DIARY – KEMPTON PARK
SATURDAY 15 MARCH 2014
FEATURING THE SILVER BOWL AND SILVER PLATE
I Miles To
Memphis, ridden by Choc, wins the
Maiden Open NH Flat Race This particular fixture followed
on from the 4-day Cheltenham Festival and two races, the Silver Plate and the
Silver Bowl, offered connections the opportunity to run their horses having
been balloted out of over-subscribed races at the aforementioned event. And me? I got home from spending four days
travelling to and from the Gloucestershire venue actually feeling a little
less tired than in recent years.
Something I put down to the fact that I turned in earlier each night,
so was able to get approximately one extra hour’s sleep than has often been
the case in the past; this was afforded because I didn’t write a blog entry. Friday, however, had been the
exception and, for some reason, I didn’t turn in until just gone midnight
despite not writing a blog; although I had checked the Kempton Park race-card
to see if Choc was scheduled to ride at the fixture and, if so, how many
riding engagements he had. Four. Okay, that was a yes to a trip then ...
with the proviso that I wasn’t totally sure he’d survived his last race fall
at Cheltenham totally unscathed, where poor Raya Star had been a fatality. And I’d actually plucked up the courage to
ask his mum Sally if he was okay ... walking wounded, requiring application
of ice to his knee; not sure which one, good or bad (right). Later in the evening he’d sent a tweet to
his followers thanking them for their kind messages. Despite the late night, I was
awake by 06:15 on Saturday morning and seeking confirmation that Choc would
be riding at Kempton Park today; no Choc no racing! Shortly after 08:00 I walked down the road
to the local supermarket to purchase the racing papers, just in case there
was any news of injury; nothing. I
understood Channel 4’s The Morning Line was scheduled to begin at 09:00 today
but couldn’t find it on their normal channel/HD due to the Paralympics
coverage, or listed on the schedules either.
Where was it? I know, I’d try
More4 and found it; why didn’t I think of that sooner, as I frequently find
programmes to watch on that particular channel when nothing is suitable on
others! I’d tuned in just in time; one
of the presenters was going through a list of jockey changes affecting
today’s racing and he announced Choc would be taking over from AP McCoy
aboard Bar De Ligne in the Silver Bowl chase.
Sadly there had been much carnage at Cheltenham this year; both horse
and jockey. Four horses lost their
lives – Our Conor, Akdam, Stack The Deck and Raya Star. Jockeys injured included Bryan Cooper, Ruby
Walsh and Daryl Jacob; AP McCoy had already been walking wounded, when a fall
from Mr Mole in the last race of the Festival had forced him to take a few
days off to recover too (a mere 4 days actually ... he’s the hardest of them
all ... and crazy!) Anyway, that meant that Choc
would have 5 riding engagements ... so a trip to Kempton Park was
confirmed. I waited until the end of
The Morning Line (10:00) before showering, washing and drying my hair,
applying make-up, eating a crust of bread (I love crusts) and selecting my
outfit. Today’s ‘gear’ was three thermal t-shirts (plum, violet, and dark rose),
cerise frill-edged cardigan, purple fleece, black gillet, tweed M&S skirt
(one of my favourites and not quite so tight following a week on limited
rations!), cerise jacket, turquoise swan-print per una scarf, black/white
horse-print snood, purple tights, capacious burgundy handbag, and black
mocassin style wedges. It would turn
out to be a lovely day; blue sky with a few white clouds, although a brisk
breeze too in exposed places! I was ready to leave at 11:35; I
estimated gates opening time would be 12:20 as the first race was due off at
14:20. My route took me to Junction 22
of the M25, and around via the anticlockwise carriageway to the M3; I left
the latter motorway at Junction 1, heading along Staines Road East, past the
main entrance to Kempton Park, and entering the gates further along in order
to reach the free car parking area in front of the Silver Ring
grandstand. I parked up at 12:25,
having experienced no major holdups on either motorway ... although I had
yawned a few times!!! Having changed from my driving
mocassins into my walking shoes, and put on my jacket and scarf, I set off to
purchase a ticket. The south entrance
was in fact open today but, for the hell of it, I walked around the perimeter
fence to reach the main entrance ... just in case there was an outside
possibility of spotting my favourite jockey.
But no luck today! Entry was £16; I paid cash. I handed the purchased ticket to one of the
stewards manning the entry doors so that he could tear off the detachable
strip and he promptly ripped off the other end of the ticket instead. My memento ticket had been multilated. Damn! Once inside, I purchased a race-card from
the guy at the nearby kiosk - £3.50 today ... that’s more expensive than the
cards at the Festival (£3.00); a rip-off! Having paid a quick visit to the
loo, and exited onto the concourse beside the Parade Ring; at 13:00 I decided
I’d take a walk down to the course-side rails via the steps to the side of
the grandstand to see if anyone was walking the course; not that I ever
really expect to see Choc out on this particular track as it’s never been
known yet! Apart from when in his role
as ‘The Face of National Hunt Racing’
during his injury period in the 2010/2011 season when punters were give the
opportunity to walk the final furlong at Kempton Park with him. After 15 minutes I returned to the Parade
Ring area in preparation for the first race of the day. Presenting from the racecourse
for RUK today were Olly Bell and Dave Yates.
I positioned myself to the far side of the Parade Ring, as usual; it
was in the shade today but more sheltered from the breeze. Choc’s mount in the first race
was the Alan King-trained mare Tante Sissi; led up by her lad Steve Ayres, he
also looks after Balder Succes. She
was the 7-2 favourite for this event.
One post-Cheltenham jockey change for this race, with Tom Scudamore
deputising for Daryl Jacob aboard the Karl Burke-trained Doynosaur. Once the horses had left the
Parade Ring I set off to find a vantage point beside the course-side rails; I
was in time to see Choc and his mount canter past on their way to the
starting gate at the far end of the home straight.
The horses approached the starting
gate, which is situated on the apex of the bend, at a sensible pace and then
they were off. The horses were soon
heading towards the first of three fences in the home straight, they were led
by Arkaim.
Two or three lengths behind was Noche Des
Reyes, fighting a little for his head, to his outside Kitegen,
behind these the other mare in the race Doynosaur,
to her inside Able Deputy, then Tante Sissi and finally Easily Pleased held up in rear. There
were no scares over the first two fences, although Choc’s
mount was a less than fluent over the third. The field then headed up past the
winning post and headed out to complete one full circuit. The runners were quite strung out as they
negotiated the top bend, Arkaim six or seven
lengths clear and Tante Sissi
now sharing last place with Easily Pleased. By the time the horses had
reached the next fence, the lead was much reduced; Tante
Sissi now taking closer order on the outside of the
field, in fifth position. However, the mare was a little slower at the first
open-ditch than her rivals and was relegated to last place heading into the
lake bend. Travelling around this bend the order
was Arkaim approximately four lengths clear, Noche Des Reyes (in other words, Twelfth Night) in second,
sharing third place were Doynosaur and Kitegen, then stride for stride Easily Pleased and Able
Deputy, with Tante Sissi
two lengths in rear. Choc’s mount had closed up on the field as they
approached the first down the back, but again lost momentum with an awkward
jump at this fence; after which her jockey chivvied her along in order to
keep tabs on the other runners. Arkaim
remained in the lead over the next two, the second of which is an open-ditch;
Kitegen had advanced into second position by this
stage. Close up to his inside were Noche Des Reyes and Doynosaur,
then a couple of lengths back, disputing last position, were Easily Pleased,
Able Deputy and Tante Sissi. However the long-time leader put in a slow
jump at the next, permitting Noche Des Reyes and Kitegen to go on; but Arkaim,
with the benefit of the inside line on the long final bend was able to
wrestle the lead back again. At this
point, Kitegen became outpaced and dropped back
into fourth position, with Tante Sissi weakening fast and beginning to tail off. Entering the home straight there were
just three fences now to negotiate. Arkaim held a narrow advantage over Noche
Des Reyes over the first of these, from Doynosaur,
the rallying Kitegen, Easily Pleased and Able
Deputy. The runners were very closely
grouped as they approached two out, with Arkaim, Kitegen and Able Deputy just a length ahead of the other
three; Tante Sissi now
toiling in their wake. Charlie Poste
drove his mount into the lead heading towards the last, Able Deputy
attempting to lay down a challenge to the outside of the field; Arkaim, Easily Pleased and Noche
Des Reyes still not without a chance as they cleared the fence. Having jumped the obstacle, Kitegen was driven out to win by two lengths, from Able
Deputy who got the better of Easily Pleased by a neck, with Arkaim just a length away in 4th and Noche
Des Reyes a further half a length back in 5th. Doynosaur
completed in 6th; Tanti Sissi trailing in 21
lengths behind the other mare. It was Kitegen’s first outing over the bigger obstacles.
With
Choc’s mount finishing a disappointing last of the
seven runners and therefore not returning to the Winners’ Enclosure, I
returned briefly to the area above it to see the victor return before heading
off to buy some chips from the outlet positioned beside the corner of the
grandstand. Although I did feel a
little short-changed when compared to my last visit to the racecourse, as on
this occasion £2.50 resulted in a smaller container of chips! Although, having said that, there were
still plenty! I’d
finished eating the chips before the horses arrived ahead of race two. Alan King had two runners in this event; Lord
Of Scotland to be ridden by Choc and, top weight, Seventh Sign ridden by
Stephen O’Donovan claiming 7lbs. The
latter had been a surprise winner at Doncaster the previous month. Benbane Head,
trained by Martin Keighley, was also a runner in this race. The race favourite was the David
Pipe-trained, Tom Scudamore ridden mare, Legacy
Gold. Additional
jockey changes too, with Harry Derham replacing the
injured Daryl Jacob aboard Empire Levant and Maurice Linehan
deputising for AP McCoy aboard Another Hero.
Traditional Bob was ridden by Conor Ring
instead of Paul Moloney. Having
exited the Parade Ring, the horses cantered along the straight heading out
towards the lake bend; I set off to my usual vantage point beside the
course-side rails.
All twenty runners were closely
bunched as they headed towards the tape ahead of the off. Special Catch squeezed up the inside of the
runners before being eased back; maybe he disturbed Choc’s
right iron in the process, as my favourite jockey adjusted it as the runners
moved up towards the line, or maybe he just caught it on the plastic rail to
his inside at one point. Then they were off. The field was led away by Benbane Head, Bygones Sovereign and Prideofthecastle;
Empire Levant was clearly visible, being a light grey, on the outside of the
field although nearer last than first.
Having cleared the first, Special Catch was already detached a little
in rear and Home Run was being urged along to keep his place in the centre of
the main group. Benbane
Head led over the second flight, from Bygones Sovereign; they held a two
lengths advantage over the main body of the field which was led by Prideofthecastle.
Choc and Lord Of Scotland travelled to the inside, around two thirds
of the way back through the field; the other Alan King runner also took the
inside line, positioned just ahead of him.
Travelling around the bend and into
the home straight on the first occasion, Benbane
Head continued to lead. He held a
couple of lengths advantage over Bygones Sovereign; PrideoftheCastle,
Marcilhac and Portway
Flyer led the main body of the field a further two lengths behind. All the horses cleared the first flight in
the home straight without incident, but Empire Levant was very clumsy at the
next, dragging his near-hind through the hurdle and losing momentum. Heading up past the grandstands and
around the top turn, the field was very tightly
bunched, Benbane Head and Bygones Sovereign now
disputing the lead; Traditional Bob brought up the rear, with Empire Levant
on the wide outside of the entire field.
Holding a narrow advantage as they jumped the fifth flight, Bygones
Sovereign made an error and lost it again; Imperial Leader also made a
mistake at this obstacle. Lord Of
Scotland travelled okay, to the inside of the field, with six or seven horses
behind him. Having cleared the next
flight, the back marker was Home Run.
The horses headed around the lake
turn and straightened up to face the fourth last flight; there was no change
at the head of affairs. It was at this
point that Choc felt his mount falter; being to the inside of the runners he
pulled him over to his right, onto the steeplechase track and quickly pulled
him up, the horse limping to a standstill; he dismounted and waited for
assistance to arrive. The race
continued. There were no jumping casualties at
the hurdle, but Empire Levant was struggling in the wake of the field and
Harry Derham pulled him up before the next. Both Home Run and Imperial Leader were
detached from the others at this point.
Benbane Head lead over three out, from Marcilhac and Portway
Flyer. Closing on these around the
final bend were Another Hero, Carole’s Destrier and
Carrigmorna King, followed by the favourite Legacy
Gold; behind these Lord Protector and Seventh Sign. Into the home straight they travelled
and approached the penultimate flight; Marcilhac
taking the advantage, Tom Scudamore switching his
mount to the inside to get a clear run and Carole’s Destrier’s
jockey switching his mount to his left, also to get a clear view of the
obstacle. The Venetia Williams runner
jumped this with a narrow advantage and retained his lead as they headed to
the final flight; both Legacy Gold and Carole’s Destrier
continuing to lay down a challenge. Portway Flyer was staying on in fourth position, with the
long-time leader Benbane Head remaining in fifth. The leaders cleared the last
successfully and it was then a battle to the line; Legacy Gold could give no
more, and would soon be overtaken on the run-in by Portway
Flyer. However, Marcilhac
and Carole’s Destrier continued to battle to the line,
the latter prevailing in the last few strides to win. Benbane Head
completed in 5th, just holding off Seventh Sign by a neck.
With Choc having pulled up his mount due to an
injury, and appearing to be walking wounded, I decided to forego a trip back
to the Winners’ Enclosure in order to observe the proceedings on the far side
of the track. The horse ambulance was
quickly on the scene, and the horse presumably loaded into it. It drove back across the racecourse
infield, across the ‘side straight’
and headed back to the stable complex.
I didn’t catch a glimpse of Choc being driven back, but I did see Alan
King’s Travelling Head Lad, Matt Howells, return in one of the emergency
vehicles, with Choc’s saddle. I think it must sometimes be a godforsaken job to
be the Travelling Head Person; the one who needs to collect the saddle from
any charge which may have suffered an injury during a race. I’d seen Matt walk past me on his way to
the Weighing Room the previous day, carrying Choc’s
saddle, having gone to collect it from the fatality injured Raya Star. At the time, looking at the race recording, it
had seemed that Lord Of Scotland’s injury was not that serious but, having
checked the ‘Horses In Training’
page on Alan King’s website the following week, Lord Of Scotland’s name had
disappeared. Nor was he listed on the ‘Horses Resting’ page reserved for
those temporarily on the injury sidelines.
Lord Of Scotland ran in the two shades of green colours of Simon Munir, the owner of Raya Star. A very bad two days for the owner if he’d
lost both horses. With nothing else to be observed, I returned to
the far side of the Parade Ring ahead of the third race of the day. Choc’s mount in
this event was the Steve Gollings-trained Bar De
Ligne; deputising for the injured Daryl Jacob. A further jockey change was Richie McLernon standing in for AP McCoy; his original mount
having been a non-runner. The race
favourite was The Romford Pele. Once the horses had left the Parade Ring and were
heading to the start, I set off once more to my favourite vantage point
beside the course-side rails. The starting gate for this event was upon the
lake bend.
Then they were off and heading
towards the first fence; one of four in the back straight. Cloudy Bob, a pretty rocking horse grey,
and Al Alfa were narrowly ahead over this obstacle; Bar De Ligne almost
upsides between them, as was Saved By John and the other grey Elenika. At the rear of the field, Tom Scudamore was launched into space by his mount, Royal
Guardsman. The ten remaining runners headed to
the next; Al Alfa put in a short stride before take-off, hit the top,
sprawled on landing and fell. Then
there were nine. Both horses and
jockeys were reported by the commentator to be fine following these
mishaps. There was no incident at the
third; the first of the open ditches.
Cloudy Bob and Bar De Ligne cutting out the running, with Saved By
John almost upsides. Travelling in
fourth position was Saved By John, from The Cockney Mackem,
Elenika, Irish raider Nearest The Pin, Top Of The Range and The Romford Pele.
Having successfully negotiated the
fourth fence, the runners travelled around the long right-hand turn and into
the home straight on the first occasion.
The next fence was cleared successfully by each runner; The Romford
Pele, travelling in rear, made an error at the next. Bar De Ligne continued to lead as the
horses jumped the next and travelled up towards the winning post with one
circuit to go; Cloudy Bob initially his closest companion, superseded by
Saved By John. Heading out into the country again, Choc’s mount continued to hold a very narrow advantage;
Cloudy Bob and Lost Legend to his inside, Saved By John and Elenika to his
outside. Colin Bolger, aboard the grey
rocking-horse, entered the lake bend with a slight lead over Bar De Ligne;
Top Of The Range ridden by Barry Geraghty was being
driven along in last position at this point. Straightening up into the back
straight, all of the runners negotiated the next successfully; Choc then
began to show the first signs of distress as his mount travelled towards the
next, which Saved By John led over.
Having cleared the final open-ditch, the game was up for Bar De Ligne
and he began to drop back through the field.
Leading now were Cloudy Bob and Saved By John, with Lost Legend and
Top Of The Range closing in on them.
The Cockney Mackem fell at the fence. Having cleared four out, Bar De Ligne
was now struggling in last place. The
field travelled around the final bend and into the home straight, just three
more fences to go; Lost Legend now held the advantage over Cloudy Bob and Top
Of The Range. The Irish raider Nearest
The Pin soon loomed up behind them, preparing to make his challenge. Having cleared three out, he cruised up
alongside Lost Legend and Cloudy Bob; the latter began to drop away. However, Lost Legend and Richie McLernon continued to battle and they remained upsides
Nearest The Pin as they jumped two out and continued to rally. The former took the lead once more, very
narrowly, over the last and held off the Irish challenge all the way to the
line; the winning distance three quarters of a length. Cloudy Bob completed in 3rd, with The
Romford Pele in 4th. Bar De Ligne
completed in a tailed-off 8th, last of the finishers.
Following
the race I returned to the Winners’ Enclosure area briefly before heading
back to the far side of the Parade Ring in preparation for the arrival of the
runners ahead of the next race. There
was a sad postscript to this race, with The Cockney Mackem
reported to have lost his life today. There seem to be conflicting reasons given
for his unfortunate demise – either a back injury or a heart attack according
to the Racing Forum’s Memorials page. Alan
King had two runners in the next race; First Mohican ridden by Choc, and Hung
Parliament piloted by Jack Doyle.
Another post-Cheltenham jockey change was required; this time Tom Scudamore taking over for Daryl Jacob aboard the Karl
Burke-trained Fair Loch. Once
the horses had begun their journey down the walkway to the racecourse, I set
off to my vantage point beside the course-side rails; having routed-marched
to reach it, I was in time to see First Mohican, accompanied by Hung
Parliament, canter to the start at the far end of the home straight. The
favourite for this event was the Nicky Henderson-trained, Barry Geraghty ridden Oscar Hoof at odds of 5-4.
Then they were off. The field was led away by Here I Am, from Fitzwilly, Oscar Hoof and Fair Loch. First Mohican travelled in behind the
latter, taking an inside line; Hung Parliament, keen in mid-field, made a bit
of a hash of the first flight! There
were no incidents at the second flight, the runners travelling up past the
winning post and out into the country for the one and only time; Gold Carrot
brought up the rear. Heading around the top bend Here I Am
and Fitzwilly disputed the lead, with Gun Shy and
Oscar Hoof close on their heels.
Behind these were Fair Loch, No Such Number and Solar Sky. First Mohican followed, with Katie’s Massini and Miracle Cure.
Money Talks was ahead of Devon Drum, Hung Parliament, Parting Way, Markttag, Mr Shantu and Gold
Carrot. The runners travelled down the side
straight and over two flights of hurdles without incident. Having travelled upsides Here I Am from the
off, Gavin Sheehan sent his mount into a clear lead as the field travelled around
the lake turn; an advantage he still held over the first of two flights in
the back straight. However, Oscar Hoof
gradually gained on the leader approaching the next, and jumped into a slight
lead over it; Fitzwilly soon upsides again due to
holding the inside berth around the long bend into the home straight. Their nearest pursuers were Fair Loch,
First Mohican, Solar Sky and Devon Drum. Straightening up to face the last two
flights, Barry Geraghty encouraged his mount to
take the lead once more, the grey Fair Loch cruised up behind him, First
Mohican now in third position to the inside, and Fitzwilly
in fourth; a blanket would cover these four. Over the penultimate flight and Choc’s mount was the first to surrender his position.
Oscar Hoof was being ridden to maintain his advantage, pursued by Fair Loch
and the keeping on Fitzwilly. They cleared the last and, despite
looking a big danger in the home straight, Fair Loch was unable to catch
Oscar Hoof on the run-in; the latter extending his margin of victory to 3¼
lengths at the line. Fitzwilly finished a further 2¼ lengths back in 3rd, with
First Mohican 4th. Alan King’s
second-string Hung Parliament completed in 14th position.
With
Choc having made it into the Winners’ Enclosure for the first time today, I
returned to the far side of the paddock; the fourth–placed horse is unsaddled
in this area. Once
Choc was on his way back to the Weighing Room I re-positioned myself and went
to sit upon one of the stools provided for the spectators. Whilst I was changing the battery in my
camera, I heard a commotion from within the Parade Ring itself; I looked up
to discover that the runner-up, Fair Loch, who’d been in a distressed state
following the race, had collapsed (fainted) whilst being led around the main
paddock area. A green screen was
quickly erected to prevent the spectators from viewing the proceedings; or at
least those on the grandstand side of the Parade Ring which, of course,
didn’t include me. It’s fortunate that
I’m not fazed by these things, having seen many incidents during my
racecourse visits, including the two electrocutions at Newbury a few years
back. Anyway,
the vet was in attendance and the horse’s handlers endeavoured to cool him
down by throwing buckets of cold water over his body as he lay on the
ground. A few minutes later Fair Loch
rose to his feet and was led back to the stables. It was also reported that Hung Parliament
had finished the race distressed. Choc
had been due to ride in the next race but, in the event, it was announced
that the Alan King representative Ned Stark would be a non-runner. He was due to start as favourite for the
race; this mantle was now assumed by the Emma Lavelle trained Andy Kelly who
went off at odds of 4-6. The horse
took a fair old hold on the way to the starting gate, but fortunately stopped
when the accompanying horses pulled-up too.
Then
they were off, at a very steady pace, especially considering the keen hold
taken by Andy Kelly on the way to the start!
Anyway, the leading horses were the aforementioned and Withoutdefavourite as the runners travelled towards the
first flight; Generous Helpings was the back marker. There were no problems at the initial
obstacle and the runners headed towards flight two; Couldhavehaditall
stepped at the hurdle and crumpled on landing, seriously hampering Generous
Helpings in the process. It was a soft
fall and both horse and jockey were fine. The
remaining runners headed around the long bend and into the home straight on
the first occasion; Withoutdefavourite and Andy
Kelly led the way, from Blue Bear and Masquerade, Royal Ripple and Lemony Bay
followed these, then Road to Freedom with a gap to Generous Helpings, the
latter having lost a number of lengths when hampered (he was my
favourite!). The loose horse followed
in the field’s wake. Andy
Kelly was less fluent than the others over the next flight, Masquerade
advancing to take the lead on the approach to the next hurdle; Withoutdefavourite travelling a little awkwardly to his
inside. The runners then headed up
past the winning post and out into the country, Generous Helpings still
bringing up the rear but he’d soon closed up upon the field. Masquerade
led the field down the side of the course, the runners successfully
negotiating two more flights in the process.
There was no change at the head of affairs as they galloped around the
lake bend, Blue Bear taking closer order and moving into second position,
ahead of Withoutdefavourite and Andy Kelly. Having turned into the back straight, the
leader jumped noticeably out to his left at the next flight but he still held
a narrow advantage over three out. The
horses then travelled around the final bend, Masquerade retaining a narrow
lead from Andy Kelly; Withoutdefavourite was being
pushed along at this stage, Blue Bear more so and dropping back. Lemony Bay was travelling well, on the
heels of Andy Kelly. Approaching two
out, Generous Helpings was getting into contention having sneaked up the
inside once the rail dividing the hurdle course from the chase course terminated. Andy
Kelly took the lead jumping the penultimate flight, drawing clear of his
rivals heading to the last. This left
Lemony Bay, Masquerade, Withoutdefavourite and
Generous Helpings to fight it out for the minor honours, provided the leader
successfully negotiated the last. He
did and galloped on to win by 9 lengths from the keeping-on Withoutdefavourite, who had a neck in hand over Generous
Helpings. Royal Ripple stayed on
through beaten runners to steal 4th from Masquerade by a nose on the
line.
It
was the first winner under rules for his jockey Richard O’Dea. No
ride in the next event for Choc. The
favourite for this race was Badgers Cove at 5-2, trained by Robin Dickin and ridden by Charlie Poste;
the team seeking a double following Kitegen’s
triumph in the first. Being
a three mile event, the starting gate for this race was at the beginning of
the side straight, the horses cantering a short distance to reach it upon
exiting the walkway. As usual, I stood
beside the course-side rails at my favourite vantage point to view the
race.
Then
they were off. The runners were led
away by Badgers Cove; close up to his inside was last year’s winner of this
race, Whispering Jack, and to his outside Midnight Macarena. All seven runners cleared the first two
obstacles without incident and they headed around the lake bend on the first
occasion; Badgers Cove leading, and Campbonnais
bringing up the rear. Ears
pricked, the leader lobbed along at the head of affairs; all horses clearing
the four fences within the back straight without problem. Turning into the home straight on the first
occasion, Badgers Cove continued to lead; to the outside of the field was the
mare Midnight Macarena, to her inside the grey Venetian Lad, in her wake Mic Aubin. In fifth and sixth were Billy Dutton and
Whispering Jack; the latter having dropped quickly back through the
field. Campbonnais
remained in rear. Straightening
up, the runners soon cleared the seventh fence; Mic
Audin blundered here. The leader’s ears were still pricked as he
looked ahead to the next obstacle, thoroughly enjoying himself at the head of
affairs. The first six runners
continued on up the straight, clearing two more fences before they passed the
winning post with one circuit to go; Whispering Jack was now being ridden
along in their wake and had, by this time, become a little detached. The
field headed around the top bend and, in lengthening shadows, set off down
the side straight once more. Midnight
Macarena almost joined the long-time leader as they negotiated the next
fence, but he out-jumped the mare at the open-ditch to set up a clear
advantage once more before heading into the lake bend. Having become seriously detached from the
remaining runners, Whispering Jack was pulled up; there would be no repeat of
last year’s victory. His jockey rode
him back at a walk. The
half dozen runners remaining exited the bend and began their journey over the
four fences therein; the third of which is an open-ditch. And still Badgers Cove led the field. By the time they reached the final turn;
both Billy Dutton and Campbonnais were beginning to
struggle and had begun to lose touch.
Distress signals were soon also being shown by Midnight Macarena, Mic Aubin and Venetian Lad as
they tried to remain in touch with the long-time leader. Badgers
Cove cleared three out still with an advantage; Mic
Aubin walked through the fence when trying to mount
a challenge, his jockey going to the buckle-end of the reins but the
partnership survived. The Robin Dickin representative began to extend his lead as they
approached two out, Mic Aubin
soon shaking off the tiring Venetian Lad but Badgers Cove had already flown
the coop. So, despite the best efforts
of David Bass and his mount, they were unable to close in upon their prey as
they jumped the final fence and ran to the line. The winning distance three lengths. The
grey, Venetian Lad, completed 18 lengths back in third; Billy Dutton plugged
on after the last to claim 4th, with Campbonnais
5th. The very tired Midnight Macarena
cantered over the line in last place.
Just
for a change, I returned to the walkway leading to the Winners’ Enclosure to
see the horses arrive back. And I
decided to remain there in preparation for the runners arriving ahead of the
final event of the day, in which Choc’s mount would
be newcomer Miles To Memphis. I guess
I was seeking a new ‘angle’ for my
photographs and was rewarded when Choc passed close by as he entered the
Parade Ring and also on his way out to the racecourse aboard Miles To
Memphis! With
no differentiation between the Premier area and the Paddock area at a fixture
of this nature, on this occasion I decided to head up the concourse between
the main grandstand and the Clubhouse; I settled for a vantage point beyond
the winning post, beside the Members’ lawn from which to view the race. Being
a two mile bumper, the runners cantered down past the grandstand to reach the
starting gate at the far end of the home straight. The only disadvantage with taking
photographs at this time of the day is that light was fading, especially in
the shadow of the grandstand. Richie
McLernon replaced the sidelined AP McCoy aboard the
evens favourite, Oficial Ben, for this race.
Then
they were off. The runners were led
away by Dancing Shadow, with Bo’s Return to his outside. Choc’s mount
travelled in mid-field, in the centre of the pack; to his outside Loves Blind
was pulling like a train under Colin Bolger.
The field negotiated the wings of the now absent sets of hurdles and
galloped up past the winning post with one circuit to go. Bo’s
Return and Dancing Shadow still travelled at the head of affairs heading for
the top turn, from Kayf Blanco, Run On Sterling,
Scarlett Lady, Loves Blind, Ryde By Knight, Free Of
Charge, Miles To Memphis sandwiched between the latter two, Vinnie The Pooh,
Manhattan Mead and Oficial Ben. Having
corned wider than the others, Sam Twiston-Davies
kept his mount wide of the field initially; however, he steered back towards
the others as they crossed the second section of the all-weather track due to
there being at least three swans causing an obstruction on the course! Following this manoeuvre, Kayf Blanco found himself at the front of the field; Oficial Ben continued to bring up the rear. There
was no change at the head of affairs as the runners travelled around the lake
bend; Bo’s Return and Dancing Shadow continued to follow the leader. Choc’s mount took
closer order as they galloped along the back straight, and there was further
deviation from a straight line to avoid another group of swans which had
wandered onto the track at around the half way point along it. I counted a dozen of the birds when
watching the race replay! Kayf Blanco remained ahead of the field
approaching the final bend, The Scarlett Lady now in second, with Dancing
Shadow in third; Bo’s Return was just beginning to fade and Miles To Memphis
had improved into fifth place by this stage.
A group of five had put three lengths between themselves and the
remainder as they straightened up; the favourite was being ridden along in
sixth in an attempt to close on the leading group. The
race for the winning line was now on. Kayf Blanco continued to lead as they passed between the
wings of the penultimate hurdle but Miles To Memphis and Choc, both jockey
and horse heads down, were is hot pursuit and travelling strongly. So much so that, by the time they reached
the wings of the final flight, Miles To Memphis had a four lengths advantage. He
drew further clear on the run-up to the line, winning by an impressive 8
lengths from Run On Sterling who had rallied to claim second over Dancing
Shadow and long-time leader Kayf Blanco.
Excellent;
a winner for Choc. After what had been
a very frustrating Cheltenham Festival, with two close seconds this year and
other placed efforts too, it was good to see Choc on the scoreboard again;
winner of the lucky last. Looking
ahead, Miles To Memphis would also travel to the Scottish Grand National
meeting at Ayr to take part in the bumper and he won that too. Alan King holds this horse in high regard;
he reminds me of Bobs Worth, heads down and galloping to the line. And he has nice big ears too – the horse
that is!!! Having
chosen a spot just a short distance from the Parade Ring, or at least by
comparison with my usual vantage point, I arrived at the walkway in plenty of
time to see Choc arrive back. I
remained here whilst Choc dismounted and it was noticeable that he was
reluctant to put weight upon his right leg; he unsaddled and spoke with connections
before he set off back to the Weighing Room.
I
like to congratulate him personally, if possible, when he rides a winner when
I’m in attendance and this was no exception.
I’d headed in the direction of the pedestrian walkway crossing point
in advance of him (which could be seen in the background on Olly Bell’s ‘final
roundup’! on RUK) and spoke to him as he passed by. And, yes, I was also permitted to plant a
kiss on his right cheek ... he was stubbly today! I also said that I hoped his knee was okay
(he said ‘Don’t worry about it’)
and told him that I was sorry about Raya Star too. Mission
accomplished it was time for me to leave and I set off to exit via the south
entrance/exit point to return to my car.
I’d brought two cheese rolls with me today, so I ate these before
beginning my drive home. Being a
Saturday and one of the quieter racedays at the
Sunbury venue, the queue of traffic tailing back from the roundabout beneath
the M3 was shorter than usual and moving steadily towards the junction. There
were no traffic problems on the M3 or the M25 and I arrived home at
19:15. Supper was salad with a baked
potato covered with butter and cheese.
I spent the remainder of the evening uploading my photographs, making
a list of those which I intended to use on this website and, the biggest job
of them all, I began to write my mega blog entry
covering Day 1 to 4 of the Cheltenham Festival and Saturday’s blog too. As
the time began to draw close to midnight, I realised that my concentration
was becoming severely compromised by tiredness. No surprise following five consecutive days
at the races, with almost 900 miles driven!
I cut my losses and turned in shortly afterwards. I
completed my backlog of blog entries the following morning, which enabled me
to continue forward from that point.
Also, the uploading of the Kempton Park photographs on my
website. However, it would take until
the following Friday evening to select and upload all of my selected Festival
photographs! Click here to view photos – Races
1, 2 & 3 |