FEBRUARY 2014
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Friday 28
February 2014 |
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Here are
today�s results for my runners of interest: Newbury: Fine Words
(Alan King/Choc) finished 4th and Ziga Boy (Alan King/Jack Doyle) finished 2nd in the NH
Novices� Hurdle (13 ran). Doncaster: Bull and Bush (Alan
King/Wayne Hutchinson) won the Mares� NH Novices� Hurdle (6 ran); Wayne�s 44th
winner of the
season.� Tomorrow,
runners of interest at Doncaster and Newbury: Doncaster: 14:55 Lidar (Alan King/Barry Geraghty)
& Turn Over Sivola (Alan King/Choc) � Handicap Chase 15:30 Godsmejudge (Alan King/Choc) � Grimthorpe Chase (Handicap) 16:40 Monksgold (Alan King/Choc)
� Novices� Hurdle Newbury: 13:30
Kings Bayonet (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) � Handicap Hurdle [2 miles 5
furlongs] 14:05 Frizzo (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) & Georgian King
(Martin Keighley/Ollie Garner) � Handicap Hurdle [3 miles and half a
furlong]. 15:15 Kuda Huraa (Alan King/Wayne
Hutchinson) � Handicap Hurdle [2 miles and half a furlong] 17:00 L�Amiral David (Alan King/Gerard Tumelty)
& McCabe Creek (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) � Junior Standard Open NH
Flat Race Good luck
to the amateur riders taking part in the Greatwood
Charity race at Newbury tomorrow, especially Liz Prowting�s
Racing Manager Hannah Bishop who will be riding 11-year-old Prince Du Seuil in the race; the horse has come out of retirement
in order to run in this one race.� I far
prefer RUK�s racing coverage, as it is much easier to judge the recordings to
perfection because ATR�s advert breaks get in the way ... but I do pay over
�20 a month for the privilege!� I
gather ATR is a component of one of the Sky packages � so there is a small
fee for that too; Doncaster is broadcast on ATR. Today�s
RUK coverage was entertaining, with that well-known comedic duo Stewart Machin and Jonathan Neesom
presenting the show from Newbury!� They
are always good value for money and were in fits of giggles again today. Then, on
Sunday, Choc has a couple of riding engagements at Huntingdon: 16:30
Pirates Cay (Alan King/Choc) � Maiden
Hurdle 17:00 Ordo Ab Chao (Alan King/Choc) � Standard Open NH Flat Race Yeeehaaa ... I�m unsure
whether Choc attended a Cheltenham preview last evening at the Carpenters
Arms in Lower Boddington, Northants, hosted by
ATR�s Matt Chapman, as mention of his name in dispatches seemed to disappear
from very recent tweets regarding the event; William Kennedy, Charlie Poste and Andrew Tinkler were
there.� Perhaps, being a Thursday
night, he was looking after William instead. So with
Choc heading north this weekend, I�ll be confined to home and my next outing
to the races will probably be the Cheltenham Festival.� Sandown Park�s meeting next Saturday is
just a little too close time-wise for me to complete a diary before I head
off to Gloucestershire ... but we shall see, as I have attended that fixture
on a couple of occasions before. I�m
currently suffering from heartburn related to my acid reflux problems, which
is proving to be very annoying indeed.�
It comes on every afternoon and continues to worsen into the
evening.� It is a common problem
associated with acid reflux but, prior to my having flu, I never suffered
from this particular symptom.�
Currently I�m spooning down Gaviscon in an
attempt to keep it in check, although it brings only short relief ... and
doing this is beginning to put me off aniseed flavoured food for life, and
even liquorice which I love.� I�ve been
on leave today, and yesterday, and fortunately the rain left off for long
enough for me to undertake a walk this morning to the bank and onwards to the
local Dunelm store and Homebase;
a 3.9 miles walk according to Google!�
I love walking and see absolutely no need to get the car out for such
a short journey!!!� Besides, I need to
regain my fitness following my recent bout of flu; initially there was a
slight discomfort in my chest with my breathing but this wore off as my
journey progressed.� And I got to see
the alpacas at the local Agricultural/Further Education College � a white one
and a chocolate brown one.��� And I saw Lee Mead appear as a guest on BBC�s
Breakfast Show this morning � he makes his debut as a regular character in
Casualty tomorrow evening; he has appeared as one of the patients on a
previous occasion.� I don�t watch
programmes of this nature but, on this occasion, I might just make an
exception!� |
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Thursday 27
February 2014 |
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Runners of
interest at Ludlow this afternoon and
this is how they fared: Simply A
Legend (Alan King/Choc) finished
2nd in the NH Novices� Hurdle (9 ran). Midnight Cataria (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson)
won the Mares� Handicap Hurdle (10 ran); Wayne�s 43rd
winner of the
season. One of my
non-Alan King favourites, Forgotten Gold, finished 2nd in a Handicap Chase at
Ludlow today; and light chestnut Pure Science, with his unusual near-hind
spotted leg warmer marking, won the last.�
Sadly Cootehill passed away having suffered
a heart attack when pulled up during the aforementioned chase. RIP There are
three runners of interest tomorrow: Newbury: 14:20 Fine
Words (Alan King/Choc) & Ziga Boy (Alan King/Jack Doyle) � NH Novices� Hurdle. Doncaster: 14:40 Bull
and Bush (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) � Mares� NH Novices� Hurdle Although nowhere near retirement age, Ruby Walsh
envisages that he might consider taking up a training career when he hangs up
his boots, and he would train horses for the flat not jumps. More And, as for my Kempton Park diary, it�s nearly
there ... I hope to finish the complete draft before I turn in tonight and
then proof read and upload it at some point tomorrow! |
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Wednesday 26
February 2014 |
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A number
of runners of interest this afternoon and this is how they fared: Lingfield Park (All weather Bumpers for Jumpers card): Fred Le
Macon (Alan King/Choc) finished
4th in the Jumpers� Bumper NH Flat Race (6 ran). Inner
Driver (Alan King/Choc) finished
2nd in the Standard Open NH Flat Race (7 ran). Minx Of
The Lamp (Alan King/Gerard Tumelty) finished 3rd
and Prettyasapicture (Alan King/Choc) finished 5th in the Mares�
Intermediate Open NH Flat Race (9 ran). Bangor On Dee: Taffy Dare
(Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) finished 5th in the Mares NH Novices� Hurdle (7
ran). Tomorrow
there�s National Hunt racing at Taunton and Ludlow, with
runners of interest at the latter: 14:00
Simply A Legend (Alan King/Choc) �
NH Novices� Hurdle 15:00
Midnight Cataria (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) �
Mares� Handicap Hurdle A number of horses have been taken out of the
Grand National at the latest forfeit stage, including Midnight Appeal who,
admittedly, didn�t appear to like to fences when tried over them at the end
of last year.� I believe that the
Scottish Grand National may now be his target.� More |
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Tuesday 25 February
2014 |
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In fact
there were two runners of interest today, at Catterick: Kyles Faith (Martin
Keighley/Miss CV Hart) finished 2nd in the Lady Amateur Riders� Handicap
Hurdle (9 ran). Divine Intavention (Martin Keighley/Mr M
Wall) won the Handicap Chase (7 ran); Martin�s 18th
winner of the
season.� Well done to the team. A number
of runners of interest tomorrow: Lingfield Park (All weather Bumpers for Jumpers card): 15:10 Fred
Le Macon (Alan King/Choc) �
Jumpers� Bumper NH Flat Race 16:40 Inner
Driver (Alan King/Choc) � Standard
Open NH Flat Race 17:10 Minx
Of The Lamp (Alan King/Gerard Tumelty) & Prettyasapicture (Alan King/Choc) � Mares� Intermediate Open NH Flat Race Bangor On Dee: 14:30
Taffy Dare (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) � Mares NH Novices� Hurdle There are
no runners of interest at Wincanton. News today
that another star name has fallen by the wayside on the run up to the
Cheltenham Festival; this time it is Cue Card who has suffered a setback and
won�t recover in time.� More Jockey
Johnny Murtagh has decided to hang up his boots to concentrate
on his training career.� More Today I
discovered that Andre Agassi will be taking part in the upcoming World Tennis
Day and will be playing a match against his arch rival Pete Sampras at Earls
Court in West London next Monday evening, 03 March.� Also, Pat Cash will take part in a match
with Ivan Lendl.� Although there are
tickets still available, it�s a little late in the day to make arrangements
to go, although I do feel guilty about not attending.� However, the action is due to be shown on Eurosport commencing at 19:30 on Monday evening, so I�ll
record that in order to make a DVD for me and another for my friend Denise as
she no longer has access to satellite TV.�
Here is a link to the See Tickets website.� More My Kempton
Park diary is progressing well and I�ve almost completed the main body of
text, with solely the race comments to write.�
From experience, this will take approximately 5� hours as there were 7
races on Saturday; 45 minutes is required per race.��� I will be taking time out to watch the Sewingbee on BBC2 this evening, and I also still need to
transfer Sunday�s �Choc action� to
DVD. |
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Monday 24
February 2014 |
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Just one
runner of interest tomorrow, at Catterick: 15:50
Divine Intavention (Martin Keighley/Mr M Wall) � Handicap
Chase Here is an
extended report regarding Sprinter Sacre.� More� And an article about
the new favourite for the Champion Chase, Sire De Grugy.
�More� And with the absence
of the Nicky Henderson superstar, Sizing Europe will attempt to regain his
Champion Chase title.� More And
Meister Eckhart may well make a second appearance in the Coral Cup, hoping to
go one better than last year when he missed out to his diminutive stable-mate
Medinas. �More Sad news reported on David Pipe�s website today
that 2012 Cheltenham Festival Byrne Plate winner Salut
Flo has passed away after succumbing to colic.� Unfortunately nothing could be done for him
on this occasion as he�d already been operated upon for the same problem
previously; I presume there�s only so much length of intestine that can be
removed before an operation of this nature is no longer viable. |
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Sunday 23
February 2014 |
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Here are
today�s results from Fontwell Park: Double
Chocolate (JGM O�Shea/Choc)
finished 4th in the Handicap Chase (6 ran). Meister
Eckhart (Alan King/Choc) finished a
neck 2nd in the National Spirit Hurdle (6 ran). Hot Whiskey N Ice (Noel Williams/Wayne Hutchinson) won the Novices� Hurdle (6 ran);
Wayne�s 42nd winner of the
season. Following
yesterday�s victory in the Pendil Novices� Chase,
Balder Succes� stable lad Steve Ayres has tweeted a
photo of his charge enjoying a well-deserved reward of carrots and Polos; Steve�s young daughter is a big fan of the horse
too! https://twitter.com/orse_racing_lad/status/437533687132209152/photo/1 Balder Succes looked an absolute picture in the Parade Ring
yesterday, and I�ve finally been converted into a big fan of this beautiful
horse.� It�s great to see the affection
that Steve holds for this equine hero. Following
yesterday�s disappointing run by First Mohican at Kempton Park, plans to run
the horse in the Supreme Novices� Hurdle have been put on hold.� More And news
has just arrived to confirm that Sprinter Sacre
will not be lining up to defend his Champion Chase title at this year�s
Cheltenham Festival.� More I�ve been
out for most of today, visiting my younger brother and family in Silsoe for lunch and dropping in to see my other
sister-in-law on my way home in order to have a haircut.� But, the good news is that I�ve already
uploaded the photos which I took at Kempton Park yesterday, and transferred
the race recordings to DVD ... although I didn�t get to bed until 02:00 this
morning as a result!� Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz�
There�s National Hunt racing at Musselburgh and Plumpton tomorrow but no runners of interest ... so, as
there are no races to transfer to DVD tomorrow, I�ll postpone today�s
transfers until tomorrow evening instead.�
Tonight I need to make up for the lack of sleep I experienced last
night! |
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Saturday 22 February
2014 |
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Balder Succes wins the Grade 2 Pendil Novices� Chase, ridden by Wayne Hutchison I made it
to Kempton Park and, even though Choc was suffering from �fourthitis� today, I did enjoy my day
out very much.� It was great to go
racing again after a two month break and to see Choc as always, and the
weather was nice too ... for February, and especially when compared to the
horrendous conditions experienced so far this year! And this
is how my runners of interest fared at Kempton Park today: Pearls
Legend (JL Spearing/Choc) finished
5th in the Handicap Chase [2 miles] (10 ran). Duroble Man (Alan King/Choc) finished last in the Adonis Juvenile
Hurdle [Grade 2] (8 ran); the race was won by Activial.
More Balder Succes (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) won the Pendil Novices� Chase [Grade 2] (6 ran); Wayne�s 41st
winner of the
season.� More First
Mohican (Alan King/Choc) finished
4th in the Dovecote Novices� Hurdle (7 ran); no surprise that the race was
won by Irving. More Bless The
Wings (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) was pulled up and Midnight Appeal (Alan
King/Choc) finished 4th in the Betbright Chase [Grade 3 Handicap] (13 ran); the race was
won by 28-1 shot Bally Legend ridden by Ian Popham
... and I believe I have mentioned the horse in earlier �despatches�, having caught my eye due to the gameness he�s shown
at Kempton before!� More Valid
Reason (Dean Ivory/Choc) was
pulled up in the Handicap Hurdle (8 ran). Hurricane
Vic (Alan King/Choc) finished 4th
in the Standard Open NH Flat Race (7 ran).
Choc and Midnight Appeal finish a close 4th in the Betbright
Chase And a
reminder of tomorrow�s runners of interest: Fontwell Park: 14:40
Double Chocolate (JGM O�Shea/Choc)
� Handicap Chase 15:10
Meister Eckhart (Alan King/Choc) �
National Spirit Hurdle 15:45 Hot
Whiskey N Ice (Noel Williams/Wayne Hutchinson) � Novices� Hurdle I now have much to keep me busy over the next few
days � transfer today�s races to DVD, select and upload photos, and write my
diary ... and tomorrow is already pretty much booked up with other
obligations!� However, fortunately, I
have two days� leave booked for Thursday and Friday next week although, again,
Thursday is already taken up with other commitments. |
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Friday 21
February 2014 |
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Here are
today�s results for my runners of interest: Warwick: Super
Lunar (Alan King/Choc) finished
3rd in the NH Novices� Hurdle (qualifier) (7 ran). Kyles Faith (Martin
Keighley/Mr HRL Cornock) finished 4th in the �Hands and Heels� Handicap Hurdle
(Conditionals/Amateurs) (13 ran). Water
Wagtail (Emma Lavelle/Choc)
finished 6th in the Novices� Handicap Chase (10 ran). Uxizandre (Alan King/AP McCoy)
finished 5th in the Chase (Handicap) [2 miles 4� furlongs] (6 ran). Trigger
The Light (Alan King/Choc) was
pulled up in the Handicap Chase [3 miles 5 furlongs] (9 ran). Exeter: Flementime (Martin Keighley/Ian Popham) finished 2nd in the Mares� Handicap Hurdle (7 ran);
she was very game but unfortunately couldn�t quite hold on to win. Pyleigh Lass (Martin
Keighley/Ian Popham) finished 5th in the Handicap
Hurdle (8 ran). National
Hunt racing at Newcastle, Chepstow and Kempton Park tomorrow,
with runners of interest at the latter: 13:30
Pearls Legend (JL Spearing/Choc) �
Handicap Chase [2 miles] 14:05 Duroble Man (Alan King/Choc) � Adonis Juvenile Hurdle [Grade 2] 14:40
Balder Succes (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) � Pendil Novices� Chase [Grade 2] 15:15
First Mohican (Alan King/Choc) �
Dovecote Novices� Hurdle 15:50
Bless The Wings (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) & Midnight Appeal (Alan
King/Choc) � Betbright
Chase [Grade 3 Handicap] 16:25
Valid Reason (Dean Ivory/Choc) �
Handicap Hurdle 16:55
Hurricane Vic (Alan King/Choc) �
Standard Open NH Flat Race Having
partnered Smad Place to success at Newbury a couple
of weeks ago, whilst Wayne Hutchinson rode Balder Succes
to an excellent victory at Warwick on the same day, the latter has retained
the ride.� But, as Balder Succes is an unlikely Cheltenham Festival runner, Choc
won�t be losing out until, presumably, Aintree and/or Punchestown.� Poor old Balder has an unenviable record at
Cheltenham, having fallen twice and unseated once on his three visits to the
course.� With six
rides tomorrow, Choc has a busy day at the Sunbury-on-Thames course and, all
being well, I hope to attend the fixture.�
Gates open at 11:30 and admission on the day is �16.� A bargain!!!� And it would have been just �12 if I�d
purchased a ticket in advance.� So far,
I have a record of 5 out of 5 attendances on this particular raceday at Kempton Park, so fingers crossed I make it
tomorrow.� Then on
Sunday: Fontwell Park: 14:40
Double Chocolate (JGM O�Shea/Choc)
� Handicap Chase 15:10
Meister Eckhart (Alan King/Choc) �
National Spirit Hurdle 15:45 Hot Whiskey N Ice (Noel Williams/Wayne
Hutchinson) � Novices� Hurdle |
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Thursday 20
February 2014 |
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Today
there were runners of interest at Huntingdon and this is how they
fared: Epic Storm
(Martin Keighley/Tom Siddall) finished 6th in the
Novices� Handicap Hurdle (9 ran). Carraig Mor
(Alan King/Choc) finished 3rd in
the Novices� Hurdle [Listed] (5 ran). Hail
Tiberius (Martin Keighley/Tom Siddall) finished 2nd
in the Handicap Hurdle (6 ran); Hail Tiberius also finished 2nd of 7 on the
all-weather at Southwell on Tuesday. I
overlooked a runner on Southwell�s Jumpers� Bumpers
card on Monday: Jeans Lady
(Martin Keighley/Ian Popham) finished 8th in the
Maiden Open NH Flat Race (11 ran). Tomorrow
there are a number of runners of interest, as follows: Warwick: 14:10
Super Lunar (Alan King/Choc) � NH
Novices� Hurdle (qualifier) 14:40 Kyles Faith (Martin Keighley/Mr HRL Cornock)
� �Hands and Heels� Handicap Hurdle
(Conditionals/Amateurs) 15:10
Water Wagtail (Emma Lavelle/Choc)
� Novices� Handicap Chase 15:40 Uxizandre (Alan King/AP McCoy) � Chase (Handicap) [2
miles 4� furlongs] 16:40
Trigger The Light (Alan King/Choc)
Handicap Chase [3 miles 5 furlongs]; the horse is now 13 years old but his
trainer says he�s been in good form at home.�
Exeter: 14:50 Flementime (Martin Keighley/Ian Popham)
� Mares� Handicap Hurdle 15:20 Pyleigh Lass (Martin Keighley/Ian Popham)
� Handicap Hurdle Balder Succes� lad Steve Ayres sent out a tweet yesterday to say
that Seventh Sign�s 22-1 win at Doncaster also came
as a surprise to everyone in the yard! There�s plenty of news in Geoff Lester�s blog on
Alan King�s website, including confirmation that Midnight Prayer may be aimed
at the Scottish Grand National ... I did wonder if that might be his target
following an impressive win at Warwick earlier this month!� http://alankingracing.co.uk/news.htm |
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Wednesday 19
February 2014 |
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Four
runners of interest at Doncaster today and this is how
they fared: Ronaldinho (Alan King/Wayne
Hutchinson) finished 3rd in the Juvenile Hurdle (8 ran). Seventh Sign (Alan
King/Noel Fehily) won and Dundee (Alan
King/Wayne Hutchinson) finished 4th in the Handicap Hurdle (13 ran). Smart
Motive (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) finished 6th in the Standard Open NH Flat
Race (10 ran). Tomorrow
there are runners of interest at Huntingdon, with Choc back in
action too: 14:10 Epic
Storm (Martin Keighley/Tom Siddall) � Novices�
Handicap Hurdle 15:40 Carraig Mor (Alan King/Choc) � Novices� Hurdle [Listed] �
the horse does not hold entries at Cheltenham as his trainer believes he is
not mentally ready for the challenge 17:10 Hail
Tiberius (Martin Keighley/Tom Siddall) � Handicap
Hurdle As I needed
to pop into my local supermarket on the way to work this morning in order to
buy my �winning� Lotto ticket (I
wish), I also purchased a copy of this week�s Weekender with a view to
reading Alan King�s column.� They
published a photograph of Choc coming to grief aboard Wilde Blue Yonder ...
so here is a link to the relevant photos on the Racing Post website � they
used the one where Choc�s arms are around the
horse�s neck.� I�m so
pleased Wilde Blue Yonder is okay � he�s got a cute �face� ... just like my favourite jockey!� Alan said the horse was on a good, long
stride approaching the last but he just changed his mind and ended up not
doing anything.� They will continue to
school the horse and the plan is to let him take his chance in the Supreme
Novices� Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.�
Two
Rockers is also fine following his mishap; Alan said the runners were
travelling quickly and he failed to get his landing gear out in time.� They intend to run him again as soon as
they can.�� It�s good
to see that Letsby Avenue is continuing to recover
well following his colic surgery, and the stem cell treatment on his leg too: https://twitter.com/HannahBishop79/status/435829001060622336/photo/1 Charlie Longsdon reports there�s good news regarding chaser Ely
Brown who struck into himself during a race at Ascot on Saturday.� A scan carried out by Lambourn
vets shows no structural or tendon damage and he is expected to make a full
recovery in due course. My chest
has been irritating me this evening, since breathing in cold air on my walk
home from work.� I don�t know whether
it�s the aftermath of the flu or if my acid reflux has been aggrevated by the virus.�
I had a problem back in May following a cold, when I had to crank up
my medication for a week in order to settle it down again.� The acid reflux is a by-product of the
hiatus hernia which has developed, so coughing causes all sorts of
problems.� I�m also hoping to be able to sleep better
tonight.� I turned off the light at
23:30 last evening but woke again before 02:30 ... and then I couldn�t get
back to sleep until gone 04:30.� My brain
was definitely in top gear, with work constantly on my mind and keeping me
awake.� I hadn�t slept particularly
well the night before either.�� |
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Tuesday 18
February 2014 |
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One runner
of interest at Taunton today and this is how
he fared: Wooly Bully (Alan
King/Wayne Hutchinson) was pulled up in the Novices� Handicap Hurdle (6 ran). Four
runners of interest at Doncaster tomorrow: 14:50 Ronaldinho (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) � Juvenile Hurdle 15:55
Seventh Sign (Alan King/Noel Fehily) & Dundee
(Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) � Handicap Hurdle 16:55
Smart Motive (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) � Standard Open NH Flat Race With Wayne
Hutchinson being Wooly Bully�s regular jockey,
there was no surprise that he rode the horse today; however, riding duties
fall to Wayne and Noel Fehily tomorrow ... so I�m
wondering if Choc is taking just a few days off to recover from the kicking
he will have received at Ascot on Saturday.�
Ouch! News of a
Cheltenham Preview evening being held at The Carpenters Arms in Lower Boddington, Daventry, Northants, NN11 6YB.� ATR�s Matt Chapman will be the host and the
panel will include Choc, Will Kennedy and Charlie Poste.� The date for the diary is Thursday 27
February and you can just turn up evidently! https://www.facebook.com/TheCarpentersArmsatBoddington Bad news for Timmy Murphy; he will miss the
Cheltenham Festival because he requires surgery to correct his dislocated
shoulder.� More |
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Monday 17
February 2014 |
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One runner
of interest this afternoon, on the Southwell �Bumpers
for Jumpers� card: Mauricetheathlete (Martin Keighley/Nick
Slatter) finished 5th in the Bumper for Jumpers [2
miles 2 furlongs] (9 ran). There�s
National Hunt racing at Wetherby and Taunton tomorrow, with one runner of interest at the
latter (subject to a 07:30 inspection): 15:10 Wooly Bully (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) � Novices�
Handicap Hurdle The weekend is looking promising for Kempton
Park, with a number of Alan King entries scheduled to run at the
Sunbury-On-Thames track, and none entered at soggy old Chepstow! I finally returned to work today; the workload
outstanding wasn�t quite as bad as I�d expected, although there is a one week
backlog of requests for Marketing material which I�ve begun to plough through
today.� I did a couple of hours� unpaid
overtime, and now feel that I�m more or less under control again! |
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Sunday 16
February 2014 |
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Here are
today�s results for my runners of interest: Market Rasen: Our
Pollyanna (Alan King/Choc) was a
non-runner in the Novices� Hurdle (2 miles 5 furlongs) having run at Ascot
yesterday. Kings
Bayonet (Alan King/Choc) was a
non-runner in the Handicap Hurdle (2 miles 3 furlongs). Lord Of
Scotland (Alan King/Choc) finished
3rd in the Novices� Hurdle (2 miles 1 furlong) (9 ran). Genstone Trail (Alan
King/Gerard Tumelty) finished 5th in the Handicap
Hurdle (3 miles) (6 ran). Kempton Park: Sea Tiger
(Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) finished 11th in the Standard Open NH Flat Race
(16 ran). Benbane Head (Martin
Keighley/Ian Popham) finished 4th in the Jumpers�
Bumper (2 miles 2 furlongs) (11 ran). Castle
Cheetah (Martin Keighley/Ian Popham) finished last
in the Jumpers� Bumper (2 miles 2 furlongs) (15 ran). Divine Intavention (Martin Keighley/Mr M Wall) finished 4th in
the Jumpers� Bumper (2 miles) (13 ran). Champion
Hurdle hope My Tent Or Yours recorded the �Bumper
for Jumpers� victory of the day.� More One runner
of interest tomorrow, on the Southwell �Bumpers for Jumpers� card: 15:00 Mauricetheathlete (Martin Keighley/Nick Slatter) � Bumper for Jumpers [2 miles 2 furlongs] Having enjoyed
last Wednesday�s 100th episode of Midsomer Murders
more than most in recent times, I�ve decided to update my DVD library with
the missing episodes from series 14 and 15.�
The current series is 16, which consists of 5 episodes, but I will
wait until the price comes down to purchase that particular box set!� There is
also an excellent Midsomer Murders website run by a
lady named Joan Street. |
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Saturday 15
February 2014 |
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Choc has
a bad day at Ascot ... but at
least he and the horses survive to fight another day The day
started off with a lovely interview with Choc on ATR ... but then went downhill,
fast ... culminating in his second fall of the day when set to claim his 23rd
winner of the season aboard Wilde Blue Yonder.� For some
reason, the horse seems to experience indecision regarding when to take-off
to clear the last flight; he�s made an error at the final obstacle in each of
his three runs over hurdles, he got away with it the first time, but has
fallen the last twice, having sprawled on landing as a result of a poor
jump.� I wonder if it is anything to do
with the noise of the crowds as they approach the grandstand?� Perhaps try a hood to see if it makes a
difference?� So,
instead of that all important 23rd winner, it was his 9th and 10th mishaps of
the season. L L And I
suppose I have to confess that I actually walked out of the room before Choc
reached the final flight because I couldn�t bear to watch the TV coverage in
case something went wrong ... oh poo it did ...
but, looking on the bright side, both he and his mounts walked away from the
falls.� Amazingly,
all the race fixtures got the go-ahead today and here are those all important
results: Ascot: Our
Pollyanna (Alan King/Choc)
finished 3rd in the Novices� Hurdle (4 ran). Two
Rockers (Alan King/Choc) fell at
the first flight and Seymour Eric (Martin Keighley/Ian Popham)
finished 6th in the Handicap Hurdle (15 ran). Medermit (Alan King/Choc) ran on to claim 4th in the
Ascot Chase [Grade 1] (8 ran). The race was won by Captain Chris. More Wilde Blue
Yonder (Alan King/Choc) fell at
the last with victory within grasp in the NH Novices� Hurdle (5 ran). The Wexfordian (Martin Keighley/Ian Popham)
finished 5th in the Standard Open NH Flat Race (9 ran). Wincanton: The
Pirate�s Queen (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) finished 4th in the Mares�
Novices� Hurdle [Listed] (7 ran). Grumeti (Alan King/Wayne
Hutchinson) finished 3rd in the Kingwell Hurdle
[Grade 2] (6 ran). The race was won by Melodic Rendezvous. More Haydock Park: Sego Success
(Alan King/AP McCoy) finished 4th in the Novices� Hurdle [Grade 2] (9 ran). And a
recap of tomorrow�s runners too: Market Rasen: 13:50 Our
Pollyanna (Alan King/Choc) �
Novices� Hurdle (2 miles 5 furlongs) - also holds an entry at Ascot on
Saturday 14:50
Kings Bayonet (Alan King/Choc) �
Handicap Hurdle (2 miles 3 furlongs) 15:20 Lord
Of Scotland (Alan King/Choc) �
Novices� Hurdle (2 miles 1 furlong) 15:55 Genstone Trail (Alan King/Gerard Tumelty)
� Handicap Hurdle (3 miles) � carries just 10-3 hence Choc not riding! Kempton Park: 13:30 Sea
Tiger (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) � Standard Open NH Flat Race 15:00 Benbane Head (Martin Keighley/Ian Popham)
� Jumpers� Bumper (2 miles 2 furlongs) 15:35
Castle Cheetah (Martin Keighley/Ian Popham) �
Jumpers� Bumper (2 miles 2 furlongs) 17:10
Divine Intavention (Martin Keighley/Mr M Wall) �
Jumpers� Bumper (2 miles) There�s news too that Oh Crick has been retired
following his run in the Handicap Chase at Doncaster on 06 February
2014.� Alan King admitted that the
horse holds a special place in the yard�s heart and will have a good home for
the remainder of his days.� More I�m keeping my fingers crossed that my regular
Lotto numbers DON�T come up this evening, as I�ve not felt well enough to
venture out to buy a ticket.�
Obviously, I should do Lotto online to avoid this problem in
future.� Although I have been eating, I can�t say that I�m
enjoying my food again; I shall just have bread and raspberry jam for tea
this evening.� |
|
Friday 14
February 2014 |
|
A number
of runners of interest tomorrow, as follows: Ascot: 13:30 Our
Pollyanna (Alan King/Choc) �
Novices� Hurdle 15:15 Two
Rockers (Alan King/Choc) & Seymour
Eric (Martin Keighley/Ian Popham) � Handicap Hurdle 15:50 Medermit (Alan King/Choc)
� Ascot Chase [Grade 1] 16:20
Wilde Blue Yonder (Alan King/Choc)
� NH Novices� Hurdle 16:50 The Wexfordian (Martin Keighley/Ian Popham)
� Standard Open NH Flat Race Wincanton: (subject to a 07:30
inspection) 13:55 The
Pirate�s Queen (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) � Mares� Novices� Hurdle [Listed] 15:35 Grumeti (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) � Kingwell Hurdle [Grade 2] Haydock Park: 14:20 Two
Rockers (Alan King/TBA) � Rendlesham Hurdle [Grade
2] � Second preference engagement 16:05 Sego
Success (Alan King/AP McCoy) � Novices� Hurdle [Grade 2] Here is a
link to an article where Alan King discusses Medermit�s
planned return tomorrow. More �And I guess the horse will have turned
almost as grey as I am during his absence! There was
one runner of interest today � the Martin Keighley-trained Hail Tiberius
finished 4th on the all-weather at Lingfield Park
(7 ran). I�ve been
feeling �wiped out� today and spent
most of the time in bed; I didn�t even wake up until 08:55 this morning, which
is not like me at all, even when ill.�
I�ve slept a lot during the day too.��
And, just
in case I don�t get around to updating my blog after racing tomorrow, as
happened last weekend due to succumbing to this horrid flu bug, here are the
runners of interest on Sunday: Market Rasen: 13:50 Our
Pollyanna (Alan King/Choc) �
Novices� Hurdle (2 miles 5 furlongs) - also holds an entry at Ascot on
Saturday 14:50
Kings Bayonet (Alan King/Choc) �
Handicap Hurdle (2 miles 3 furlongs) 15:20 Lord
Of Scotland (Alan King/Choc) �
Novices� Hurdle (2 miles 1 furlong) 15:55 Genstone Trail (Alan King/Gerard Tumelty)
� Handicap Hurdle (3 miles) � carries just 10-3 hence Choc not riding! Kempton Park: 13:30 Sea
Tiger (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) � Standard Open NH Flat Race 15:00 Benbane Head (Martin Keighley/Ian Popham)
� Jumpers� Bumper (2 miles 2 furlongs) 15:35
Castle Cheetah (Martin Keighley/Ian Popham) �
Jumpers� Bumper (2 miles 2 furlongs) 17:10 Divine Intavention
(Martin Keighley/Mr M Wall) � Jumpers� Bumper (2 miles) |
|
Thursday 13
February 2014 |
|
Well, what
an awful few days.� Not only have I
been struggling to conquer flu since last Saturday, but since Monday I�ve
also heard news of three deaths in the family; my aunt by marriage, my cousin
Anne�s husband and my cousin Diane.�
All three as a result of cancer.�
At least the former two had a �good
innings� as they say, both being in their 80�s; but Diane�s passing is
especially sad, as she was expecting her first grandchild in June and was so
hoping to live long enough to see the baby.�
I really liked Diane. With no paracetamol-related drugs to rely on, this flu bug has
been taking its time to clear my system.�
I was hoping to return to work today but, having got ready and begun
my walk to work, I turned back halfway through because I became wheezy and my
legs were feeling wobbly too.� So it�s
back to the drawing board once more ... with a Monday return now planned. As I�m
still off work due to flu-related breathing issues, a line has been drawn
through a visit to Ascot on Saturday.�
I need to concentrate on getting 100% fit in time for the Cheltenham
Festival which starts in less than four weeks, and any fixture visits between
now and then must be treated as a bonus. Obviously
there are no results to report, with Plumpton
abandoned on Monday.� Further
abandonments have occurred since then, and there have been no runners of
interest at the fixtures which have taken place.� Not surprisingly, Sandown�s fixture
tomorrow has been abandoned due to water-logging.� Looking forward, there is a �Bumpers for Jumpers� card being held
at Kempton Park on Sunday.� I�m fed up with not having an appetite too ...
because, even though my temperature has now returned to normal, my current
sense of taste is awful, almost non-existent in fact.� There must be something wrong with me, as I
still have 6 Flake bars to eat and I don�t fancy them whatsoever!� |
|
Sunday 09
February 2014 |
|
A Saturday
treble for the Alan King team Newbury: Walkon (Alan King/Choc) finished 4th in the Denman
Chase [Grade 2] (5 ran); having done so, he is now qualified to run in the
Grand National. Raya Star
(Alan King/Choc) finished 3rd in
the Game Spirit Chase [Grade 2] (4 ran). Montbazon (Alan King/Choc) finished 16th and Vendor (Alan
King/Jack Doyle) finished 8th in the Betfair Hurdle
[Grade 3 Handicap] (20 ran).� And it
was a relief to see Far West walk away from what looked like a neck-breaking
fall at the last flight. Smad Place (Alan King/Choc)
won the Novices� Chase (4 ran); Choc�s 22nd winner of the season.�
I gather Smad Place is now favourite for Cheltenham�s RSA Chase; it was a very good
run today.� Warwick: Tickity Bleue
(Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) was a non-runner in the Handicap Hurdle (2
miles). L�Unique (Alan King/Wayne
Hutchinson) finished 3rd in the Mares� Hurdle [Listed] (4 ran). Balder Succes (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) won the Kingmaker
Novices� Chase [Grade 2] (5 ran); Wayne 39th winner of the season.� There were many spectacular leaps from the
winner.� Westerly
Breeze (Martin Keighley/Ian Popham) finished 6th in
the Handicap Hurdle (3 miles 1 furlong) (12 ran). Midnight Prayer (Alan
King/Wayne Hutchinson) won the Novices� Chase (4 ran); Wayne�s 40th
winner of the
season.� Wayne mount�s barely needed to
raise a gallop to win, passing the winning post 53 lengths ahead of his
nearest rival! Alan King
is mulling over his options for yesterday�s winners, Balder Succes and Smad Place, with the
former possibly bypassing Cheltenham to concentrate on Aintree and Punchestown. �More And Nigel Twiston-Davies has a number of options for yesterday�s Betfair Hurdle winner, Splash Of Ginge.� More �And to think that Sam Twiston-Davies decided to go to Warwick because he
thought his rides there had far more chance of victory ... he must be kicking
himself!� And with Splash of Ginge�s victory, it just goes to demonstrate that you
cannot give away ground when running in those kind of conditions, with the
winner in the first two all of the way! I think
many people stayed away from Newbury yesterday, due to the prevailing weather
conditions, because the crowd looked particularly sparse for the second most
important day in the course�s National Hunt calendar.� Worcester
racecourse isn�t looking too healthy at present ... no change there then! https://twitter.com/amajox/status/432492897028427776/photo/1 Darren
Bird comes up trumps with an Olympic-themed cartoon ... good old Moosie: https://twitter.com/DarrenBirdie/status/432485617105371136/photo/1 And Module
looks happy chilling out following yesterday�s victory in the Game Spirit
chase: https://twitter.com/AlexHardy2804/status/432477179201720320/photo/1 Exeter concentrated on an all
hurdles card today, and there was one runner of interest: Chocala (Alan King/Choc) finished last in the Novices�
Hurdle [Listed] (5 ran). Well, even
if the weather hadn�t got the better of me prior to my decision not to go to
Newbury yesterday, I wouldn�t have been able to go ... because I awoke with a
temperature yesterday, recording over 102 at one point during the day!� Officially, the symptoms of seasonal flu include fever, cough, headache, aching
muscles and tiredness. So, as the answer to all of these symptoms is yes, yes, yes, yes and yes, I guess it must be flu.� I couldn�t stop coughing on Friday evening and have a �graveyard� cough at the moment.� Looking back, I wondered why I felt unusually tired on Friday.� I would also have an ongoing headache but it is being masked by ibuprofen!�� I can take ibuprofen but not paracetamol, because the latter makes me feel �odd�!� I don�t usually worry about the risks of getting
flu, as I�ve had it just twice before but, next autumn, I�ll definitely get a
flu jab as I don�t want this to happen again because, the older you get, the
more it takes out of you.� Almost
forgot, one runner of interest at Plumpton tomorrow, subject to
the course passing an inspection: 13:35 Taffy Dare (Alan King/Choc) � Mares� Novices� Hurdle |
|
Friday 07
February 2014 |
|
There was
action at Kempton Park this afternoon with
four runners of interest: Hot
Whiskey N Ice (Noel Williams/Wayne Hutchinson) finished 2nd and No Substitute
(Alan King/Choc) was pulled up in the
Novices� Hurdle (7 ran). Batonnier (Alan King/Choc) finished last in the Graduation
Chase having blundered badly and sprawled on landing 3 out (4 ran); it is
also reported that he was dismounted after the finish, so presumably pulled
up sore. Midnight Appeal
(Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) finished 2nd in the Handicap Chase (8 ran). Uttoxeter has already been
abandoned, and Warwick looks in severe danger, with Newbury appearing to be
the most likely to go ahead tomorrow.� More Newbury: 14:25 Walkon (Alan King/Choc)
- Denman Chase [Grade 2] 15:00 Raya
Star (Alan King/Choc) � Game
Spirit Chase [Grade 2] ... or at least that�s what I�m going to call it as I
remember Game Spirit well! 15:35 Montbazon (Alan King/Choc)
& Vendor (Alan King/Jack Doyle) � Betfair
Hurdle [Grade 3 Handicap] 16:10 Smad Place (Alan King/Choc) � Novices� Chase Warwick: 15:35 Tickity Bleue (Alan King/Wayne
Hutchinson) � Handicap Hurdle (2 miles) 14:05 L�Unique (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) � Mares� Hurdle
[Listed] 14:40
Balder Succes (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) �
Kingmaker Novices� Chase [Grade 2] 15:50
Westerly Breeze (Martin Keighley/Ian Popham) �
Handicap Hurdle (3 miles 1 furlong) 16:25
Midnight Prayer (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) � Novices� Chase I�ve
decided that, regardless of the outcome of this coming night�s storms, I
won�t be venturing out to Newbury tomorrow.�
It just isn�t worth taking any risks in case I encounter any flooding
or felled trees.� I�m going to behave
like a true Capricorn and let my head rule my heart on this occasion.� Not even Choc and my favourite horse, Walkon, can persuade me to make the journey. My mind
was made up earlier today following last night�s heavy rain, which resulted
in a number of flooded roads in Hertfordshire.� Colleagues experienced problems getting to
work this morning, with one of the Directors� PA�s Claire taking around two
hours to travel from Bushey to St Albans!� Evidently the area around Bushey Arches was flooded because the River Colne has burst its banks ... so that�s one of Hobbycraft�s branches done for! L�� The car
park at Radlett railway station has flooded, for
the first time in 25 years, and this evening there are still problems on the
M25 between the M40 and M4 junctions due to flooding, with slip-roads closed
too.� And there is severe flooding and
road closures in the Kings Langley, Watford and Rickmansworth areas.� Choc�s mate Ollie McPhail, who was at Kempton Park this afternoon in his
role as Education Officer for BHEST, reported via twitter that he had to
travel home via the M3, Bracknell, M4 and A34 because of the M25/M40 closures!� And I presume Choc would have had to do
much the same.�� Sad news
today that 1000 guineas hope Chriselliam has been
put to sleep having failed to recover from a foot infection.� More And here is a link to this week�s Martin Keighley
Stable Talk column in the Gloucestershire Echo.� More |
|
Thursday 06
February 2014 |
|
Racing
took place at Doncaster and Huntingdon today and there are two winners to
report, one for Choc and one for Wayne: Doncaster: Gone Too
Far (Alan King/AP McCoy) finished 3rd in the NH Novices� Hurdle (Qualifier)
(10 ran). First Mohican (Alan King/Choc) won the Novices� Hurdle (14
ran); Choc�s 21st
winner of the
season.� Oh Crick
(Alan King/Choc) finished last in
the Handicap Chase (7 ran). Strangely,
Choc�s last three winners have all been at
Doncaster ... maybe something to do with the ground being better than
elsewhere in this sodden country of ours! And I
gather there�s also an interview to look out for when I transfer my chosen
races to DVD! Huntingdon: Genstone Trail (Alan
King/Wayne Hutchinson) finished 5th in the Handicap Hurdle (6 ran). Memberof (Alan King/Wayne
Hutchinson) finished last in the Juvenile Hurdle (8 ran).� Avispa (Alan
King/Wayne Hutchinson) won the Mares� Standard Open Flat Race (6 ran); that�s
Wayne�s 38th winner of the
season and equals last season�s total.�
Tomorrow,
both Newcastle and Bangor have been abandoned, but there is action at Kempton Park with four runners of interest: 14:00 Hot
Whiskey N Ice (Noel Williams/Wayne Hutchinson) & No Substitute (Alan
King/Choc) � Novices� Hurdle 15:35 Batonnier (Alan King/Choc)
� Graduation Chase 16:10
Midnight Appeal (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) - Handicap Chase Evidently
Newbury is currently holding up well to the continuing onslaught by the
rain.� I�m still in two minds as to
whether to make the trip ... what I do know is that I won�t be popping in to
see Den on my way home as, not only has she got a cold, but the Sonning Thames river crossing remains impassable.� She informs me that the bridge has been
closed on all but one day since Christmas!�
That would leave me with a journey from the M4 Reading West junction
into the town and over the Caversham bridge or via
M4 Reading East and then backtracking myself to cross the river via the
Reading bridge ... all to be driven in the dark without satnav.� Daylight fine ... but not after dark thank
you!���������� I�m working tomorrow, and it will be a very busy
period as our Team Manager is on holiday until Monday week.� There�s no rest for the wicked. |
|
Wednesday 05
February 2014 |
|
Runners of
interest at both Doncaster and Huntingdon tomorrow, the latter is subject to
an inspection at 07:00. Doncaster: 13:50 Gone
Too Far (Alan King/AP McCoy) � NH Novices� Hurdle (Qualifier) 14:25
First Mohican (Alan King/Choc) -
Novices� Hurdle 16:10 Oh
Crick (Alan King/Choc) � Handicap
Chase Huntingdon: 13:10 Genstone Trail (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) � Handicap
Hurdle 14:50 Memberof (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) � Juvenile Hurdle 16:30 Avispa (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) � Mares� Standard
Open Flat Race With my
search continuing, I�ve found a link to photographs taken on Saturday night
at Bucking Fun, including a few of Choc aboard the bronco and in the
background of other shots.� At
present, Newbury is optimistic that their Saturday fixture will be able to go
ahead.�
More �If my racing plans go
ahead I will be �Norman No Mates�
again, as Lesley is heading off to Butlins at Minehead for one of their music- themed weekends.� I did tell her to take her flippers and
snorkel just in case!� And I might just
need them myself too!!! And Nicky
Henderson has asked if he can parade Sprinter Sacre
around the Paddock ahead of racing.�
Denman is also due to be at Newbury on Saturday. �More I nearly
suffered a nasty accident whilst walking home this evening ... two halfwits
on bikes came tearing around a blind corner and almost knocked me over.� Why don�t some people seem to possess the
ability to anticipate the consequences of their actions?��� And last but definitely not least, many happy
returns of the day to my niece Lydia who is 21 today! |
|
Tuesday 04
February 2014 |
|
One runner
of interest at Market Rasen today: Divine Intavention (Martin Keighley/Mr M
Wall) won the Handicap Chase (6 ran); Martin�s 17th
winner of the
season.� The stable was first to point
out that the win was a fortunate one, with leader Taffy Thomas unseating two
out and subsequent leader Lukey Luke suffering a
fatal injury (broken fetlock) before the last.� RIP Lukey Luke. There�s
National Hunt racing at Ludlow tomorrow, subject to an
08:00 inspection, but no runners of interest. Right,
I�ve found this report about Saturday�s Bucking Fun, complete with videos of
the event riders and AP ... and with Choc in the background (left) in dark
blue and yellow silks.� In fact Laura Collett stays aboard for so long that Choc appears to
have time to go for a fag break and buy a drink during the period she�s
riding the horse! http://www.eventingstig.co.uk/1/post/2014/02/laura-collett-dominates-at-bucking-fun.html Here is a
photograph of Letsby Avenue, in his stable
yesterday, sporting a post surgery pressure band: https://twitter.com/HannahBishop79/status/430453679427448832/photo/1 I�ve been checking Choc�s
and Wayne�s provisional riding engagements for the weekend and ... Choc
appears to be heading to Newbury and Wayne to Warwick!� So it looks like a visit to the races might
be on the cards for Saturday!� The
weather forecast for Newbury for Saturday, at present, is sunshine and heavy
showers. |
|
Monday 03
February 2014 |
|
One result
today, from Southwell, and it was a winner: Flementime (Martin Keighley/Ian Popham) won the Novices� Hurdle (9 ran); Martin
Keighley�s 16th winner of the season.� Congratulations to the team. One runner
of interest at Market Rasen tomorrow: 15:50
Divine Intavention (Martin Keighley/Mr M Wall) �
Handicap Chase According
to Alan King�s website, plans are currently in the melting pot as regards
runners later this week, as more heavy rain is expected.��� But there
is news regarding one of his recruits from the flat, First Mohican, whose
intended first outing over hurdles is planned for Doncaster on Thursday. �More Today we
have a twitter link to a picture of Auroras Encore who has returned home to
recuperate. https://twitter.com/ryan2903/status/430072933571395584/photo/1 And, Letsby Avenue is home to recover too, following his colic
operation. https://twitter.com/HannahBishop79/status/429967994497015808/photo/1 Also, Sam
Thomas has been �reunited� with Denman.
https://twitter.com/S4MMY1984/status/429970206996566016/photo/1 And
there�s even a photo of Andre Agassi during a tour on the opening day of the
Doral Academy, one of the chartered schools he�s funded in Nevada! https://twitter.com/patranya/status/430407823139155968/photo/1 I�ve not
discovered any photographs or a youtube video of Choc
at Saturday�s Bucking Fun, of others yes, but not of Choc ... but I�m still
looking! Here is
the youtube video of photographer Michael David
Rogers (aka MDR Photos) on the rodeo horse: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-FVoXw-pGo And eventer Kitty King�s husband Ben riding in his boxer
shorts: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpClnMRxEL8 I think that�s enough links for one day ... time
to sign off now! |
|
Sunday 02
February 2014 |
|
Just one
runner of interest at Southwell tomorrow: 13:45 Flementime (Martin Keighley/Ian Popham)
� Novices� Hurdle If you�re
a big Winnie The Pooh fan, you�ll love this cartoon
by Telegraph cartoonist Matt: https://twitter.com/LawneyHill/status/429896935953424384/photo/1 And it�s
Groundhog Day in the USA!� Great film
too! I forgot
to mention that my Aintree Festival tickets arrived by registered post early
yesterday morning ... so I�m now all set for this year�s Cheltenham and Grand
National Festivals.� All that is needed
now is for the weather to improve, although I would like it to remain fairly
mild, just a lot less wet!� The weather
at Cheltenham was awful last year, freezing cold with snow flurries on the
first day and a deluge on the last.�
The Friday at Aintree was unpleasant too, as there was a very cold
breeze.� I�ve just
discovered that I can, after all, upload photographs onto twitter using my
laptop now that I�ve upgraded to Explorer 8 ... however, Explorer 9 would be
ideal, as that is the version I had before it was re-built in October
2012.� Mainly because it�s still
impossible to see stock levels and order online from Marks and Sparks!!!� Now that I�m over the worst of my cold virus, I
am wondering when I might get the opportunity to go to the races once
more.� Many of Alan King�s horses hold
engagements for later this week, but it will have to be a weekend fixture as
I can�t get time off until the end of the month (27th and 28th February) due
to a colleague�s holiday.� Unbelievably
that will be the final two days of my 2013 annual leave, taken just prior to
the deadline.� The ideal outing would
be to Newbury next Saturday, but there�s always the possibility Choc might go
to Warwick for the Kingmaker raceday ... in fact
last year it was �Choc on Tour� as
he took in an early race at the Berkshire course before heading to Warwickshire
for three further rides, two of which were winners!� I shall know a little more in a day or so. So, with Ascot on 15 February �competing� against both Wincanton�s Kingwell fixture and Haydock
Park, I�m wondering if Kempton Park�s Chase Day on 22 February and Newbury�s Greatwood fixture on 01 March may just be the ones to
pencil in my racing diary.� And I have recently realised that Sandown�s
fixture on the final day of the season, 26 April, doesn�t actually coincide
with the Punchestown Festival this year, as well as
being an all-jumps card.� Wicked! |
|
Saturday 01
February 2014 |
|
Amazingly,
all three National Hunt fixtures went ahead and this is how Choc fared at Sandown Park: Regal One
(David Bridgwater/Choc) was pulled
up in the Novices� Limited Handicap Chase (8 ran). Oscar Hill
(David Bridgwater/Choc) finished
6th and Kumbeshwar (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson)
finished 7th in the Handicap Chase [2 miles, Class 2] (8 ran). Manyriverstocross (Alan King/Choc) finished 2nd in the Scilly
Isles Novices� Chase [Grade 1] (3 ran). More Speedy Bruere (David Bridgwater/Choc) finished 2nd in the Handicap Chase [2 miles, Class 3] (6
ran). Venetia
Williams and Aidan Coleman landed a treble at Sandown Park.� More Saphir Du Rheu won this season�s renewal of the Welsh Champion
Hurdle.� More And more
success for Venetia Williams in the West of Wales National with Emperor�s Choice;
Liam Treadwell aboard.� More Here is a link
to Martin Keighley�s latest column in the Gloucestershire Echo.� More Choc is
due to take part in �Bucking Fun� at
Newbury Racecourse this evening.� He�ll
have a much easier journey to the racecourse than, if they keep their
engagements, both AP McCoy and Dominic Elsworth who
rode at Wetherby today (200 miles) and Andrew Tinkler who was at Ffos Las
(150 miles) ... although it�s just a small diversion for AP on his journey
home, as he lives in the Lambourn area!��
There�s National Hunt racing at Musselburgh
tomorrow, with both AP and Barry Geraghty in action
at the fixture. |
