlan slipped on landing in the 14:00 at
Towcester and never recovered his position, finishing last of the 11 runners
which completed. Martin sent me a
lovely and very prompt reply to my email, as I thought I should send him a
message to thank him for his kind comments and recommendation, and to confess
to being the lady who had created this site!
Choc is travelling to Chepstow tomorrow, with 3
rides for Alan King: 13:20 Long Hop – NH Novices’ Hurdle 14:25 Penn Da Benn - Handicap Hurdle 16:40 Aohna – Mares’ NH Flat Race (Wayne
Hutchinson rides Alan’s other entry, Polly Potter) Will I be going racing on Saturday? You bet I will, if Choc rides at Sandown
Park! The forecast for next week is for freezing cold
weather coming in from Russia – that would put the mockers on Super Saturday
at Newbury. And, finally ... Halcon Genelardais doesn’t have
an entry in the Grand National, but D’Argent does, having been ridden by Choc
last year. |
Wednesday 28 January 2009 |
Having completed and uploaded yesterday’s blog I
thought I’d just have a quick surf of the net ... so I took a look at Martin
Keighley’s blog and was so surprised to find that this website had got a
mention and a recommendation – I’ve been discovered! Thank you Martin. It has been raining in Hertfordshire for most of
the day, I got wet walking to work this morning, and again walking home
tonight. Exeter and Leicester were
both abandoned due the wet conditions, with Towcester and Wincanton calling
an inspection for the morning to see if racing goes ahead tomorrow. So just in case the racing is on, Choc is due to
ride at Wincanton, details as follows: 14:10 Ellen Tilley – Mares’ NH Novices’ Hurdle
(Alan King) 14:40 Bakbenscher – NH Novices’ Hurdle (Alan King) 15:10 Black Jacari – Handicap Hurdle (Alan King) 16:40 Whistlejacquet – NH Flat Race (Alan King) At The Races has lost its American meetings this
evening too, due to snow in the USA.
But the good news is that there will be 7 additional jumps fixtures in
the UK in the coming weeks, in an attempt to replace a number of the recently
lost meetings. They will feature
mainly Novices’ and Bumper races, in the hope that horses will be able to
qualify for Cheltenham. The dates
involved are: Friday 06 February, Friday 13 February, Sunday 15 February,
Friday 20 February, Friday 27 February, Sunday 1 March and Sunday 8
March. Details of the first 3 venues
will be announced this coming Friday, with the remainder revealed in
mid-February. |
Tuesday 27 January 2009 |
Choc finished second aboard Katess in the 15:30
at Taunton, his only ride of the day. Tomorrow Choc is scheduled to ride at Leicester,
which has an all Chase card, as the hurdles course has been suffering from
long-term water-logging problems. He
has 2 rides for Alan King: 14:10 Minella Four Star – Maiden Chase 15:20 Gold Heart – Handicap Chase Voy Por Ustedes seems to have been scrapped from
the Doncaster entries for Saturday, although Choc remains double-booked for
both Sandown Park and Doncaster. So
I’ll have to keep an eye on the race-cards and the weather to see if I need
to plan a trip to Sandown Park after all! |
Monday 26 January 2009 |
It was a beautiful
sunny winter’s day in Hertfordshire and presumably at Kempton Park too … although
I wasn’t at the fixture to see Choc ride.
But, as this was not one of his better days, perhaps it was not such a
bad thing: Alflora Dora finished
6th in Division I of the Novices’ Hurdle event (all 16 runners completed). Itsa Legend came in
3rd in the Novices’ Chase (only 4 finishers, with 2 pulled up and 1 falling). Delena was travelling
at the rear of the field when falling at the 7th flight in the 14:40 Handicap
Hurdle (19 runners – 11 finished, 7 pulled up, 1 faller). I’ve seen the review on Racing UK, and it
looked a nasty fall, although I know the horse was okay as it could be seen
cantering away – so I must watch the full recording this evening. King of Leon was
withdrawn, presumably because the going was too soft. I see that the Martin
Keighley trained Wychwoods Legend won the 14:40 Handicap Hurdle, his third
winner in recent days. Winners are
just like buses, none for ages then three come along at once! AP rode a double, as did Barry Geraghty and
Jamie Moore. Warren Marston was the
successful rider aboard Wychwoods Legend.
Nicky Henderson trained three of today’s winners at the fixture. All being well, Choc
is off to ‘Cider Country’ tomorrow, where he is scheduled for just one ride
at Taunton: 15:30 Katess –
Handicap Chase (Alan King) Sandown Park is already concerned that its
fixture scheduled for Saturday will have to be called off due to
water-logging. But it may not matter
to me anyway, as I believe Voy Por Ustedes has an entry for Doncaster on
Saturday so I’m not currently planning on a visit to the Surrey venue. I’ve not completed my
Cheltenham diary yet, as I dozed off to sleep yesterday evening whilst
reviewing the video recording of the Cheltenham races! So I will be taking up the challenge again
tonight in the hope that I can complete my race notes and thus the diary
too. And I’ve just seen a
recording of Iffy finishing 3rd in a Steeplechase event at Ludlow
today ... I like little Iffy, as he was my first ‘live’ Choccie winner
(Stratford 15 June last year). |
Sunday 25 January 2009 |
Uttoxeter went ahead yesterday following an
inspection, but both Hexham and Limerick were lost to the weather today. It’s been pouring with rain in
Hertfordshire this morning, but I still decided to wash my car – and there
was so much ‘Cheltenham’ mud in the wheel arches. I got soaked, but that was the water from
the bucket and the hose, not the rain!
Anyway, my Fiesta is looking much cleaner now and is ready to fight
another day. Choc has 4 rides scheduled for Kempton Park
tomorrow (so another ‘cold turkey’ day for me L) 13:00 Alflora Dora – Novices’ Hurdle Div I (Alan
King) 14:05 Itsa Legend – Novices’ Chase (Alan King) 14:40 Delena – Handicap Hurdle (Alan King) 16:20 King of Leon – NH Flat Race (Henrietta
Knight) Having taken 90 photos yesterday, my camera
battery needed to be recharged, but the ‘best’ photos should be uploaded
later. And there’s my Cheltenham diary
to write too. My diaries are
definitely an aid to remembering the details of my visits to the races, as I
just have to read them and the memories come flooding back. I watched the recording of The Morning Line late
yesterday evening, noting that Choc looked very smart in his brown pinstripe
suit (apparently one of 7 suits he owns).
He confirmed that he was born in Darlington, but said he didn’t
support any particular football team ... although he had mentioned Liverpool
FC during our course walk last month. So I guess that may be ‘favourite’ rather
than ‘supporting’. I also watched the
post race interview with Alistair Down, following Choc’s win aboard
Walkon. Choc is just sooooooooo cute! |
Saturday 24 January 2009 |
I went to Cheltenham today, and thoroughly
enjoyed my first opportunity to see Choc ride live at the course. He had 6 rides, having replaced Dominic
Elsworth on Sue Smith’s Mister McGoldrick, as Dominic was taken ill at
Doncaster yesterday after emerging from the sauna, having succumbed to a
virus. This is how Choc fared today: Bensalem finished a close second to Diamond
Harry, having nearly stolen the race.
Bensalem is a big horse, and I think will still improve from this. Mister McGoldrick was pulled up. Halcon Genelardais finished second having led at
the last. He was overtaken by Joe
Lively ridden by Joe Tizzard, who had led on various occasions and won
despite having blundered at the second last. Walkon won nicely from Reve De Sivola (Choc’s
81st winner of the season). Blazing Bailey finished 6th, the race was won by
Big Buck’s (having reverted back to hurdles) over the highly rated
Punchestowns. King’s Revenge finished 13th of the 14
finishers. Awesome George, under
Charlie Huxley, ran gamely but, having got his head in front, was relegated
to 2nd by Presenting Copper after the last flight. Tomorrow I should have news of Choc’s rides at
Kempton Park on Monday. And I almost forgot, Choc was the guest on
Channel 4’s Morning Line today, so I look forward to viewing the video tape
as I only saw a few minutes because I had to leave early to drive to
Cheltenham! |
Friday 23 January 2009 |
Doncaster went ahead today, the going was good to
soft, and this is how Choc fared: Gremlin finished last of the 14 finishers (17
ran) in the Novices’ Hurdle Div I. Samson’s Son finished 3rd in Division II of the
event (probably having benefitted when The Panama Kid fell at the last
flight). Fighting Chance was one of 10 runners which were
pulled up in the Novices’ Handicap Chase, only 5 finished, no fallers. However, Choc won the Handicap Chase aboard 25-1
shot Almaydan for Richard Lee, having taken the lead before turning into the
final straight, and carrying top weight in testing conditions. Only 7 of the
15 runners finished. (Choc’s 80th winner of the season.) Mad Jack Duncan finished 14th in the NH Novices’
Hurdle, with stable-mate Ballingaddy coming in 4th under Wayne Hutchinson. Hopefully it’s all systems go for Festival Trials
Day at Cheltenham tomorrow, where Choc is scheduled to have 5 rides, all for
Alan King: 12:55 Bensalem – Novices’ Hurdle 14:35 Halcon Genelardais – Letheby &
Christopher Chase 15:10 Walkon – Juvenile Novices’ Hurdle 15:45 Blazing Bailey – Cleeve Hurdle 16:20 King’s Revenge – Handicap Hurdle (Charlie Huxley retains the ride on Awesome
George in the 16:20 and claims 5lbs) There’s going to be an 08:00 inspection at
Uttoxeter ahead of tomorrow’s planned fixture, and Leicester has been given
the go-ahead to stage an all Chase card next Wednesday, 28th January, as
their hurdles course is currently waterlogged and un-raceable. |
Thursday 22 January 2009 |
More dire weather conditions, resulting in
today’s fixture at Fontwell Park being abandoned. The going at Warwick was heavy, but at
least the meeting went ahead, but I carelessly omitted one of Choc’s rides
from my list in yesterday’s diary - Alfasonic. Anyway, this is how he got on today: Trenchant won the Juvenile Novice’ Hurdle by a
neck (Choc’s 78th winner of the season). Topless finished last in the Handicap Chase, only
6 of the 12 runners having completed the course. Oh Crick raced keenly but fell at the 12th fence
in the Novices’ Chase (ouch, but both horse and jockey were okay – Oh Crick
rose to his feet having slid through the plastic running rail and he trotted
off. Choc was thrown clear, although Lydia Hislop promised to find out if he
was okay and I wondered if he was concerned about his left foot again. But as
I heard no more and he rode in the next, I presume that he was fine ...) Alfasonic was pulled up in the Handicap Hurdle. And Double Pride won the NH Flat Race (Choc’s
79th winner of the season). I expect Choc originally would have been heading
for Newbury tomorrow, but that’s been abandoned due to water-logging
too! So he’s off to Doncaster instead,
where he has 5 rides, as follows: 13:20 Gremlin – Novices’ Hurdle Div I (Alan King) 13:55 Samson’s Son – Novices’ Hurdle Div II (Alan
King) 14:30 Fighting Chance – Novices’ Handicap Chase
(Richard Lee) 15:40 Almaydan – Handicap Chase (Richard Lee) 16:10 Mad Jack Duncan – NH Novices’ Hurdle (Alan
King) The Clerk of the Course at Cheltenham expects
their meeting to be okay. I’ve done
another check on the weather outlook for the area, and it’s described as
predominantly light rain today, light showers are forecast for tomorrow and
sunny intervals on Saturday. However,
Uttoxeter’s fixture scheduled for the weekend is in doubt. |
Wednesday 21 January 2009 |
Well, it seems I
didn’t miss the Huntingdon fixture after all, as it was abandoned due to
frost. It was very cold in
Hertfordshire last night too, with everywhere sparkling white this morning,
so I wasn’t surprised. I hope this weekend’s
Cheltenham fixture goes ahead, as I have a ticket. The Met Office forecasts rain in the area
tomorrow, with a sunny Friday and sunny intervals on Saturday. If Choc is back in
action tomorrow, he’s off to Warwick for 4 rides: 13:10 Trenchant –
Juvenile Novices’ Hurdle (Alan King) 13:40 Topless –
Handicap Chase (Neil Mulholland) 14:40 Oh Crick –
Novices’ Chase (Alan King) 16:10 Double Pride –
NH Flat Race (Alan King) Let’s hope Topless
behaves herself and doesn’t unship her jockey near the line as she did last
week at Taunton although, of course, the Alan King runner was the beneficiary
on that occasion. |
Tuesday 20 January 2009 |
Huntingdon will carry out a precautionary inspection at 07:45
tomorrow, ahead of their planned 7 race card (as a frost is expected
tonight). If the meeting goes ahead, Choc has 6 rides, all for Alan King: 13:10 Trenchant – Novices’ Hurdle Div I 13:40 Samson’s Son – Novices’ Hurdle Div II 14:40 Patsy Finnegan – Handicap Hurdle 15:10 West End Rocker – Novices’ Chase 15:40 Gold Heart – Handicap Chase 16:10 Madness – NH Novices’ Handicap Hurdle But, as I cannot go to the fixture…it’s ‘cold turkey’ for me tomorrow.
However, I do wish him luck and safe journeys (as always). In a few weeks, when the first race of the day commences a little
later, maybe I will see my way clear to work a half day and then drive up to
Huntingdon at lunchtime (as I did on 14 October last). |
Monday 19 January 2009 |
Choc had 4 rides today, Parlesotho winning by a neck despite having
made a slight mistake at the last flight (his 77th winner of the season),
Cracboumwiz finished 2nd (again with a last flight error but he wouldn’t have
won), Pennek finished 3rd, and Jolejoker was one of 5 runners which were
pulled up. And trainer Martin Keighley will be very pleased, as he’s finally off
the trainers’ cold list with a winner at Hereford today, with Picture in
the Sky. Well done Martin! As for tomorrow, Sedgefield will be carrying out a precautionary
inspection at 08:30 in the morning because there is a threat of frost, but
Leicester has already been abandoned due to water-logging so no rides now for
Choc, having been scheduled for 3 at the fixture. |
Sunday 18 January 2009 |
I went to Towcester races today, although Choc
had only one ride after Charmaine Wood was a late withdrawal due to the
going, which was reclassified as soft.
Starburst Diamond finished 4th in the first race on the card and that
was very hard work for both horse and jockey!
Market Rasen, Cork and Fairyhouse were all abandoned
as waterlogged today, and Lingfield (turf) has been lost tomorrow. However, Choc has 4 rides at Hereford tomorrow: 13:50 Parlesotho – Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle (Alan
King) 14:20 Cracboumwiz – NH Novices’ Hurdle (Alan
King) 14:50 Pennek – Handicap Hurdle (Alan King) 15:20 Jolejoker – Handicap Chase (Richard Lee) I’m very disappointed that I won’t be able to go
to Huntingdon on Wednesday as I have no spare holiday available, but at least
I have Cheltenham to look forward to on Saturday. |
Saturday 17 January 2009 |
I went to Ascot today, and was rewarded when Choc
won the final race on the card aboard Karabak (his 76th winner of the
season). He won well and no doubt Choc
was very pleased with his decision to ride at the Berkshire track. Saticon finished 4th, but his other mounts
were all unplaced. Meally was there to
watch and support him too, so perhaps we’ll get the lowdown in her NagWAG
diary on Monday. 2 rides at Towcester tomorrow, both for Alan
King: 13:40 Starburst Diamond – Novices’ Hurdle 15:10 Charmaine Wood – Novices’ Hurdle I’m also hoping to attend tomorrow’s fixture, my
second visit to the track. |
Friday 16 January 2009 |
Just 2 rides at Chepstow today - Quidonc pulling
up and Blue Dark finishing 6th in their respective divisions of the Maiden
Hurdle. J Brilliant news for me as Choc will be
riding at Ascot tomorrow, so I’m going racing. He has 5 rides scheduled, as
follows: 12:30 Saticon – Juvenile Novices’ Hurdle (Alan King) 13:05 Howle Hill – Limited Handicap Hurdle (Alan
King) 14:15 Natal – Victor Chandler Chase (Paul
Nicholls) 15:25 The Hairy Lemon – Handicap Chase (Alan
King) 15:55 Karabak – NH Novices’ Hurdle (Alan King) I’ve read Choc’s online Turf Scene column in the
Gloucestershire press today, and the main reason he’s decided upon Ascot is
because he wishes to ride the talented novice Karabak in the final race on
the card. Choc also mentions that Penzance has been
retired, not because he’s injured, but because he’s been finding it tough to
compete against rivals despite never losing his enthusiasm. I’ve been fortunate to see Penzance run on
more than one occasion, and he is a deep-girthed sturdy individual, which
perhaps has become disadvantageous as he’s got older. Penzance is pictured in
my photo gallery, having run at Kempton Park on 26th November 2008 with Choc
aboard. It looks like I may have a very busy weekend of
racing, with photos to upload and diaries to write too ... but I can’t think
of anywhere else I rather be! |
Thursday 15 January 2009 |
Choc’s first ride of the day, Silk Hall, finished
4th, with Alan’s other runner (Humble Opinion) a short-head away in 5th
place. In Division II, Latin Scholar
came in 5th, with stable-mate Sadler’s Star under Jack Doyle finishing 2nd
(at 66-1!). Choc was also out of luck
with Noticeable, finishing 10th in the Handicap Hurdle, and Brukirk Lass
finished 8th in the bumper. And the
weather deteriorated during the afternoon. Jack Doyle, claiming 3 lbs, won the Handicap
Chase aboard another Barbury Castle inmate, Pangbourne. He also received a huge slice of luck when
Neil Mulholland’s runner, Topless, jinked and unseated its rider close to the
finish leaving Pangbourne to claim the spoils! Alan’s runner at Ludlow, Dancingwithbubbles, won
under Wayne Hutchinson. Just 2 rides at Chepstow tomorrow, both for Alan
King: 13:00 Quidonc – Maiden Hurdle Div I 13:30 Blue Dark – Maiden Hurdle Div II Unfortunately 2009 doesn’t seem to have kicked
off for Choc yet, as he is still seeking his first winner of the year (and
76th of the season). Although of
course, the weather has claimed a number of days, limiting his riding to 5
fixtures so far this year. Ascot is beginning to look promising for
Saturday, as Choc has been booked to ride Natal for Paul Nicholls in the
Victor Chandler Chase. Haydock Park
has now been eliminated from plans as Jimmy McCarthy rides D’Argent, with
Wayne Hutchinson partnering Kandjar D’Allier, in the Peter Marsh Chase. There’s still Wincanton of course … but I’m
pretty hopeful that I will take a trip to Ascot races on Saturday. JJJ |
Wednesday 14 January 2009 |
Fixtures are still being affected by the weather,
with today’s Newcastle card lost to the frost. And although Newbury went ahead with their
7 race card, Choc had a very mediocre day.
Mount Helicon finished 3rd; Greenbridge and Penharold were both pulled
up; Tarotino was withdrawn; Sea the Light was a non-runner; and Lidar
finished 3rd. Tomorrow he is riding at Taunton, with 4 rides
for Alan King: 13:20 Silk Hall – Novices’ Hurdle Div I 13:50 Latin Scholar – Novices’ Hurdle Div II 15:20 Noticeable – Handicap Hurdle 16:20 Brukirk Lass – Mares’ NH Flat Race I hope Choc gets back on the scoreboard again
soon as I’d welcome the opportunity to update my 2008/2009 winners list with
his 76th winner of the season! |
Tuesday 13 January 2009 |
The Folkestone fixture was on today and Choc rode
Tosula to finish second in the Handicap Chase. It’s lovely to see him back in action
following the recent freeze, and tomorrow he’s off to Newbury, where he has 6
rides, all for Alan King: 12:50 Mount Helicon – Juvenile Novices’ Hurdle 13:20 Greenbridge – Novices’ Chase 13:55 Penharold – Novices’ Hurdle 14:30 Tarotino – Handicap Chase 15:00 Sea the Light – Handicap Chase 16:05 Lidar – NH Flat Race It’s when Choc has many rides scheduled that I
wish I didn’t have to go to work, and could go to the races instead, just
like tomorrow in fact! Choc is hedging his bets for Saturday, as his
engagements diary currently lists rides at Haydock, Wincanton and Ascot ... I
wonder which fixture he will eventually choose? And we all know I’d like it to be Ascot!!! J |
Monday 12 January 2009 |
Fakenham went ahead today, with AP riding a
double, the other winning jockeys being Andrew Thornton, Mattie Batchelor,
Sam Thomas and Richard Johnson. Folkestone is quite hopeful for tomorrow,
although there will be a further inspection at 07:30 in the morning as the
ground was still frozen in places when they inspected today. If the meeting goes ahead, Choc has one
ride, for Neil Mulholland: 14:50 Tosula – Handicap Chase I’m so much looking forward to seeing Choc back
in the saddle again. I’ve been looking through the engagements list
for Alan King’s horses, and he currently has entries (many multiple) in 6
races at Newbury on Wednesday. 5 races
at Taunton and 1 at Ludlow for Thursday; 2 at Chepstow on Friday; 4 at
Haydock, 5 at Ascot, and 6 at Wincanton for Saturday; and 2 races at
Towcester on Sunday. So, if I miss out
on a trip to Ascot on Saturday, there’s always Towcester (which doesn’t
charge an admission fee) on Sunday! Or
both of course!!! I know that Ascot always seems to be bitterly
cold, but general admission for NH meetings is £10 on Fridays and £15 on
Saturdays and, if you are prepared to walk the length of the high street, you
can park for free too! It’s definitely
good value for money! I gather at one
stage in the not too distant past, Ascot considered and rejected the idea of
becoming just a flat racing venue, but they are getting very good crowds for
their NH meetings now. |
Sunday 11 January 2009 |
It was great that Ayr managed to stage their
National Hunt fixture yesterday, although it looked very wet and windy on
TV. And was that snow at Kempton Park
for the All Weather card? Wetherby was
lost, as is Carlisle today. Plumpton
has already been abandoned for tomorrow, Fakenham is currently hopeful, with
another inspection early tomorrow. And
will Folkestone be okay for Tuesday I wonder?
Choc mentioned in one of his columns that he didn’t mind taking 3 or 4
days break from his busy season ... but I expect 10 or 11 days is something
else! Puppy Princess will be keeping
fit if she accompanies him on his weight-busting jogs through the
Gloucestershire countryside! The freezing conditions have been very slow to
clear the South East. I was surprised
that we had a frost in Hertfordshire last night, as I went to the theatre and
it was -3 when I left home at 17:00; but only -1 or zero when I picked up my
car to drive home at 23:30! However,
I’ve been shopping to Welwyn Garden City just before lunch today, and it was
positively balmy at 8 degrees! That’s
more like it, but of course it takes a few days for the frost to come out of
the ground and make the turf fit for racing again. I enjoyed my night at the theatre. It was Lee Mead’s last night in Joseph at
the Adelphi, having won BBC1’s Any Dream Will Do in June 2007, so he’s
completed 18 months in the show.
Gareth Gates will now take over the role. The audience gave Lee a very good send-off,
and his girlfriend Denise Van Outen was there, as was the team of Tim Rice
and Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber having written the musical many moons ago. I stayed behind for the ‘scrum’ when Lee
comes out to sign autographs, and there were so many fans waiting outside
that we had a police presence to protect everyone’s safety as the crowd
spilled out onto the Strand. I noticed
the temperature difference outside, as I wasn’t cold at all when I was
waiting! My next trip to the theatre will be in May to see
Oliver at the Theatre Royal in Drury Lane.
The show stars Rowan Atkinson, Burn Gorman, Jodie Prenger (who won the
role of Nancy in BBC1’s I’d Do Anything) and the 3 young lads who also won
and share the role of Oliver in the aforementioned show. My friend Denise has been in the wars, having
fallen over and broken her arm. It
didn’t happen when she was out in the icy conditions, but at home. You just have to be so careful. Touch wood, I’ve never broken any
significant bones, but maybe just a toe or two! I wonder if I’ll have any definite plans to
report tomorrow ... at the moment Choc’s engaged at Newbury on Wednesday,
Ludlow or Taunton on Thursday and Chepstow on Friday. Do I have any definite plans? Yes, Cheltenham on Saturday 24 January, as
I’ve purchased a ticket! And I’m
contemplating attending Newbury on 07 February too. Any other meetings will be a bonus ... |
Friday 09 January 2009 |
No National Hunt racing today, as Kelso was lost
along with the already abandoned Huntingdon.
Ayr is hopeful for tomorrow, as milder conditions have begun to sweep
down from the north and they also have the benefit of a west coast
location. Wetherby is 50/50 for
tomorrow. Unfortunately conditions haven’t improved in time
to save Warwick’s most important meeting of the season, so that is off
tomorrow. In his weekly Turf Talk
column in the Gloucestershire press, Choc tells us he was looking forward to
riding Kandjar D’Allier in their Classic Chase, having chosen him over stable
companion and winner last year, D’Argent.
There’s an article on the Racing Post site saying that Kandjar
D’Allier will probably be re-routed to Haydock Park to run in the Peter Marsh
Chase a week tomorrow ... so a trip to Ascot on Saturday may not be on the
cards for me if Choc retains the ride.
But, as mentioned earlier in the week, there is always Towcester on
Sunday, but there is Market Rasen too – and I can travel to the former but
not the latter venue this time of the year. The Racing Post has picked up Choc’s comments
about Hayley Turner wishing to ride in the Cheltenham bumper. He didn’t sound sexist when he wrote it in
his column, but the Racing Post in taking just a few sound-bites makes it
appear that he is. Typical. I hope he doesn’t take flack over it. Choc’s also keeping his fingers crossed that
Denman will run in the Grand National, as it would push Halcon Genelardais’
weight right down to 10 stone 6 lbs, enough to let him take his chance. However, if Denman doesn’t run then nor
will Halcon … There’s no NH racing in the southern half of the
country until Monday, when Fakenham and Plumpton are due to hold
fixtures. I have to say it’s still
very cold in the South East, and they are forecasting that it will remain so
for much of this weekend, although the north and west of the country will see
reasonable temperature rises. My friend, Mark, has promised to help me upload a
number of photos from my mobile phone so hopefully the missing pictures taken
at Sandown Park on 26 April and Stratford on 15 June will soon complete my
photo gallery. |
Thursday 08
January 2009 |
Still no
definite news as to when National Hunt racing will be back in action. Huntingdon is definitely off tomorrow,
Kelso are inspecting in the morning ahead of their same day meeting. Ayr appears pretty confident that they will
go ahead on Saturday, Wetherby is still a maybe, but Warwick doesn’t seem
that hopeful. It’s been
a week now since I’ve seen Choc on TV, last Friday at Folkestone to be
precise. And I’ve not seen him live
since Newbury on 29th December – that’s a long time in the recent scheme of
things, so I’ll be suffering from withdrawal symptoms soon. |
Wednesday 07
January 2009 |
Still no
end in sight of these freezing conditions.
Both Hereford and Catterick have abandoned their cards for tomorrow,
with Huntingdon and Warwick facing inspections but the Clerk of the Course,
who looks after both venues, is not at all hopeful that the fixtures will be
able to go ahead on Friday and Saturday respectively. However,
Ayr racecourse is planning to hold a fixture this coming Saturday, having
lost their 2-day New Year meeting last week. I’m having
a problem getting up in the mornings, I’d much rather stay in my warm and
cozy bed. It’s totally against type
as, until the last few months, I would definitely have classed myself as a
‘morning’ person and would rise before 07:00 even at the weekends. No longer, unless I need to set out early
to go racing of course. |
Tuesday 06
January 2009 |
Still no
National Hunt racing for the foreseeable future. Today’s Sedgefield fixture was lost as
expected, and tomorrow’s meetings at Fontwell Park and Musselburgh have gone
too. Thursday’s Catterick and Hereford
meetings are extremely unlikely to go ahead, and Friday’s meeting at Huntingdon
is very much in doubt too. Kelso are a
little more optimistic about their chances of racing on Friday. Kempton Park has already surrendered,
replacing Saturday’s National Hunt meeting with an All Weather card
instead. Warwick is also frozen at the
moment and it is doubtful whether the ground will recover in time for the
weekend. We will see. With all
these problems, it looks like my first opportunity to go racing again will be
Saturday 17th January, but then only if Choc rides at Ascot. Is there a Towcester meeting on Sunday 18th
too? They’ve
just shown an item on my local TV news about the All Weather racing at
Kempton being a god-send during the current cold snap. I really can’t get excited about it, or
flat racing in general for that matter.
National Hunt has always been my favourite discipline. I plan to
watch Nicholas Crane’s Britannia on BBC2 tonight. I enjoyed his Map Man series, Coast, and
Great British Journeys. Then I’ll
watch New Most Haunted on Living +1 at 10:00. |
Monday 05
January 2009 |
Brrrrrrh,
it’s cold. Tomorrow’s meeting at
Leicester has fallen foul of the freeze.
I don’t suppose Sedgefield will get the go-ahead either. Nothing looks promising for the next few
days, and I can’t go to Huntingdon on Friday anyway, as I’ve no leave
available. If there is a thaw, Kempton
Park would be a possibility for me on Saturday, but not Warwick, as I’ve got
a ticket for Joseph in the West End on Saturday evening! So, if I went to the races, I could stop
off at Charing Cross (the nearest station to the Adelphi), which is on my
train route home. And happy
birthday to me for today. |
Sunday 04
January 2009 |
Plumpton
was abandoned today. The signs were
bad when I tuned into BBC News at around 06:30 and they were interviewing Ben
Fogle, who is currently in Antarctica.
He was expecting a ‘mild’ day at -13 degrees (it being summer in the
southern hemisphere of course) and then they broadcast our weather forecast,
and said that -9 degrees had been recorded at Gatwick Airport last night. Their comment was along the lines of “Not
much warmer here”. In my mind, all
hopes of racing going ahead at nearby Plumpton were firmly kicked into touch
at that point! Tomorrow’s
NH meetings at Ludlow and Taunton have already been abandoned. Doom and gloom. |
Saturday 03
January 2009 |
Wincanton
and Sandown Park were both lost to the frost today, the scheduled Ayr fixture
having been abandoned earlier in the week.
Plumpton has called an inspection for 08:00 tomorrow, to see if their
biggest race meeting of the season can go ahead. So, if
Plumpton is on, then Choc has 5 rides scheduled, all for Alan King: 12:55
Enfant de Lune – Novices’ Hurdle 13:25 Sea
the Light – Novices’ Chase 13:55 Blue
Dark – NH Novices’ Hurdle 14:55
Aypeeyes – Handicap Hurdle 15:55
Brukirk Lass – NH Flat Race I’ve
researched my road route to Plumpton, just in case ... so we will see as to
whether it’s on, and whether I venture out to East Sussex. The timescale involved means that
travelling down by train is not really an option for me. |
Friday 02
January 2009 |
No luck
today, with Blistering having been pulled up – 14 runners, 7 pulled up. Choc will
be riding at Wincanton tomorrow, where he has 3 rides, all for Alan King: 13:20
Aypeeyes – Novices’ Handicap Hurdle 14:55
Mexican Pete – Handicap Hurdle 16:00
Parlesotho – Novices’ Hurdle As
Wincanton is too far away, I’ll be watching the action on TV tomorrow. However, he is due to ride at Plumpton on
Sunday, so I will mull over whether I can afford a return visit to the course
– my research tells me that it costs £24 return by train, or is 85 miles away
by car (mainly motorway). |
Thursday 01
January 2009 |
Happy New
Year. And I’m looking forward to many
fantastic fixtures taking place over the coming months. My New
Year’s resolution is to see Choc ride live at Cheltenham, as I have to
confess I’m gutted that I didn’t make the effort to travel there today. But I have to accept that I can’t attend
every meeting I wish to, as there are full-time work commitments and
travelling/entry costs to consider.
I’m kind of hoping that Sandown will go ahead on Saturday and/or
Plumpton on Sunday so that I’ll get the opportunity to see Choc again
soon. Another
average day at the races for him, he finished 8th aboard Call Me A Legend,
Alan King’s other runner in the race, Awesome George, having won well under
Charlie Huxley. Alan explained to the
TV cameras that it wasn’t a case of first and second string horses, Charlie
had retained the ride on Awesome George following earlier success aboard the
animal. Il Duce had one of his
‘non-going’ days, as he finished 11th of the 12 who completed. The Hairy Lemon, who was entered in the
same race, finished 10th. His final
ride of the day, aboard Whistlejacquet, resulted in a 2nd place, when he was
beaten by the talented Cill Rialaig (who Choc had ridden to victory at Exeter
back in October). Other Alan
King news from Cheltenham – Charlie Huxley finished 3rd aboard Pennek in the
3 mile Handicap Hurdle, and Franchoek finished 3rd under AP in the 2½ mile
event when looking the likely winner jumping the last hurdle, Lough Derg
finding his second wind to triumph on the line – a welcome success for David
Pipe. At Exeter, Penn Da Benn won his
event easily under Jack Doyle. Choc is
scheduled to have just one ride at Folkestone tomorrow: 14:05
Blistering – Novices’ Hurdle (Alan King) It’s a
long way to travel to and from the course by car from his home in
Gloucestershire. Back to
work tomorrow for me, I’ve had two weeks’ holiday and enjoyed 4 trips to the
races during that period, so I shouldn’t complain. I just hope the weather improves soon, as
it throws all plans into disarray when it’s like this. And, good
news, my brown felt hat has been found – I left it in Lesley’s dad’s car when
she drove me to Cheltenham last month! J |