PART II
DIARY – CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL 2018
DAY ONE
FEATURING THE CHAMPION HURDLE
TUESDAY 13 MARCH 2018
The Champion Hurdle Challenge Trophy (Grade 1): Buveur D’Air (centre) overcomes the
challenge of Melon (right) and Mick Jazz to win the race for the second year running Click here to read my Day 1 Diary Part I It was now time for the feature event of the day,
the Champion Hurdle. This being the
case, there was a pre-race parade, with the horses exiting the horse-walk and
congregating upon the racecourse before being led up the home straight in
front of the main grandstands. Parade
over, they then cantered down the turf to enter the all-weather strip and
continue their journey to the starting gate which was situated at the far end
of the home straight. The odds-on favourite for the race was the Nicky
Henderson-trained Buveur D’Air,
ridden by Barry Geraghty; price 4-6. He was also the winner of last year’s race
although, on that occasion, Noel Fehily had
deputised for the injury-sidelined Geraghty. Faugheen,
the 2015 Champion, returned this year.
However, his form had been patchy since returning from injury. Alan King also had a runner, namely Elgin,
winner of a valuable Ascot handicap, the Greatwood
Hurdle and the Kingwell Hurdle this season. There were no greys in this race.
The horses circled, anti-clockwise, in the corral
prior to the race. Finally the runners
headed out onto the racecourse, Faugheen
accompanied by Identity Thief and Charli Parcs at the front of the group. They headed away briefly from the starting
gate, before turning back. With all of the horses well behaved and
collected, they were off at the first time of asking, with Faugheen leading the way to the first flight. As had been suggested by the formation
prior to the start, Charli Parcs
joined the 2015 winner having jumped it.
Buveur D’Air and
Identity Thief matched strides behind them.
Melon followed these, from Elgin, Mick Jazz, Yorkhill,
Ch’Tibello, Wicklow Brave and John Constable. The eleven runners continued their journey up the
home straight, with the JP McManus-owned Charli Parcs soon taking a narrow advantage. As would be expected in the 2-mile Champion
Hurdle, the pace was strong. The
leader, with ears pricked, put in an excellent jump at the second. They subsequently swung left-handed to head
up the hill in front of the Best Mate Enclosure before entering the back
straight for the one and only time. They raced downhill to the first flight on
hurdles therein. The leading four, Charli Parcs, Faugheen, Buveur D’Air and Identity Thief having set up a clear advantage over
Melon who, in turn, was three lengths clear of Elgin and the remainder of the
field. The horses cleared the flight
at speed, although Buveur D’Air
did clatter the top bar and, at the rear of the field, Wicklow Brave even
more so. Charli
Parcs and Faugheen
continued to push to pace, now extending their lead over the reigning
Champion to three or four lengths.
Ruby’s mount made a mistake at the fourth flight and lost ground upon
the leader; as a result, he was almost joined by Buveur
D’Air who was travelling in third position. Charli Parcs was soon heading around the dog-leg turn on his
approach to the fifth. He remained
clear of his rivals, with the remainder of the field now closely
bunched. Identity Thief flattened the
inside panel of the obstacle. Noel Fehily’s mount
continued to hold the advantage as the runners headed around the far
turn. Identity Thief was beginning to
come under pressure and, at the rear of the field, Yorkhill
received a number of serious reminders from David Mullins. Charli Parcs’ lead was being eroded as they headed down the hill
towards three out; Faugheen was spearheading the
pursuing group, from Buveur D’Air,
Melon, Mick Jazz, Identity Thief, Elgin, Wicklow Brave, John Constable, Ch’Tibello and Yorkhill. Charli
Parcs had been joined by Faugheen
as they jumped the flight; although the latter nodded slightly on
landing. It was now becoming congested
at the head of affairs, with many of the jockeys preparing to make their
challenges. Buveur
D’Air began to lean in upon Faugheen
as they continued towards the penultimate hurdle, with Melon briefly short of
room when encountering a short stretch of rail to the inside of the
track. Barry Geraghty’s mount
had moved ahead of Faugheen by the time they
reached the flight, with Melon also muscling his way through to their
inside. Ruby was conscious that he was
about to become the meat in the sandwich so, realising his mount was tiring,
he’d taken a pull for a couple of strides shortly before it, in order to
avoid any mishaps. Buveur
D’Air rounded the home bend with Melon to his
inside; they were almost matching strides.
Mick Jazz followed closely on their heels. This trio had cleared away from Elgin,
Wicklow Brave, Identity Thief and the tiring Faugheen. Buveur
D’Air and Melon continued neck and neck as they
approached the final flight, which they jumped in unison. Geraghty and Townend subsequently threw everything at their mounts on
the journey to the line, whilst still remaining within the guidelines, Buveur D’Air finally prevailing
by a neck at the line. For the record,
Barry resorted to his whip only latterly and hit his mount 5 times, and Paul Townend administered 6!
Mick Jazz completed in 3rd, 3 lengths behind the
runner-up. Identity Thief claimed 4th,
a further 9 lengths away, with Elgin 1¾ lengths back in 5th. Faugheen finished
6th, Wicklow Brave 7th, Ch’Tibello 8th and John
Constable 9th. Yorkhill
was pulled up before the last, as was Charli Parcs. It was trainer Nicky Henderson’s 7th success in
this race; with Buveur D’Air
becoming the first horse to win it back-to-back since Hardy Eustace in
2004/2005. It was owner JP McManus’
7th triumph in the race too. Ruby stated that Faugheen
now needs further; he subsequently won the Punchestown
Festival’s Stayers’ Hurdle. Identity Thief also needed further – he won
the 2018 Liverpool Hurdle at Aintree! Alan hoped to campaign Elgin on the flat during
the summer.
Again
I wasn’t going anywhere ahead of the next race. Reports from the Stewards’ Room regarding this race – see link
at bottom of this page The odds-on favourite for the next
race was Apple’s Jade, last year’s winner, trained by Gordon Elliott and
ridden by Jack Kennedy; price 1-2. Just one runner of interest in this event – the
Alan King-trained Midnight Tour ridden by Davy Russell today; she’d finished
6th in this event last year. There
were no greys in this race. Having
left the Parade Ring and headed along the horse-walk, the runners exited
straight onto the course, heading across the turf to canter up around the top
bend upon the all-weather strip to reach the mid-course chute. Because
the race distance was two and a half miles, this meant it didn’t commence at
the beginning of the chute, but slightly further along.
Having shown their mounts the first hurdle within
the chute, the jockeys continued around it in order to circle within the
space just beyond. Girths having been
checked, the runners were now ready and then they were off. Apple’s Jade led the runners away, with the sole
chestnut Indian Stream taking a route wide of the main group as they headed
to the first flight. All nine runners
cleared this without incident before heading across the intersection with the
Old Course and arriving the second.
Again there were no noticeable errors and the horses subsequently
crossed the route of the New Course, swinging left-handed and heading
downhill on their journey towards the turn into the home straight. Apple’s Jade led, from La Baque
Au Roi, Jer’s Girl,
Indian Stream, Midnight Jazz, Kayf Grace, Benie Des Dieux, Midnight Tour
and Pravalaguna.
Having entered the home straight, the runners cleared the third flight
in their stride, before continuing on the long run towards the next, which
was situated in front of the area known as the Guinness Village! As had been her tendency thus far, the
leader shifted slightly to her right before jumping it. The field then swung away to their left so as to travel
up the hill in front of the Best Mate enclosure; there was no real change in
the order. Having entered the back
straight, the mares made their way towards the fifth flight, picking up speed
as they did so. The leaders cleared it
without incident; however, Kayf Grace caught a
foreleg on the left-most panel and turned somersault as a result. Pravalaguna, who
had been travelling at the rear of the field, was severely hampered, first by
the horse and then by the jockey, Nico de Boinville, who’d rolled up into a ball to protect
himself. Fortunately the fallen mare
was quickly on her feet and galloped away; Nico
walked away soundly too. Meanwhile the race continued, with Apple’s Jade
holding a narrow advantage over La Bague Au Roi, followed by the white-faced Jer’s
Girl, then Indian Stream and Midnight Jazz.
The Warren Greatrex runner took over at the
head of affairs just before they jumped the sixth flight. The horses continued to make their way
uphill and had soon negotiated the dog-leg turn on their way to four out. Benie
Des Dieux had begun to take closer order by the
time they reached the far corner. The
giant La Bague Au Roi
continued to spearhead the field as they headed down the hill towards three
out and she was still marginally ahead as they jumped it. The others were queuing up ahead of laying
down their challenges and the only mare out of contention was the hooded Pravalaguna. The runners continued their run to the
penultimate flight, which Apple’s Jade and La Baque
Au Rio jumped in unison. Jer’s Girl, Benie Des Dieux and Midnight Jazz were disputing third place, just
behind the leaders. Jer’s Girl and Midnight Jazz had begun to tire as they
headed towards the home turn and they dropped away. Whereas Midnight Tour was staying on
strongly to the inside of Benie Des Dieux as they rounded the home turn. In fact, it was Midnight Tour who burst through
between La Baque Au Roi
and Apple’s Jade as they headed towards the final flight; meanwhile Ruby’s
mount was being galvanised just in behind them. The Alan King-trained runner led over the
last, with Benie Des Dieux
joining Apple’s Jade and La Bague Au Roi as they cleared it.
However, the latter made a horrible mistake and landed awkwardly, thus
throwing away any chance of a placed effort. Midnight Tour and Apple’s Jade were plotting a
course up the stands-side of the run-in, while Benie
Des Dieux drifted to her left before straightening
up again. Unfortunately, when Ruby
smells victory, he’s a very difficult rider to beat; thus he drove his mount
into the lead 120 yards from the finish and stayed on the win by half a
length at the line from the gallant Midnight Tour. Apple’s Jade completed a further 1½ lengths
away in 3rd position. Indian Stream
stayed on to claim 4th, a further 7 lengths back. Jer’s
Girl was 5th, Midnight Jazz 6th, with La Bague Au Roi fading into 7th, the last of the finishers. Pravalaguna had
been pulled up before the final flight.
Having been caught, Kayf Grace was led back
up the course in front of the grandstands, heading for the stabling area; she
appeared none the worse for her mishap. Winning owner Rich Ricci explained that Benie Des Deaux had issues with
steeplechasing, despite winning all three starts
for the Willie Mullins yard; evidently she is prone to tearing muscles in her
back due to her jumping style.
Connections had therefore decided to try her out over hurdles today in
order to keep her sound … and she’d won.
Alan King was also very pleased with his charge, Midnight Tour; although, at one stage, he was sure she’d win. He said she’d run a mighty race, excelled herself; while her pilot Davy Russell thought Apple’s Jade would be able to carry her further before dropping away. Alan hopes Midnight Tour will stay in training, although she’s too small for chasing. Alan thinks that, although she copes with softer ground, better ground would have been more suitable. It was later discovered that Apple’s Jade was in
season, hence her slightly disappointing run.
Again I remained beside the
course-side rails after the race. Reports from the Stewards’ Room regarding this race – see link
at bottom of this page The favourite for the marathon event
of the Festival was the Gordon Elliott-trained Jury Duty, ridden by Mr Jamie Codd; price 4-1. There were no runners of interest in this race
and no grey-coloured horses either! The starting gate for this event
was in the mid-course chute; this being the case the horses cantered across
the home straight when they exited the horse-walk, before heading up around
the all-weather strip to reach it.
Having milled around within the
centre of the racecourse, the horses jogged out onto the racecourse at the
beginning of the chute, and then they were off, at the first time of asking. To the inside of the track, Sizing Tennessee led
them away, along with Impulsive Star travelling one from the outside. Also prominent, as they jumped the first
fence, were Mossback, Ms Parfois, Duel At Dawn,
Shades of Midnight and, on the wide outside Reigning Supreme; the latter
jumped across All Kings in the process.
To the inside, Robin Of Locksley made an error; the jockey Damien Skehan briefly lost his left iron as a result. The runners continued to the second fence, with
Ms Parfois now spearheading the field. At the rear of the field, Pylonthepressure wasn’t particularly fluent. The competitors headed across the
intersection with the Old Course before reaching the third fence, which Clondaw Cian didn’t jump
particularly well. Subsequently they headed across the intersection
with the New Course, before swinging left-handed to travel downhill to the
beginning of the home straight. Ms Parfois led, from Sizing Tennessee and Impulsive Star;
they were followed by Mossback, Shades Of Midnight, Reigning Supreme, Clondaw Cian, Duel At Dawn,
Lofgren, All Kings, Robin Of Locksley, Jury Duty, Rathvinden,
Keeper Hill, Pylonthepressure and No Comment. There were no jumping issues at the first
fence therein. The field continued to the next where, again,
none of the runners made any noticeable errors. The competitors then joined the Old Course
circuit before arriving at the sixth fence.
Impulsive Star made a mistake here, nodding on landing as a result.
Travelling almost at the rear of the field, Keeper Hill hit it hard and fell;
he’d fallen on his previous run too, at Musselburgh. The Warren Greatrex-runner
rolled over due to the momentum, but he was soon on his feet once more, and
appeared uninjured; his jockey was up quickly too. Meanwhile Sizing Tennessee had taken over at the
head of affairs as they continued over the next fence. The runners then swung left-handed to head
up the hill in front of the Best Mate enclosure on their way to the eighth
fence; Jury Duty made an error here, having got too close to it. Still travelling to the outside of runners,
All Kings needed encouragement just prior to entering the back straight for
the first time. They continued downhill to the next where, at the
back of the field, Pylonthepressure made a serious
error. The following fence was the
water-jump, with all the competitors clearing this successfully. Next up was the first open-ditch, with Duel
At Dawn having to reach for it and Rathvinden
actually dragging his hind-legs through it because he couldn’t make the
distance required. Sizing Tennessee
remained at the head of affairs as the 15 remaining runners cleared the 12th,
a plain fence; Mossback made an error here and Pylonthepressure
continued to jump poorly at the back of the field. They headed around the dog-leg turn, with All
Kings receiving a reminder as they did so.
The next fence was also an open-ditch; the leader wasn’t particularly
fluent here. Having soon reached the
far corner, they continued around the left-hand turn before heading downhill
to the next, fence 14; all of the runners cleared this one safely. All Kings was given another reminder as
they headed towards the home turn. There was no change at the head of affairs as the
horses continued over the next; All Kings was now at the rear of the
field. There was yet another blunder
from Pylonthepressure as they jumped the following
fence. The runners subsequently swung
left-handed, away from the main stands, with now just one circuit to travel. As they were racing on the Old Course, there is a
fence on the uphill section, in front of the Best Mate Enclosure. Robin Of Locksley lost six places due to a
bad blunder at this fence; on this occasion, Damien Skehan
briefly lost his right iron! The
jockey decided to call it a day before the next. The runners turned into the back straight for the
final time and headed downhill to the next fence. Sizing Tennessee led over this one, from
Impulsive Star, Ms Parfois and Mossback. The latter hit the fence,
landed steeply and fell. The Gigginstown runner got to its feet … but limped away; his
near-fore was injured, possibly a damaged shoulder. Meanwhile, twelve competitors continued over the
water-jump, as All Kings was pulled up before it. The following fence was the penultimate
open-ditch and, with a number of the horses now tiring in this marathon
event, there were some ragged jumping displays; notably from Duel At Dawn and
Lofgren. Noticeably, Rathvinden had improved his position and was now
disputing fourth. The runners continued towards and over the next,
with the backmarkers now in danger of becoming remote. Five and four from the rear, Duel At Dawn
and Shades Of Midnight respectively, received reminders as they continued
around the dog-leg turn. The jockeys
aboard Clondaw Cian and
Lofgren called it a day prior to the next fence; the final open-ditch. The other runners cleared it okay, apart
from Pylonthepressure which made yet another
mistake. A group of seven had pulled away from the
remainder now; these were led by Sizing Tennessee, ahead of Impulsive Star,
Ms Parfois, Rathvinden,
Jury Duty, Pylonthepressure and the hooded No
Comment. Duel At Dawn and Reigning
Supreme had been pulled up after the open-ditch, leaving solely the
tailed-off Shades Of Midnight to chase them down the hill to three out. Sizing Tennessee jumped out to his right as
he cleared it and Katie Walsh’s mount made a further mistake! Shades Of Midnight scrambled over the fence
and subsequently unseated his rider. This left seven of the 16 runners still standing
as they headed around the final bend; Ms Parfois
had commenced her challenge to the outside of Sizing Tennessee, with Rathvinden in their slip-stream. When they reached the penultimate fence,
the Colin Tizzard-trained runner out-jumped the
mare. Rathvinden
then cruised up on the outside as they continued to the final fence, and he
was marginally ahead of Ms Parfois as they jumped
it. The tiring Sizing Tennessee had
now run his race and dropped back. This left Patrick Mullins and Will Biddick to galvanise their mounts as they headed up the
hill to the winning post. Ms Parfois was extremely game, and briefly got her head in
front, but unfortunately the Irish raider found just that little bit extra to
triumph by half a length at the line.
Damn. Sizing Tennessee, although completing 21 lengths
behind the leading duo, came home in 3rd place, with Impulsive Star 4th. Katie Walsh deserved a medal for completing
aboard Pylonthepressure in 5th; the final finisher
was No Comment … who finished 58 lengths behind the winner! The favourite, Jury Duty jumped two out so
slowly that he pecked on landing and threw his jockey over his head; he’d
been of absolutely no danger to the leaders at the time. Patrick Mullins dismounted from the 10-year-old
winner after the line; the jockey later explained that he’d solely intended
to undo the over-girth. However,
having then re-mounted in order to pose in front of the official
photographers, one of the vets had spoken to him and he was asked to dismount
again; Patrick said the horse was fine, the veterinary staff were just being
cautious. Rathvinden
continued to receive care on course, before being taken directly back to the
nearby stable block. Patrick had
returned down the horse-walkway alone, carrying his saddle on the way to
weigh-in! The winner had Cheltenham Festival form, from the
Ballymore Properties Novices’ Hurdle (formerly the Neptune Investment
Novices’ Hurdle) in 2014 where he finished 3rd to Faugheen. He’d subsequently missed over a 1000 days
on the injury sidelines, before returning to action in December 2016; hence
the reason he’s now 10 and still a novice over the larger obstacles! The winner is owned by Ronnie Bartlett,
owner of the ill-fated Simonsig. Ronnie is Albert Bartlett’s grandson … as
in Albert Bartlett potatoes … and is Chairman of the company. I love Ms Parfois,
she’s a very admirable mare … does this mean she’ll have a shot at the 2019
Grand National? Although it’s not been
won by a mare since Nickel Coin in 1951; according to her trainer, Anthony Honeyball, a future target will be the 2018 Welsh Grand
National. Mossback was subsequently confirmed as a
fatality. L
Again
I was not for moving and remained beside the course-side rails following the
sixth race. Reports from the Stewards’ Room regarding this race – see link
at bottom of this page The favourite for the final race of the day was
Any Second Now, owned by JP McManus, trained by TM Walsh and ridden by Mark
Walsh. There were no runners of interest in this race
... and no greys either. The
starting gate for this race was in the mid-course chute, with the horses
heading across the home straight and up around the all-weather strip to reach
it.
Having been circling upon the
in-field, the horses walked or jogged their way towards the starting gate,
the runners were off first time.
Prominent initially when heading to the first were, to the inside Le Rocher, outside of him Rather Be then, wider still, Ibis
Du Rheu.
Four were in line when clearing the fence, namely Ballyhill,
Western Miller, Ibis Du Rheu and Rocklander. All
nineteen runners jumped it safety; the back-marker was Conrad Hastings. The runners continued over the second without
incident, before heading over the Old Course on their way to the next. As soon as the horses had negotiated this
intersection, ground staff removed the section of rails which had been
blocking the roadway that would be used by the emergency vehicles towards the
business-end of the race. Ballyhill
and Rocklander led over the next; Conrad Hastings
made an error here. The Tom George-trained
runner was at the head of affairs as the field crossed over the New Course
before bearing left-handed and heading downhill to the bend at the entrance
to the home straight; there were no casualties at the first fence therein. Near the rear of the field, Markov was
untidy at the next. The runners moved on towards the sixth fence,
passing through a gap in the plastic rails in order to join the circuit of
the Old Course as they did so. Rocklander continued to hold the advantage as they jumped
it, from Ballyhill, Testify and Barney Dwan. However,
near the rear of the field, Markov made an error and Livelaughlove
clouted it and fell; that wouldn’t do the recently returned Ruby Walsh any
good whatsoever. Fortunately, the
horse galloped away and Ruby walked away too. Markov put in another dodgy jump at the next and
he, along with Conrad Hastings, were already detached from the main group;
Daryl Jacob decided to pull up Markov shortly afterwards. Meanwhile, Testify came through to join Rocklander as they swung left-handed to head up the hill
to the next fence. Jameson wasn’t
particularly fluent over this one, nor was Kayf
Adventure. Entering the back straight, Rocklander
and Testify continued to be the leading pair as they headed downhill to the next. The runners were closely packed as they
jumped this often tricky fence; the one which had claimed Mossback’s life
during the previous race. The leaders
got over it okay, but Report To Base caught it with his shoulder, skewed in
the air and fell heavily; travelling beside him, Tom Scudamore
was ejected from Le Rocher’s saddle. Kayf Adventure
was slightly impeded too. The Nick Williams-trained runner was okay and
continued after the field; not so Report To Base, who was fatally injured in
the fall. Meanwhile, up front, Rocklander continued to lead as the runners headed over
the water-jump for the one and only time; Demi Sang
was a little ungainly at this one and was subsequently pushed along for a few
strides. The following fence was the first open-ditch,
where Demi Sang was less than fluent once
again. The runners continued to the
next, a plain fence. Demi Sang climbed over this one and was then pulled
up. There were 13 horses in the main
group as they negotiated the dog-leg turn; Rocklander,
Testify and Barney Dwan were setting the pace, from
Ballyhill, Rather Be, Ibis Du Rheu,
Western Miller, Mister Whitaker, Jameson, Any Second Now, Kayf
Adventure, De Plotting Shed and Tycoon Prince. Detached and struggling was Conrad
Hastings. Testify got a little bit close to the final
open-ditch and dragged his hind-legs through the fence. As a result he lost a length of two and was
now being ridden along. Tycoon Prince
made an even worse mistake; this resulted in his hind-legs going from under
him when he landed. He failed to
recover from this and Jack Kennedy soon pulled him up. Rocklander
retained the advantage as the runners headed down hill to the third last
fence; Rather Be was travelling well just in behind the leaders. There were no noticeable errors at this
obstacle, with the trailing Conrad Hastings finally pulled up having jumped
it. The still closely packed field of
11 continued to the home turn; Testify had dropped to the rear of this group
and De Plotting Shed was pulled up having also tired. Rocklander
continued to lead the runners as they entered the home straight, hotly
pursued by Rather Be and Barney Dwan who were
matching strides. Ibis Du Rheu and Mister Whitaker were behind these. The long-time leader was just half a length
up as he cleared two out. The leaders subsequently headed down to the final
fence, with Rather Be continuing to lay down a challenge to the long-time
leader; Mister Whitaker, although being ridden, was closing upon the leading
duo. Jeremiah McGrath’s mount was almost
upsides Rocklander as they landed over this, and he
gradually edged into the lead as they began their journey up the run-in. Meanwhile Brian Hughes was managing to coax a
final effort from bottom-weight Mister Whitaker and he suddenly made in-roads
into Rather Be’s lead; Rocklander
was also keeping on to the far side.
The latter finally gave way, leaving Rather Be and Mister Whitaker to
battle it out to the line. Despite
holding his whip in his right hand Jeremiah’s mount edged slightly to his right,
in the direction of his rival, but Mister Whitaker continued to gain ground,
regardless, slowly but surely. Officially it was a photograph … and the result
was that Mister Whitaker had triumphed by a head. The horse has to be ‘produced’ as late as possible, but Brian admitted it was more by
luck than judgement today, as it took longer than expected to pick up on
today’s ground. I think we may safely
say there is no love lost between Jeremiah and Brian; Double W’s had narrowly
got the better of Theinval at Aintree last year, in
the Red Rum … and it had happened again.
Rocklander
held on for third, 3¼ lengths away, with Barney Dwan
in 4th. Ibis Du Rheu
completed in 5th, despite making a mistake and stumbling badly after the
last. Jameson was 6th, Kayf Adventure 7th, Any Second Now 8th, Ballyhill 9th, Western Miller
10th and, last but not least, Testify was the final horse of 11 to finish. Henrietta Knight bought the horse for owner Tim
Radford; it was the first horse she had purchased since her husband Terry Biddlecombe had died.
She’d also bought him from the same place as her triple Gold Cup
winning horse, Best Mate. It was
Tim’s first Cheltenham Festival winner; his company currently sponsored the
Cheltenham Gold Cup. I don’t mind Mick
Channon winning but I feel sorry for Jerry. Jerry had won one Cheltenham Festival race
but was still seeking his second victory.
He’d finished second last year too, in this race, aboard Gold
Present.
Racing
over, I finally left the rails to return through the tunnel to the area
beside the Winners’ Enclosure. Reports from the Stewards’ Room regarding this race – see link
at bottom of this page The scores on the doors, in the Betbright Cup after Day 1, were GB 4 Ireland 3. Mind you, one was a freebie for the home
team, as Ireland had no runners in the Ultima
Handicap Chase!
Presentations complete, I visited the
ladies’ loo before setting off back to my car. Exiting
the car park on the first day of the Festival is usually a nightmare and
today was no exception. I left at
around 18:40, or at least I joined the back of the queue to exit at that
time. As the majority of vehicles from
my side of the car park were joining the left-hand queue, I’d decided to do
the same. In addition to the route I chose, there is a track-way which bears
off to the left and rejoins further down the driveway; however, the car-park
marshals had decided to close this particular option just before I reached
it. Not that I wanted to travel via
that particular diversion route anyway. Having
finally reached the gate ... of the car park, vehicles from my queue and the
right-hand queue converged, with each driver taking it in turns to exit onto
the concrete roadway. I then had to
swap lanes, from left to right, in order to enter the London-bound
queue. It actually took me until 19:20
to reach Southam Lane – 40 minutes after I’d
started the car engine! The lane was
open to through traffic, but road traffic officers stopped this
intermittently to allow everyone an easier escape from the racecourse. When
I reached the main Southam Road, a couple of
marshals were just dismantling the temporary traffic lights and I had to wait
for them to cross the road in front of me.
I turned right and headed back towards Prestbury. In contrast to 2017, the main road through
the village was clear by the time I drove along it. It had been a nightmare last year, and I’d
been so embarrassed by my car’s very noisy engine fan; it had since been
replaced when my car was serviced. In
fact the roads were so clear that I’d reached the Six Ways road junction by
19:35. There’s
a new speed limit of 30 mph upon the stretch of A40 within Charlton Kings
but, having entered the Gloucestershire countryside, I was soon on my journey
up the Cotwolds escarpment. I was pleased to discover that, again this
year, my night vision was okay; besides, I was wearing my night vision
glasses over the top of my normal spectacles.
I’d already removed the contact lenses I’d been wearing throughout the
day. I
even saw a segment on Breakfast TV in late March when a guy from the RAC was
discussing this problem. It’s caused
by the new led headlights which dazzle oncoming drivers; so, actually, it’s
probably not my age after all!
Authorities are investigating and hope that changes can be
implemented. Besides, what is the
point of improving vision for the driver of the oncoming car, when the
hundreds of drivers they pass in the opposite direction are so dazzled that
they cannot see? In other words, one
person is advantaged and hundreds are disadvantaged. Approaching
the traffic lights denoting the junction with the Gloucester road, the line
of traffic came to a sudden standstill; this was despite the traffic lights
showing green. It soon became apparent
that the hold-up was caused by two stationary vehicles on the roadway ahead;
someone had been driving too close to the car in front of them and,
presumably, had been caught out when that car had braked suddenly. The accident had caused quite a mess, not
only with the back and front of the vehicles involved, but with debris lying
across both carriageways too.
Oops! In
contrast, my journey continued along the A-road without incident as far as
the beginning of the Witney bypass, at which point I took a left turn and
headed towards the town. Because I was
now on my own, upon the road, it was quite difficult to see; admittedly it’s
easier if you have someone’s tail-lights to follow. Another car had soon caught up with me, as
I approached Minster Lovell; a local I presume. My
accommodation, at Eynsham Hall, was situated to the
northeast of Witney. Having moaned
last year about the state of the road surface on the approach to the centre
of Witney, it was a relief to find that resurfacing work was currently in
progress; although drivers had to take care in order to negotiate raised
ironworks. I continued in the
direction sign-posted Bicester and arrived at the
driveway entrance at around 20:25. The
driveway is very spooky at night, with the branches of large trees
overhanging it. I
parked in the car-park to the right-hand side of the main building and headed
through a couple of archways to reach the main Hall in order to
check-in. The receptionist gave me a
slip of paper, marked upon it a map of the accommodation buildings within the
grounds; I was staying in The Lodge this year. Having returned to my car, I drove around
to the other side of the main hall and parked nearby, before going to find my
room; it was on the first floor. It
took me at least four journeys to transport my worldly belongings to said
room. At one point my luggage meant I
was struggling with the front door; a passing guest held it open for me and
he asked if I needed help to carry my bags.
I declined ... even at my age I don’t like to appear helpless! I thanked him for his kind offer. I’d
taken my very muddy snow-boots to my room, in a large red storage box. I left them to soak in water,
overnight. And I was already
embarrassed by the filth stuck to my car – it looked like it hadn’t been
cleaned for months ... when in fact it had been washed the previous day! The car park was rather spooky as, although
well lit, creatures could be heard calling and responding within the
surrounding countryside. I have no
idea what they were! My
evening meal was a chicken and mushroom Pot Noodle, followed by a number of
chocolate biscuits. I did doze off for
a while before waking and turning off the TV and light. I re-charged my camera batteries overnight
too, along with my mobile phone. I was
pleased to discover that I had access to the internet via my phone this year;
that had not been the case on my previous visit. |
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STEWARDS REPORTS – Cheltenham Festival (Index) PHOTOS – Cheltenham Festival Day 1 (Index) |