APRIL 2012
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Monday 30 April
2012 |
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With the
recent monsoon conditions, there’s not much happening on the racing
front. No riding engagements today for
Choc, with Towcester having been abandoned. And none
at Exeter tomorrow either; with the fixture still not certain to go ahead
anyway. Wednesday? Who knows!
Nothing for Choc on Thursday or Friday as he’s going to be serving a
2-day suspension incurred for careless riding at Cheltenham a couple of weeks
ago. News today,
in Alan King’s website blog, that West End Rocker will never be visiting
Aintree again; in future he will stick to running in staying chases at tracks
such as Newbury and Warwick. I have
been devoting time to my outstanding diaries whilst recuperating from my
recent sinus operation and, at last, have finished one! Like last year, I’ve split Grand National
day into two instalments: |
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Saturday 28
April 2012 |
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Today Choc
was at Punchestown and this is how he
fared: Balder Succes (Alan King/Choc) blundered at the first flight
which resulted in Choc being unseated & Secret Edge (Alan King/David Casey)
finished 5th in the Champion 4-Year-Old Hurdle (Grade 1). (13 ran) It’s been an inauspicious trip to
Ireland. Oh dear ... what a
disappointing end to the season. L Meanwhile,
there were a couple of runners of interest at Sandown Park too: West End
Rocker (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) ran very disappointingly despite the soft
ground and was pulled up with one circuit to travel; in contrast, Any
Currency (Martin Keighley/Aidan Coleman) put in an excellent effort to finish
3rd in the bet365 Gold Cup Chase (Whitbread Gold Cup as was). The
feature race was won by the enigmatic Tidal Bay, under top weight; he simply
trotted up. More With Sanctuaire winning the Celebration Chase and Tidal Bay
winning too, Ruby Walsh should have heeded Paul Nicholls’ advice and gone to
Sandown Park instead of remaining at Punchestown! The stable’s second jockey, Grand National
winning Daryl Jacob was the beneficiary of Ruby’s decision. Paul Kealy, tipster in the Weekender, selected Tidal Bay to
win; he also mentioned that West End Rocker has been beaten out of sight both
times he’s tried going right-handed over fences! Aidan
Coleman won the Jump Jockeys vs. Flat Jockeys Handicap race run at Sandown
today. And at Market Rasen: Junior
Jack (Martin Keighley/Alain Cawley) was pulled up
in the Novices’ Handicap Chase (8 ran). Ukrainian
Star (Martin Keighley/Alain Cawley) was pulled up
in the Handicap Chase (6 ran). With the
end of the National Hunt season today, Choc has finished 16th in the Jockeys’
Championship; having missed two months mid-season due to his broken arm. Click here to view more
details. Here also is my statistical overview of his season. Tomorrow’s
fixture at Wetherby has been abandoned due to
water-logging; Choc has no riding engagements at Ludlow. The weather is forecasted to be abysmal
tomorrow, with heavy rain and gale force winds ... probably best to stay in
bed! I have
been working on a couple of my outstanding diaries (Aintree), although the
technical problems I’ve been encountering this past week have severely affected
my resolve! I have five more days
before I return to work although, having said that, my department won our
Head Office’s Award for Excellence and our reward is a day out at
Jean-Christophe Novelli’s Cookery Academy. This takes place next Friday, the day I’m
due to return. So, I guess, there’s no
proper work for me to do until the Tuesday following the May Day Bank
Holiday. This
morning I decided to sort through a pile of recent Horse and Hound magazines,
to enable me to file copies of Choc’s column before
disposing of the unwanted pages. I
then discovered the 09 February 2012 issue tucked away between storage boxes;
I have no idea why it had ended up there, nor was it an issue containing Choc’s fortnightly column. However, upon flicking through it, I
noticed an ‘Early Lessons’ feature;
it included a photograph of young Choc jumping a cross country fence aboard
his favourite childhood pony Cass. Below I
have reproduced the text which accompanied the photograph: Jump
jockey Robert “Choc” Thornton’s favourite childhood pony was similarly
independently minded. “Cass was
my second pony. The first was a 12.2hh
we had on loan for a short time so Mum could check I was really serious about
riding. I was eight when we got Cass
and he stayed with us until he was put down aged 26”, he reveals. “Cass was
a grey 13.2hh Connemara-cross and I adored him. He had a huge personality. When he’d had enough out hunting, he’d jump
away when he saw the road. Similarly,
if he fancied coming back in when he was turned out, he’d pop over the rails. “I
remember getting him ready for a show, coming inside to have breakfast and
returning to find an empty box. Cass
was in the field, caked in mud and munching merrily,” remembers Choc. “I jumped my first gate on him when I was
nine. He had amazing scope and liked
to trot up to his fences. He wasn’t
push-button, but because of that he taught me a lot,” he says. “Once you got him going forward, you let
him sort himself out over a fence and that’s still the way I like to do
things today.” |
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Friday 27 April
2012 |
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Today,
Choc was at Punchestown and this is how he
fared: Kumbeshwar (Alan King) fell at
the last when beaten in the Ryanair Novices’ Chase (Grade
1) (7 ran). It was a nasty looking
fall, but Choc seemed fine, and the McNeill’s Racing Manager, Iain Turner,
tweeted to inform everyone that Kumbeshwar was fine
too; ATR also confirmed it. Very
relieved as would hate injury to befall my favourite jockey or one of my
favourite horses either. The race was
won by Lucky William. More Alan King
also ran Golden Electra in the Fillies’ Premier Bumper, ridden by Mr JT
Carroll (in Ireland, bumper runners are always ridden by amateurs) and they
finished a tailed off last (23 ran). Tomorrow,
Choc will be remaining in Ireland to ride at Punchestown: 16:30 Balder
Succes (Alan King/Choc) & Secret Edge (Alan
King/David Casey) – Champion 4-Year-Old Hurdle (Grade 1). Meanwhile,
there are a couple of runners of interest at Sandown Park too: 15:10 West
End Rocker (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) & Any Currency (Martin
Keighley/Aidan Coleman) - bet365 Gold Cup Chase (aka Whitbread Gold Cup as
was). And at Market Rasen: 14:10
Junior Jack (Martin Keighley/Alain Cawley) –
Novices’ Handicap Chase 15:20
Ukrainian Star (Martin Keighley/Alain Cawley) –
Handicap Chase It’s the last day of the 2011/2012 season
tomorrow and I’ve only made it to Sandown Park once this term, that’s a
shame, as it’s my favourite local racecourse.
Now expecting a number of weeks without going to the races L, but it will enable me to pay off my credit
cards having completed the most expensive phase of my year and, perhaps,
investigate the possibility of upgrading my laptop ... before saving up to
purchase tickets for next season’s Festival events! |
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Thursday 26
April 2012 |
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Sorry I’ve
been offline since 21 April ... I’ve definitely not given up my website ...
unbelievably it has been because my broadband has been out of action since
that date. Initially
I spoke with my internet service provider (ISP) who confirmed there was no
reported problem at my local telephone exchange and they suggested I should
speak with BT as there was interference on my phone line (despite a filter
being fitted) which might affect my internet connection. But BT tested the phone line and claimed
there was no problem. I then
spoke again with my ISP and after ‘walking’
me through a variety of procedures they sent me a new router, which
fortunately they didn’t charge me for as it was within the warranty period of
the current one which had been replaced last August. It arrived yesterday but, after
installation, I still couldn’t obtain an internet connection. All along
I had been convinced that the problem lay outside of my home, especially as
having been promised a new router I even linked up the original Sky router
(the one which was replaced last year) and it demonstrated exactly the same
malfunction as the one which appeared to go wrong on 22 April. When working correctly, the internet light
is supposed to flicker amber and then turn solid green – instead it flickered
amber and then remained solid amber. I
had replaced the original one because the power supply had become faulty,
hence the reason it was still usable.
And three apparently faulty routers are too much of a
coincidence! Having
spoken with my ISP again yesterday afternoon, their Tech Support team still
couldn’t sort it out for me so they have booked me another call within 72
hours. However, I continued to
persevere with the router and, shortly before midday today, broadband
returned, although a little slow! They
will still call me back though, as I’ve since been advised that there are
errors on the line. And, as I
don’t own a smartphone, I’ve been unable to follow
Choc on twitter either. It’s been a
nightmare ... I really
didn’t need this stress whilst recuperating! I’ve
actually been okay following my sinus operation – which was a septoplasty, BACP and BAWO. That would explain why my upper front teeth
having been feeling a little numb too!
Also stated on the medical form is ‘Outfracture and SMD to inferior turbinates’. More Post-op
has been similar to having a cold but being unable to blow one’s nose in case
it causes further bleeding! Oh well,
it’s over and done with now and hopefully I’ll feel an improvement in the
airflow over the next two or three months. I’ve tried
to keep abreast of Choc’s riding engagements during
the time I’ve been unable to update my website files. In order to do this, I’ve been taking a
stroll down to my nearest supermarket to purchase a copy of the Racing Post
and watching the racing coverage on TV!
Choc had
one riding engagement at Wincanton on Sunday 22 April and this is how he
fared: Ata Boy
(Richard Phillips) was pulled up before 2 out in the NH Novices’ Hurdle (8
ran). On Tuesday 24 April Choc was at the Towcester evening fixture,
where he had 2 riding engagements: Way Back
When (Alan King) finished 3rd in the Novices’ Handicap Chase (5 ran). Magic Moon
(Alan King) finished 10th in the Maiden Open NH Flat Race (12 ran). On Wednesday 25 April Choc was due to
have one riding engagement at Hereford but the meeting was
abandoned due to water-logging. Choc has
flown over to Punchestown today, hoping to ride
Kumbeshwar in the Grade 1 Ryanair Novices’ Chase at 18:40; however, with the
appalling weather conditions prevailing in Ireland too, the chases have been
postponed again today. As I write
this, the race is due to take place at 16:55 tomorrow, Friday. Whilst I
was reading through the Racing Post I also noticed that Choc has incurred a
2-day riding ban, Thursday 03 May and Friday 04 May. He therefore must have been ‘naughty’ when riding at Cheltenham on
Thursday 19 April. And here it is,
from the BHA website: The Stewards held an enquiry into possible interference approaching
the final furlong. Having heard their evidence and viewed recordings of the
race they found that TICKITY BLEUE, placed second, ridden by Robert Thornton,
had interfered with KAYFLIN (FR), unplaced, ridden by Leighton Aspell. The Stewards found Thornton in breach of Rule (B)54.1 and guilty of careless riding in that he had
manoeuvred right handed. They suspended him for 2 days as follows: Thursday 3
and Friday 4 May 2012. All being well with my
broadband, normal service will continue tomorrow! |
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Saturday 21
April 2012 |
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Today Choc
was at Ayr and this is how he
fared: Lidar (Alan King/Choc)
finished 3rd in the Future Champion Novices’ Chase (Grade 2) (6 ran). Raya Star (Alan King/Choc) won
the Scottish Champion Hurdle (Grade 2 Limited Handicap) (10 ran). Choc’s 51st winner of the season. J Walkon (Alan King/Choc) was
pulled up & Any Currency (Martin Keighley/Alain Cawley)
finished 8th in the Scottish National (Grade 3) (24 ran). Habbie Simpson (Alan
King/Choc) was pulled up in the Handicap Hurdle (10 ran). Oh Crick
(Alan King/Choc) finished 4th in the Handicap Chase (9 ran). Here is a
report about Raya Star’s victory today. More And news
of Merigo’s second victory in the Scottish Grand
National, having also won the race in 2010. More Choc has
one riding engagement tomorrow, at Wincanton: 14:10 Ata
Boy (Richard Phillips) – NH Novices’ Hurdle As
promised, here is an overview of Choc’s most recent
Horse and Hound column. This
week’s column is headed ‘Nothing wrong
with the National’. Choc
begins by stating that it’s a pity that the overreaction to the death of two
horses overshadowed the achievement of Paul Nicholls and Daryl Jacobs in
winning the race with Neptune Collonges. He says that Paul is very lucky, because
the only way he was going to beat Nicky Henderson to the trainers’ title this
year was by winning this race, and he did. Choc
suspects that his views about the National may not be popular with some
people, but he strongly believes that there was nothing wrong with the race
10 years ago and there’s nothing wrong with it now. In fact he attended a fixture at the course
after last year’s race and begged the organisers not to change a thing. He says it
is sad when horses die, but if you enjoy equine competition, you have to
accept that there will be risks involved.
It was bad luck that the two horses the BBC focused on most were the
two which died. Choc thinks that the
furore, particularly on twitter, would not have been so great had the fatally
injured animals been lesser publicised horses. Choc
believes the whole of racing, and equestrianism for that matter, should stand
united against the animal rights do-gooders.
He thinks that, in addition to wanting to see the end of the Grand
National, they would like to get rid of all National Hunt racing. He saw the same thing happen with hunting
and it breaks his heart to think that it could happen again. He says
where there is life there is death. It
may be a harsh way of looking at things but most of the people involved in
looking after working animals – racehorses being working animals not pets –
accept that there will be accidents and some will die before their natural
lifespan is up. His views
don’t mean that he doesn’t love horses; he has spent his whole life looking
after them, riding them and thinking about them. But he says that sentimentality doesn’t
improve an animal’s lot in life. Choc
believes the fences don’t need changing, the number of runners doesn’t need
reducing and the speed of the race doesn’t need controlling. If there are things that could be
introduced to make it safer, such as getting loose horses caught quicker,
then he’s all for it. Most of
all he doesn’t want the Grand National to become just another ‘bog-standard’ handicap chase. That would kill the race, people would lose
interest, they won’t go to Aintree, they won’t watch it on TV and they won’t
bet on it. All things that produce
revenue which goes back into racing.
He says be careful what you wish for. On a more
cheerful note Choc mentions that he had a good first two days of the meeting,
although he was disappointed that Smad Place
unshipped him in the first race because he’d definitely have finished second
to Big Buck’s. He almost
thought ‘oh no not again’ during
the next race when Donald McCain’s horse sadly broke a leg and he smacked
into the back of it aboard Grumeti, losing six
lengths and momentum. As a result he
was off the bridle midway down the back straight and not wanting to use up
too much petrol to catch up. But he
says that Grumeti battled well to beat Countrywide
Flame. The next
day he couldn’t believe that he won a second Grade 1, this time aboard Lovcen; the horse didn’t travel at any stage and Choc was
working harder than the horse was. It
was only at the last flight that he thought he could win. He had another winning chance in the Mares’
Bumper but Call Me A Star got worked up and got rid of him on the walkway
under the stands [yes, I know, because I heard the commotion and saw it
happen], bursting out through the rail.
That having occurred, Choc just wanted to give her as good an
experience as she could have. Choc
says she tried hard and finished second – a lovely mare with everything in
front of her. * * * * * I still
have a sore throat and croaky voice ... so not feeling great. And, of course, my nose is still
weeping. Nice! |
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Friday 20 April
2012 |
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Yesterday
Choc was at Cheltenham and this is how he
fared: Tante Sissi
(Alan King/Choc) finished 9th in the Mares’ Handicap Hurdle (Listed) (11
ran). Tickity Bleue
(Alan King/Choc) finished 2nd & Shady Lane (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson)
finished 11th in the Mares’ Standard Open NH Flat Race (12 ran). Today,
Choc flew up to Ayr with colleague Barry Geraghty, and this is how he fared: Dineur (Alan King/Choc)
finished 7th in the Handicap Hurdle (8 ran). Bar De Ligne (Steve Gollings/Choc)
finished 3rd in the Novices’ Handicap Hurdle (10 ran). Torphichen (Alan King/Choc)
finished 3rd in the Handicap Chase (10 ran). Meanwhile,
at Fontwell Park: Hurricane Milly (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) finished 6th in the
Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle (9 ran). Midnight
Sail (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) won the Novices’ Chase (6 ran). Tomorrow,
Choc will again be at Ayr: 14:15 Lidar (Alan King/Choc) – Future Champion Novices’ Chase
(Grade 2) 14:50 Raya
Star (Alan King/Choc) – Scottish Champion Hurdle (Grade 2 Limited Handicap) 15:25 Walkon (Alan King/Choc) & Any Currency (Martin
Keighley/Alain Cawley) – Scottish National (Grade
3) 16:00 Habbie Simpson (Alan King/Choc) – Handicap Hurdle 16:35 Oh
Crick (Alan King/Choc) – Handicap Chase Sad news
that Great Endeavour has suffered a fatal injury whilst on his summer
holiday. More I
underwent my long awaited sinus operation yesterday, at 15:00. I’m reliably informed that there was a
thunderstorm overhead at that time ... I didn’t hear a thing! I was kept in overnight; something to do
with being older! My companion in the
ward, who was probably in her early twenties, underwent a similar operation
at noon yesterday and was released by 21:30.
I didn’t get much sleep though, my second wave of unconsciousness
being interrupted by the nurse wanting to take my blood pressure, pulse and
temperature. I couldn’t get to sleep
after that. The nose ‘tampons’ were removed this morning,
both together ... ouch! I now know
what an embalmed pharaoh must have felt like having their brains pulled out
through their nose although, of course, I’m still alive! Shortly afterwards I felt nauseous and hot,
so I pressed the emergency button.
However, the nurse was attending to someone else, and by the time
she’d reached me I’d fainted on the floor.
Having helped me back to bed, oxygen was administered, after which I
felt much better. I was released from
hospital at 11:30. I have a
sore throat and a croaky voice and, every now and then, I can feel blood
dripping from my left nostril into gauze taped below my nose ... nice! There’s no bruising around my eyes, but my
nose is a little swollen. Oh well, no
pain no gain. I also have a long list
of do’s and don’ts ... and, having been signed off work for two weeks, I am
sidelined for next weekend’s Sandown fixture and an intended trip with my
friends Fay and Lesley to see another friend Angie in Eastbourne on 01
May. Damn. Choc’s latest column
appeared in yesterday’s Horse and Hound; however, as I don’t want to overdo
it today, I’ll endeavour to write an overview tomorrow. |
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Wednesday 18
April 2011 |
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There were
a number of runners of interest at Cheltenham today,
and this is how they fared: Medinas (Alan King/Choc) finished
6th in the Novices’ Hurdle (7 ran). Iron
Chancellor (Alan King/Choc) finished 7th in the Handicap Chase [3 miles 4½
furlongs] (14 ran). Jetnova (Alan King/Choc) was
pulled up & Court In Session (Martin Keighley/Alain Cawley)
was a non-runner in the Handicap Hurdle (10 ran). Twentyfourcarat (Ian Williams/Choc)
was a non-runner in the Novices’ Handicap Hurdle Teshali (Martin
Keighley/Willie Twiston-Davies) finished 2nd in the
Handicap Hurdle (Conditional Jockeys & Amateur Riders) (11 ran). A number of
non-runners today, as Cheltenham decided to water to ensure good safe ground,
just in case the rain didn’t arrive ... but it did, and the course got a
double-dose! Tomorrow,
Choc will be at Cheltenham once more; hopefully
one of the ‘ladies’ can produce
that elusive first Cheltenham winner of the season for him: 15:10 Tante Sissi (Alan King/Choc) –
Mares’ Handicap Hurdle (Listed) 17:30 Tickity Bleue (Alan King/Choc)
& Shady Lane (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) – Mares’ Standard Open NH Flat
Race There are just
10 days of the current season left.
Choc has ridden 50 winners so far, two fewer than in 2010/2011; both
seasons having been interrupted by serious injury. Here is a
link to an article on the At The Races website regarding the loss felt by the
connections of Synchronised. Well worth a read. More There will be no blog tomorrow evening, as I’m
scheduled to stay in Hospital overnight following my long awaited sinus
operation. Fingers crossed that normal
service will resume on Friday. |
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Tuesday 17 April
2012 |
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Kempton Park Quotica De Poyans (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) fell 2 out &
Ruling Party (Alan King/Choc) finished 6th in the Novices’ Hurdle (15 ran). Dona (Alan
King/Ciaran McKee) finished 13th & Andhaar (Richard Phillips/Choc) finished 3rd in the
Handicap Hurdle (20 ran). Exeter Spring
Moon (Martin Keighley/Alain Cawley) was pulled up
in the Handicap Chase having suffered a tendon injury (9 ran). Martin tweeted ‘fingers crossed’ he’ll make a full recovery. Tomorrow
there are a number of runners of interest at Cheltenham; I’m
hoping Choc will ride a winner there during the next two days, as he’s drawn
a blank at the Gloucestershire track so far this season and this fixture is
his last opportunity. 14:00 Medinas (Alan King/Choc) – Novices’ Hurdle 14:35 Iron
Chancellor (Alan King/Choc) – Handicap Chase [3 miles 4½ furlongs] 15:10 Jetnova (Alan King/Choc) & Court In Session (Martin
Keighley/Alain Cawley) – Handicap Hurdle 16:20 Twentyfourcarat (Ian Williams/Choc) – Novices’ Handicap
Hurdle 17:30 Teshali (Martin Keighley/Miss Gina Andrews) - Handicap
Hurdle (Conditional Jockeys & Amateur Riders) I’ve been
catching up jockey Dave Crosse’s ‘Love
the Races’ column and, in his latest blog, he’s revealed this year’s Da Jesters nominees.
Choc has one nomination, for "Twitter Prat
of Da Year" ... Tomorrow is the ‘follow-up’ digital retuning day in my area. Let’s hope it is less stressful than it was
on 04 April! |
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Monday 16 April
2012 |
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Tomorrow
there are a number of runners of interest: Kempton Park 15:20 Quotica De Poyans (Alan
King/Wayne Hutchinson) & Ruling Party (Alan King/Choc) – Novices’ Hurdle 16:50 Dona
(Alan King/Ciaran McKee) & Andhaar
(Richard Phillips/Choc) – Handicap Hurdle Exeter 15:30
Spring Moon (Martin Keighley/Alain Cawley) –
Handicap Chase The post
mortem on Saturday’s Grand National continues. I encountered a number of ignorant and
negative responses to the race at work today, including ‘I hope two jockeys die next year’. Greg Wood
has written a fair article in the Guardian. Click here to read. Trainer
Malcolm Jefferson, who lost According To Pete on Saturday, has defended the
race. More I confess
that the race has already changed considerably from that which I remember as
a child. Choc, during our Newbury
course walk, accused me of being from the ‘Ginger
McCain’ school of racing! I feel
it is at risk of being totally ruined as the spectacle it once was. I’m becoming a little nervous about my sinus
operation this Thursday. I’ve been
lucky, as I’ve only had two minor operations, one under general and one under
local anaesthetic, but don’t recall worrying beforehand. Is it because I’m getting older or,
perhaps, because this operation is related to my breathing? |
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Sunday 15 April
2012 |
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Choc has
posted a lovely photograph on Twitter of himself and William about to enjoy a
late lunch today. https://twitter.com/#!/Choc_Thornton/status/191561678566080512/photo/1 70,441
attended yesterday’s Grand National, another sell out crowd. Hopefully the quality of Aintree’s printed
tickets will be better next year; the bar code on both my tickets could not
be read by their ticket machine! They
knew there was an existing problem, as my tickets were swapped immediately
for test ones; I was annoyed because I like to keep them as a memento. I had purchased ticket number 0001 for the
Earl of Derby Stand Terrace on both days.
But at least I still have my badges.
The
provisional dates for next year’s Aintree Festival are Thursday 04 April to
Saturday 06 April; I notice that Premier Inn has already marked up all the
rooms in the Liverpool area as unavailable for that particular period. It happened this year, with the hotel chain
putting up their prices by around £25 a night before releasing rooms onto the
market at a later date! Very sneaky
... I went to
a Travelodge this year; poorer quality than Premier Inn but cheaper. However, I shall wait for a while and no
doubt rooms will be available at some point in the future. I noticed that there were still a limited
number of rooms available at my chosen Premier Inn just a few days ago. No National Hunt racing tomorrow. I’m returning to work for 3 days; I’ll be
having my sinus operation on Thursday, staying in overnight and being
released from hospital on Friday, I’m told.
Then signed off for a week in total. Despite not getting to bed until around 02:00
this morning, I awoke at 06:45. No
wonder I now feel tired. However, I
have spent time today uploading the photographs I took at Aintree. |
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Saturday 14
April 2012 |
|
Choc had
two riding engagements at Aintree yesterday and this is
how they fared: Champion
Court (Martin Keighley/Alain Cawley) finished 2nd
in the Mildmay Novices’ Chase (Grade 2) [3 miles 1
furlong] (5 ran). Lovcen (Alan King/Choc) won
the Sefton Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1) [3 miles ½
furlong] (19 ran). Choc’s 50th winner of the season. Call Me A
Star (Alan King/Choc) finished 2nd & Flementine
(Martin Keighley/Alain Cawley) finished 6th in the
Mares’ Standard Open NH Flat Race [2 miles 1 furlong] (20 ran). There were
2 runners of interest at Aintree today: Arabian
Heights (Alan King/Adrian Maguire) finished 6th in the Charity race (12 ran). West End
Rocker (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) fell at the 2nd fence in the Grand
National (40 ran). Today’s
Grand National was totally marred by the death of two horses, including Gold
Cup hero Synchronised. Without the
assistance of the TV links when at the racecourse, it’s impossible to
discover news; I didn’t know that two horses had died until I phoned my mum
before I set off for home (she likes to know I’m safe ... even at my age ...
she’s a worrier). It later transpired
that the green screens at fence 5 were for the injured Noel Fehily, not for an injured horse; the jockey has a
suspected broken ankle. Synchronised
got up following his fall at Becher’s and galloped
after the other runners; did he damage a hind leg when clambering over the
11th fence? The other
fatality, According To Pete, was in the wrong place at the wrong time,
breaking a leg when being brought down by On His Own at Becher’s
second time around. The ups and downs
of racing ... trainer Malcolm Jefferson celebrating Cheltenham/Aintree
doubles with both Cape Tribulation and Attaglance;
but then losing his Grand National horse today. West End
Rocker went missing for a while ... Wayne walked back to the grandstand bend,
where he met up with Alan King, and Travelling Head Lad, Matt Howells. They were glancing up and down the
racecourse, trying to spot Rocker.
Matt then set off towards the first fence and, shortly afterwards,
could be seen leading the horse back.
Mind you, they had a lot of difficulty unsaddling Rocker, he wouldn’t
stand still and was kicking out too; I wonder if his girth had been forced
back when he struggled over fence 3, the open-ditch, when loose. As that will irritate him. I’m
pleased that Grand National winner, Neptune Collonges,
is to be retired following today’s race.
Amazingly,
I actually backed both Seabass and Cappa Bleu each way ... winning bets made by myself are
almost as rare as hen’s teeth! Choc was
at Chepstow and this is how he
fared: Tell Me Y
(Jonjo O’Neill) finished 6th in the Novices’ Hurdle
(15 ran). Draco Boy
(Tony Carroll) was pulled up in the Novices’ Handicap Hurdle (14 ran). Upthemsteps (Ian Williams)
finished 2nd in the Handicap Chase [2 miles 3½ furlongs] (7 ran). Walden
Prince (Tony Carroll) finished 3rd in the Handicap Hurdle (15 ran). Brunette’sonly (JW Mullins) was
pulled up in the Handicap Chase [3 miles] (12 ran). Mister
Newby (Richard Phillips) was a non–runner. Turn Over Sivola (Alan King) finished 4th in the Standard Open NH
Flat Race Div II (15 ran). No specific runners of interest tomorrow. Too tired to upload my photos now ... It may have been Friday 13th yesterday but it
wasn’t unlucky for me because ... I ‘accosted’
Choc on his way back to the Weighing Room to offer congratulations on his wins
aboard Lovcen and Grumeti;
I got to kiss him on the cheek and ... I hugged him too! J It was also a hug because he’d not got a
ride in the Grand National ... |
|
Thursday 12
April 2012 |
|
As I’m
writing a blog today, you will have gathered that I didn’t attempt a last
minute extension to my trip to Aintree.
I didn’t realise just how much preparation I had still to do ... so I
would have been awake for most of the night trying to get everything
ready! Nor would it have been
conducive to a 200 mile drive to Liverpool, when I need to set out at 05:30
in the morning, which means an alarm call at 03:30!!! Everything being well, I hope to make it a
3-day trip in 2013; and, perhaps, my friend Lesley will join me on Grand
National day next year, if not before. This is
how Choc fared at Aintree today: Smad Place (Alan King)
fell (according to ATR’s site) or unseated (according to the Racing Post) 4
out in the Liverpool Hurdle (Grade 1) [3 miles ½ furlong]; it was such a bad
blunder that, regardless of the description, it was impossible for Choc to
survive the mistake (8 ran). In fact
only 5 finished, with Restless Harry falling, bringing down Won In The Dark
earlier in the race. Grumeti (Alan King) won the Anniversary 4-year-old Juvenile Hurdle (Grade 1)
[2 miles ½ furlong], beating Triumph Hurdle winner Countryside Flame by a
length (11 ran). Choc’s
49th winner of the season. Sadly the race was marred by the fatal
injury to Gottany O’s, who went wrong approaching
the 4th flight. Medermit (Alan King) finished
a very close 4th in the Bowl Chase (Grade 1) [3 miles 1 furlong] (11
ran). Kumbeshwar
(Alan King) finished 4th in the Red Rum Handicap Chase (Grade 3) [2 miles]
(13 ran). Race 1: Here is the link to the story regarding Big
Buck’s’ victory in the Liverpool Hurdle; a record number of 17 consecutive
wins. More Race 2: And Grumeti’s Grade 1
win today too. More Race 3: The Bowl Chase was won by the Irish 50-1 shot,
Follow The Plan. More Race 4: The Donald McCain trained Cloudy Lane won the
Fox Hunters’ Chase for amateur riders which takes place over the National
fences. My Way De Solzen
jumped extremely well, cutting out the running for part of the race, before
fading to finish 7th. More Race 5: The race was won by Paul Nicholls trained, Ruby
Walsh ridden, Edgardo Sol; the winning distance 14
lengths! Race 6: Menorah returned to form to win the Grade 1
Manifesto Novices’ Chase. More Race 7: The winner of the Pertemps
Final at the Cheltenham Festival, Cape Tribulation, won the Silver Cross
Handicap Hurdle, under top weight. More Frustratingly,
Martin Keighley’s Any Currency is now first reserve for Saturday’s feature;
the last chance to discover whether he will get a run will be at 09:00
tomorrow. Any withdrawals after that
will not be replaced and the field will be fewer than 40. Tomorrow,
Choc has two riding engagements at Aintree; and
there are also two other runners of interest: 14:30
Champion Court (Martin Keighley/Alain Cawley) – Mildmay Novices’ Chase (Grade 2) [3 miles 1 furlong] 16:15 Lovcen (Alan King/Choc) – Sefton
Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1) [3 miles ½ furlong] 17:25 Call
Me A Star (Alan King/Choc) & Flementine (Martin
Keighley/Alain Cawley) – Mares’ Standard Open NH
Flat Race [2 miles 1 furlong] Ahead of
the Aintree Festival, Choc has written a new column for Horse and Hound,
published today. Anyone got
a spare ride he asks? At the time of
writing (last Monday) he hadn’t got a ride and was very disappointed. He mentions that Alan King will be running
West End Rocker in the big race and that Wayne Hutchinson will be riding,
having piloted the horse to success in the Becher
Chase earlier in the season; the owners deciding to stick with Wayne. Choc
states that West End Rocker is blooming and has got a great chance in the
race, which makes it harder to swallow.
He says he’s not the first person to be jocked-off
and he genuinely wishes Wayne, Alan and the owners the best of luck. Choc writes that the National is the one
race he’d love to ride in and has been one of the reasons he fought so hard
to return quickly following his broken arm. Aintree
always brings back lots of memories for Choc.
His best ride was provided by Supreme Charm for Kim Bailey in
2002. Choc says he nearly fell off at
the first fence, but then got a great staying ride off the horse to finish
fifth. Following retirement, Supreme
Charm won the Melton Hunt Club Ride when ridden by Annabel Bealby; 3½ miles of Leicestershire hedges must have
seemed like a breeze following 4½ miles in the National! Choc also
enjoyed his ride aboard Torduff Express in 2000,
despite falling at the 13th. Choc
blames himself for the horse’s early exit that year; they were going very
well, he relaxed, got in a bit too deep to the fence and they were gone. Choc mentions that Polly Gundry rode the
horse to win the Fox Hunters’ two years later. Choc won
the Fox Hunters’ when he was 18-years-old (in 1997), aboard Blue Cheek. They won by 17 lengths – Choc writes that
life seemed so easy back then! He
commends Jonjo O’Neill for deciding to run
Synchronised in the National; it would be good for racing for the Gold Cup
winner to have a shot at National Hunt racing’s other great prize. He recalls Garrison Savannah gamely
finishing second in the big race, a few short weeks after winning the Gold
Cup. Also Master Oats attempting the
same double in 1995, but it’s not been done since. The only horse to complete the double was
Golden Miller in the 1930s. If a horse
is in good form, Choc thinks there’s no reason not to run him ... although he
isn’t sure that the Synchronised will jump well enough. Choc believes Sunnyhillboy’s
chances should be respected, having won the Fulke Walwyn/Kim Muir Chase at Cheltenham last month. He also thinks that if a horse is to
complete a Grand National double, then Ballabriggs
might be that horse. Choc
doesn’t fancy Junior; the horse having previously been trained by Alan
King. He’s sure the horse is not a
good enough jumper to complete the course; although he admits he could be
wrong. He writes
that his best chance of a winner at the Festival will be Grumeti
in the 4-year-old Juvenile Hurdle. The
first day of the Festival will be his busiest, with the aforementioned, Smad Place (Liverpool Hurdle), Medermit
(Betfred Bowl) and maybe Kumbeshwar (Red Rum Chase)
[an entry having been made for Saturday too]. Choc
schooled Grumeti on Monday and the horse is in
serious form. He is convinced they
will turn the tables on Triumph Hurdle winner Countrywide Flame. On Friday
Choc rides Call Me A Star in the mares’ bumper; he states that she’s as good
a mare as he’s ridden for a long time.
He also rides Lovcen, who ran an excellent
race in the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham and will run in
either the Grade One Sefton Novices’ Hurdle or a
handicap; as he writes, he hopes the former (confirmed above). And, last
but not least, Choc wishes the best of luck to My Way De Solzen
who runs in the Fox Hunters’ on Thursday (today). He states that the horse gave him two of
the best days of his life, when winning the World Hurdle and, a year later,
the Arkle at the Cheltenham Festival. Choc says the horse means an awful lot to
him and his main wish is that My Way comes back safe and sound today. My
interesting fact of the day, Golden Miller was bred by Laurence Geraghty, grandfather of Barry! As I write
this, it is almost 100% certain that Choc won’t have a ride in Saturday’s
Grand National; his main hope having been Hold On Julio, who was withdrawn
from the race having run below par at Cheltenham. I’m very disappointed for him and also
disappointed for me; Saturday won’t be the same without him. And I know how it feels to be at Aintree
when he is not; it happened previously in 2010. I expect Choc to be at Chepstow that day,
where Alan King has a number of runners.
No blog or results tomorrow evening, as I’ll be
in Merseyside ... I must look on the bright side though because, all being
well, I will see Choc ride tomorrow. J |
|
Wednesday 11
April 2012 |
|
Tomorrow,
Choc will be at Aintree, where he has four
extremely good riding engagements: 14:00 Smad Place (Alan King) – Liverpool Hurdle (Grade 1) [3
miles ½ furlong] 14:30 Grumeti (Alan King) – Anniversary 4-year-old Juvenile Hurdle
(Grade 1) [2 miles ½ furlong] 15:05 Medermit (Alan King) – Bowl Chase (Grade 1) [3 miles 1
furlong] 16:15
Kumbeshwar (Alan King) - Red Rum Handicap Chase (Grade 3) [2 miles] I notice
that My Way De Solzen is due to run in tomorrow’s
Fox Hunters’ Chase over the National fences.
He will be ridden by Mr Will Biddick. Here is an
interesting article from the Irish Examiner regarding tomorrow’s Bowl
Chase. More And
another from the ATR website regarding Grumeti. More I’ve been at
sixes and sevens today ... I’m gutted that I’ve not made arrangements to go
to Aintree tomorrow, tickets are available and I could still book somewhere
to stay tomorrow night even at this late stage, but I’ve not packed yet and
my outfits still need to be ironed; my legs epilated too (!) ... I think my
biggest dilemma has been what to do with my car upon arrival, as parking is
limited and there’s no park and ride available this year; Aintree is trying
to encourage the use of public transport to and from the racecourse – not
much use if you’re travelling miles to get there! I’ll be okay on Friday and Saturday as
I’ve pre-paid for a space in the centre-course Steeplechase car park as
usual. Capricorn’s have a problem
being ‘spontaneous’ ... everything
has to be meticulously planned, especially as I’ll be alone and 200 miles
away from home! Today,
Choc has uploaded two videos of William playing football; well worth a
viewing: Following
his win in the Grand Annual at Cheltenham, I was sad to read that Bellvano died at Fairyhouse
yesterday, having broken his neck when falling heavily at the last in a Grade
A Handicap Chase. Here is the link to my Cheltenham Day 4 diary,
which I uploaded late yesterday. Click here to read. |
|
Tuesday 10 April
2012 |
|
Choc has
been looking after William today; he’s tweeted a piccie
too, of William aboard a rocking horse: http://twitter.com/#!/Choc_Thornton/status/189701056366788608/photo/1 Choc also
tweeted a picture taken in Liverpool in 1997, the day of the ‘bomb scare’ National: http://twitter.com/#!/Choc_Thornton/status/189737519275966468/photo/1 I was hoping
that Choc would be at Aintree on Saturday, despite not riding in the Grand
National but, no, it appears he’s off to Chepstow to ride horses for the Alan
King yard; I’m very disappointed, as I’m not at Aintree on Thursday to see
him, although fortunately our paths will cross on Friday, but not on
Saturday. I really don’t like it when
I’m at the wrong racecourse, even if it is Grand National day. The season
is quickly ebbing away, with few opportunities to see Choc during the summer
months. I wonder if he will be at
Sandown Park on the final day of the season.
If so, I just hope that I’ve recovered from my sinus operation by
then; but may have to wear dark glasses regardless of the weather if I suffer
bruising during the procedure!
Both the
Alan King yard and the Martin Keighley yard will have runners in Aintree’s
Charity Race which takes place before racing on Saturday. Adrian Maguire will ride Arabian Heights
for the former and Jimmy Frost will ride Sky Calling for the latter. Vendor is finished for the season having suffered
a bad cut to a hind leg when struck into during Sunday’s race at Towcester; fortunately it missed the tendon. Montbazon will
also not run again this term; he will remain hurdling next season, having run
just 4 times over the smaller obstacles.
The work continues on my diary; I hope to upload
it either late this evening or sometime tomorrow evening. |
|
Monday 09 April
2012 |
|
Today’s
results are as follows: Chepstow Soir D’Estruval
(Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) was pulled up in the Novices’ Handicap Chase (8
ran). Hurricane Milly (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) was a non-runner in
the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle Pantxoa (Alan King/Wayne
Hutchinson) finished 8th & Dona (Alan King/Ciaran
McKee) was a non-runner in the Handicap Hurdle (10 ran). It was
good to see Pancake win the 3 mile Handicap Chase. He is now trained by Bernard Llewellyn, and
today was ridden by Sam Twiston-Davies. Although he did produce a couple of scary
moments in the home straight! Huntingdon Cool Steel
(Alan King/Peter Hatton) finished 7th in the Conditional Jockeys’ Training
Series Handicap Hurdle (14 ran). Brimham Boy (Martin
Keighley/Danny Hiskett) finished 2nd in the
Handicap Chase (8 ran). Woodyoulikeme (Alan King/Gerard Tumelty) finished a short-head 2nd in the Intermediate
Open NH Flat Race Div I (10 ran). Plumpton Ulys De Charmil (Alan King/Charlie Huxley) finished 3rd in the
Juvenile Hurdle (6 ran). A typical
Bank Holiday ... rain, rain, rain! The Liverpool
Echo is running an article about Wayne Hutchinson and his hopes for this
Saturday’s Grand National, when he rides West End Rocker. More And also
an article from the Racing Post’s website regarding Alan King’s hopes for his
stable’s Grand National entry, and his wish for rain. More It looks
like Alan will get his wish. More It was the
five-day declaration stage for the Grand National today, the most notable
absentee from the acceptors being Burton Port. More Martin Keighley’s Any
Currency is 43rd on the list at the moment, with 48 horses declared, 40 being
the maximum number of runners permitted. And with
rain showers forecasted for the Aintree Festival, I re-planned my footwear
and realised I needed a pair of navy blue shoes ... so, not satisfied with
just one pair, I ended up purchasing two!
It wasn’t my fault M&S had two styles I liked in my size! I’m pleased to report that I’ve typed up the
first complete draft of my Gold Cup Day diary. All that remains now is to check my race
note facts and proof read the entire document. No mean feat as there are over 8,400
words! But I have tomorrow evening and
Wednesday evening to do this, as I’m working for the next two days, before
taking Thursday as holiday in order to pack and make final preparations for
my 2-day trip to Aintree. |
|
Sunday 08 April
2012 |
|
Today there
were runners of interest at Towcester and this is how they
fared: Vendor
(Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) won the Novices’ Hurdle (7 ran). Rivermouth (Alan King/Charlie
Huxley) finished 6th in the Novices’ Handicap Chase (8 ran). Frizzo (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson)
won & R Craig (Martin Keighley/Alain Cawley)
finished 4th in the Maiden Hurdle (15 ran). Willowby Hedge (Alan
King/Gerard Tumelty) finished 4th & Hollow
Penny (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) finished 2nd in the Standard Open NH Flat
Race (12 ran). Four
National Hunt fixtures tomorrow, with runners of interest at 3 of them: Chepstow 14:50 Soir D’Estruval (Alan
King/Wayne Hutchinson) – Novices’ Handicap Chase 15:25
Hurricane Milly (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) –
Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle 16:35 Pantxoa (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) & Dona (Alan
King/Ciaran McKee) – Handicap Hurdle Huntingdon 14:20 Cool
Steel (Alan King/Peter Hatton) – Conditional Jockeys’ Training Series
Handicap Hurdle 17:15 Brimham Boy (Martin Keighley/Danny Hiskett)
– Handicap Chase 17:50 Woodyoulikeme (Alan King/Gerard Tumelty)
– Intermediate Open NH Flat Race Div I Plumpton 14:30 Ulys De Charmil (Alan
King/Charlie Huxley) – Juvenile Hurdle I’ve been working on my Day 4 Cheltenham diary
again today; however I’ve not completed the first draft yet. I guess my challenge will be to finish and
upload it before I set off for Aintree! |
|
Saturday 07
April 2012 |
|
Runners of
interest at 3 fixtures today and this is how they fared: Haydock Park Lidar (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson)
sporting first time blinkers won the Novices’ Chase by 34 lengths! (5 ran). Prince De Seuil (Alan King/Jimmy McCarthy) was pulled up &
Suburban Bay (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) finished 5th in the Handicap Chase
(betfair Chase Series Final) (15 ran). Dineur (Alan King/Wayne
Hutchinson) finished 7th in the Handicap Hurdle (betfair
Hurdle Series Final) (20 ran). Torphichen (Alan King/Wayne
Hutchinson) finished 2nd in the Handicap Chase (13 ran). Letsby Avenue (Alan
King/Gerard Tumelty) won the race despite clipping
heels and stumbling under 2 furlongs out & Saudi Pearl (Alan King/Wayne
Hutchinson) finished 6th in the Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race (10
ran). Trainer
Brian Ellison claimed both the Chase Series Final and the Hurdle Series Final
with bargain basement horses. More Newton Abbot Hindon Road (Alan
King/Charlie Huxley) finished 2nd in the NH Novices’ Hurdle (5 ran). Oh Crick
(Alan King/Charlie Huxley) finished 3rd in the Handicap Chase (8 ran). Carlisle Mauricetheathlete (Martin
Keighley/Nicky Slatter) finished 8th in the
Handicap Hurdle (14 ran). Tomorrow,
there are runners of interest at Towcester: 14:10
Vendor (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) – Novices’ Hurdle 14:40 Rivermouth (Alan King/Charlie Huxley) – Novices’ Handicap
Chase 16:15 Frizzo (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) & R Craig (Martin
Keighley/Alain Cawley) – Maiden Hurdle 17:20 Willowby Hedge (Alan King/Gerard Tumelty)
& Hollow Penny (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) – Standard Open NH Flat Race With
Prince De Beauchene already a non-runner in next
Saturday’s Grand National, Ruby has decided to ride the Willie Mullins
trained On His Own, as opposed to his father Ted’s horse Seabass. The latter will be ridden by Ruby’s sister
Katie. More I had
often wondered what happened to RUK presenter Michael Wilson, as I miss his
dulcet tones voicing the RUK racing replays; he was interviewed on The
Morning Line this morning and now works for Bodugi.com; the MD of the company
is Dave Nevison. I’ve completed and uploaded my Cheltenham diary
relating to Day 3 of this year’s Festival.
Click here to read. |
|
Friday 06 April
2012 |
|
Runners of
interest at 3 fixtures tomorrow although, of course, it’s a ‘Choc-less’ weekend due to suspension.
L Haydock Park 13:50 Lidar (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) – Novices’ Chase 14:25
Prince De Seuil (Alan King/Jimmy McCarthy) &
Suburban Bay (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) – Handicap Chase (betfair Chase Series Final) 14:55 Dineur (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) – Handicap Hurdle (betfair Hurdle Series Final) 15:30 Torphichen (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) – Handicap Chase 17:15 Letsby Avenue (Alan King/Gerard Tumelty)
& Saudi Pearl (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) – Standard Open National Hunt
Flat Race Newton Abbot 15:05 Hindon Road (Alan King/Charlie Huxley) – NH Novices’
Hurdle 15:40 Oh
Crick (Alan King/Charlie Huxley) – Handicap Chase Carlisle 16:30 Mauricetheathlete (Martin Keighley/Nicky Slatter) – Handicap Hurdle Here is a
run-down of the winners at last evening’s Lesters. More If I was ever concerned that I’d struggle to find
enough to write about in my first Cheltenham diary of 2012, and I think I was
for a few days earlier this week, I need not have worried. I finished the first complete draft for Day
3 today ... and it’s over 6,700 words long! |
|
Thursday 05
April 2012 |
|
Check out
this photo tweeted by trainer Richard Phillips: https://twitter.com/#!/RTPhillips1/status/187504833782222848/photo/1 I gather from tweets, that Choc is off to the Lesters this evening; evidently the holiday traffic
around Birmingham has been horrendous.
I confess to being wildly jealous that I’m not attending ... but that
would be too much like stalking ... besides, I’m not really a party animal! Although having contributed to the ‘Jockeys with Moustaches’ charity
fundraising back in 2009, which was ‘organised’
through the PJA, annually I receive notification of the event via a mailshot! A decision regarding the Lambourn
Open Day has been made ... I won’t be attending this year. I’ve been at sixes and sevens for the past
week or so, ever since the possible fuel crisis arose, and I just cannot get
the motivation now. Damn. It’s going to be a very quiet Easter
weekend spent at home. L
Especially as Choc is suspended so cannot ride ... but maybe ATR will begin
broadcasting snippets from the Lesters, and that
will cheer me up if I see Choc! |
|
Wednesday 04
April 2012 |
|
Choc was
at Hereford this afternoon and
this is how he fared: Denali
Highway (Alan King) finished 5th in the Maiden Hurdle (13 ran). Soleil D’Avril (Alan King) was pulled up in the Handicap Hurdle
(6 ran). Saudi
Pearl (Alan King) was a non-runner in the Intermediate Open NH Flat Race No riding
engagements for Choc tomorrow ... so he’s now got a 7 day break until he’s
back in action. There’s no racing on
Good Friday, he’s suspended on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, there’s no
National Hunt racing next Tuesday or Wednesday. The next time he will be in action is a
week tomorrow at Aintree! The 22nd
Annual Lesters Awards ceremony takes place tomorrow
evening in Birmingham, so there may well be a few sore heads on Good
Friday. More Horrendous
snow scenes in the north ... Hertfordshire escaped with better than expected,
as it was quite a nice day here! My
niece Kim has been fortunate, she travelled to Edinburgh last weekend with
colleagues from university, then returned to Sheffield earlier this week ...
and is now back home in Bedfordshire.
I think she must have been one step ahead of the snow as it travelled
south! I was going to draft more of my Day 3 Cheltenham
diary yesterday evening but was so tired that I kept dosing off to
sleep. This evening I’ve almost given
up the will to live having been diverted into re-tuning my TV equipment, as
it is digital re-tuning day in the southeast.
I hate the stress of it all ... especially as everything needs to be
back to normal ahead of next week’s Aintree Festival so that I can record
both RUK and the BBC coverage too. But I had a nice lunch break today, as my friend
Denise texted me this morning to say she was in St Albans around that time
undertaking one of her regular coach outings.
So we met briefly for lunch.
But I still haven’t decided as to whether I’m going to the Lambourn Open Day!
She said I could let her know tomorrow. |
|
Tuesday 03 April
2012 |
|
Choc was
at Fontwell Park today and this is how he fared: Medinas (Alan King/Choc) won
the Novices’ Hurdle (8 ran); Choc’s 48th winner of the season. J Habbie Simpson (Alan
King/Choc) finished 2nd in the Novices’ Chase (4 ran). Bold Tara
(Martin Keighley/Danny Hiskett) finished 4th &
Miss Exhibitionist (Alan King/Choc) finished 2nd in the Mares’ Maiden Hurdle
(11 ran). Always
Bold (Martin Keighley/Danny Hiskett) finished 4th
in the ‘Hands and Heels’ Handicap
Hurdle (Conditionals and Amateurs) (5 ran). Tomorrow
Choc will be at Hereford, where he
has 3 riding engagements: 14:10
Denali Highway (Alan King) – Maiden Hurdle 15:40
Soleil D’Avril (Alan King) – Handicap Hurdle (aka
April Sun). 17:10
Saudi Pearl (Alan King) – Intermediate Open NH Flat Race Still no decision has been made by me as to
whether I will go to the Lambourn Open Day on
Friday; I think fuel supplies are okay in my area now ... but all the fuss
has put doubts in my mind and made me hesitant. I’ll have to make my mind up tomorrow and
tell my friend Denise too, as she was going to accompany me. However, the events sound very interesting
this year ... and I’d love to see the camel racing. More Oh dear
... I don’t know what to do! |
|
Monday 02 April
2012 |
|
Choc is
back in action tomorrow, at Fontwell Park: 14:10 Medinas (Alan King/Choc) – Novices’ Hurdle 14:40 Habbie Simpson (Alan King/Choc) – Novices’ Chase 15:40 Bold
Tara (Martin Keighley/Danny Hiskett) & Miss
Exhibitionist (Alan King/Choc) – Mares’ Maiden Hurdle 16:40 Always Bold (Martin Keighley/Danny Hiskett) – ‘Hands
and Heels’ Handicap Hurdle (Conditionals and Amateurs) |
|
Sunday 01 April
2012 |
|
Three
runners of interest at Ascot today: Forresters Folly (Alan King/Wayne
Hutchinson) finished 3rd & Kings
Bayonet (Alan
King/Choc) won the Maiden Hurdle (10 ran); Choc’s 47th winner of the season. J Balzaccio (Alan King/Peter
Hatton) finished 2nd in the Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle (16 ran). No riding
engagements for Choc tomorrow, as the sole National Hunt fixture will be held
at Kelso. It was
very sad that Fox Hunt, Grand Vent and Bronze Cannon all lost their lives at Meydan yesterday, when running in the Dubai Gold
Cup. The grass track cannot be deemed
suitable for horses to run 2 miles upon it, let alone further, the race
having been re-run due to Fox Hunt’s demise in the earlier attempt. It seems that so many horses are breaking
their legs these days, when just galloping, taking part in both codes. Is it because horses are being bred more
and more for speed and losing their resilience in the process? Although, of course, legs will always be
vulnerable. Today I’ve
been spending time drafting up race notes for a diary of Day 3 of this year’s
Cheltenham Festival. However, it seems
to be taking ages, as it’s difficult to describe races with so many runners
involved ... so far I’ve managed to complete handwritten notes for just the
first three races! And they will all
require reviewing for correctness once I’ve typed them up. I’m not sure whether I will be going to the Lambourn Open Day next Friday; it all depends on there
being no threat of action from the tanker drivers on the run-up to
Aintree. I have a full tank now, and may
need to conserve this; which means no journeys in the meantime. I’ve warned by friend Denise accordingly,
as I had invited her to come along to the Open Day with me. |
