JANUARY 2015
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Saturday 31 January 2015 |
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There were
four runners of interest today: Sandown Park: Pain Au Chocolat (Alan King/Wayne
Hutchinson) won the Juvenile Hurdle (5 ran); Wayne’s 26th
winner of the
season. More Grumeti (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) finished 3rd in the
Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase (Grade 1) (5 ran). It was another Grade 1 winner for Willie
Mullins, this time with mare Gitane Du Berlais. More Ffos Las: Ziga Boy (Alan King/Tom Bellamy) was pulled up in the
West Wales National (10 ran); the ground was so soft that only ONE horse
finished with a clear round, Bob Ford.
Gorgehous Lleige
initially refused at the last when trailing the winner, but he finally
cleared the fence to claim 2nd prize ... although this was controversial (see
below). The Welsh Champion Hurdle was
won by Silsol.
More BETWAY WEST WALES
NATIONAL (A HANDICAP STEEPLE CHASE) (CLASS 2) Wetherby: Ned Stark (Alan King/Denis O’Regan) won the Novices’ Chase
(Grade 2) (7 ran); Ned missed his engagement at Cheltenham last Saturday due to
a bruised foot, which was discovered on the morning of the race. It was Denis O’Regan’s
first day back following his recent ban.
More Now that
was an interesting interview by RUK’s Stewart Machin
with Denis O’Regan following his victory ... when
asked about plans for the horse, Denis said he hoped the horse would be aimed
for spring festival honours but it’s up to the owners, Alan King and Choc as to where Ned goes
next. No wonder Choc was asking
yesterday afternoon, having been ‘offline’
for a few hours, if Wetherby was still on! There’s
just one National Hunt fixture tomorrow, at Musselburgh, which is subject to
a 08:00 inspection; thus no runners of interest. I’m slowly
working through my diary for last week’s Cheltenham Trials Day but I’ve got
plenty of time as I envisage that my next racing trip will be to the first day
of the Cheltenham Festival, which is over five weeks away. And, in addition to my weekday evenings and
weekends, I’ve still got four day’s annual leave booked before the end of
February which can be utilised too. I have a
stack of non-reusable heating packs which I originally bought to keep my
hands warm when at the races, but I’ve never got around to using them. But I’ve now found an alternative use for
them - to help ease the discomfort in my neck and right shoulder; I used one
today and it is still roasty toasty after six hours
... and should last for around eight. |
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Friday 30 January 2015 |
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One runner
of interest today, at Chepstow, and this is how he
fared: Chosen Well (Alan King/Wayne
Hutchinson) won the NH Novices’ Hurdle (10 ran); Wayne’s 25th
winner of the
season. Amusingly,
Alan’s comments in Weekender regarding Chosen Well were: “Might start his
season in a novice hurdle at Chepstow on Friday. He was nearly ready to run in the autumn
then he threw a splint which held him up for quite some time. He’s going straight over hurdles as he’s
had a few runs in point-to-points, so I think a run in a bumper would be a
waste of time. He’s probably going to
need the race but we want to get him started.” There are
four runners of interest tomorrow: Sandown Park: 12:40 Pain
Au Chocolat (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) – Juvenile
Hurdle 14:25 Grumeti (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) – Scilly Isles
Novices’ Chase (Grade 1) Ffos Las: 14:40 Ziga Boy (Alan King/Tom Bellamy) - West Wales National Wetherby: 15:20 Ned
Stark (Alan King/Denis O’Regan) – Novices’ Chase
(Grade 2) Evidently
the Grand National is almost a sell-out, with tickets still available solely
for the Tattersalls and the Steeplechase enclosure
now. Martin
Keighley reports that both jockey Chris Ward and Monty’s Revenge are fine
following yesterday’s mishap at Towcester. I enjoy
watching Michael Portillo’s Great Railway Journeys and, on this week’s
programme, he began his journey in Pembroke and ended it in Cambridge. During the course of his trip he visited Bicester, where they have been building a new station and
the line will shortly be connected to the Marylebone to Birmingham
route. By the end of the decade it will
be possible to travel from Oxford to Milton Keynes, Bedford, Cambridge,
Ipswich and Norwich. As part of the
plan the section between Oxford and Bicester will
become dual track as opposed to single track as at present. More And the
really weird thing is that the line passes beneath Oxford’s Wolvercote roundabout ... and I’ve never even noticed,
despite it being an integral part of my route between St Albans and
Cheltenham, regardless of whether I travel M25/M40 or via Bicester!
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Thursday 29 January 2015 |
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Here are
today’s results from Towcester for my runners of
interest: Altesse De Guye (Martin
Keighley/Andrew Tinkler) finished 3rd and Dusky Legend
(Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) finished 2nd in the Mares’ Maiden Hurdle (16
ran). Monty’s
Revenge (Martin Keighley/Chris Ward) fell in the Handicap Chase [3 miles
& ½ a furlong] (11 ran). Briery Queen (Noel Williams/Leighton Aspell) finished 2nd but The Unit (Alan King/Wayne
Hutchinson) was a non-runner in the Intermediate Open NH Flat Race (9 ran). One runner
of interest tomorrow, at Chepstow: 13:20
Chosen Well (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) – NH Novices’ Hurdle Having
vowed last week not to do another Newbury Fundraising event, Claire Lomas has
now booked another date for next year!
I wonder if Choc will be there again? If so, I will endeavour not to leave my
booking until the last minute as I did this year ... I’m
thinking about taking up yoga. And I
have no excuse because there is a class which takes place at the local
Community Centre just 100 yards from my route home from work. And it begins at 18:15, so the time would
be suitable to, as I’d be passing by around about that time anyway! It’s £10 a lesson if you drop by, rather
than book for a whole course. |
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Wednesday 28 January 2015 |
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There are
two National Hunt fixtures tomorrow, Wincanton and Towcester, with runners of interest at the latter: 13:50 Altesse De Guye (Martin Keighley/Andrew
Tinkler) & Dusky Legend (Alan King/Wayne
Hutchinson) – Mares’ Maiden Hurdle 14:20
Monty’s Revenge (Martin Keighley/Chris Ward) – Handicap Chase [3 miles &
½ a furlong] 16:20 Briery Queen (Noel Williams/Leighton Aspell)
& The Unit (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) – Intermediate Open NH Flat Race In this
week’s Weekender, Alan King’s highlight of the week was Ordo
Ab Chao winning at Cheltenham. His low point the retirement of both Walkon and Medermit. What made him smile? Having a winner as a breeder when Warriors
Tale won at Ayr and he still has the dam at home. His saddest moment of the week was
receiving a phone call to say that Medermit had
broken down at Doncaster. And he’s
most looking forward to stepping up a gear with his flat horses for the
upcoming season. |
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Tuesday 27 January 2015 |
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Happy Retirement
Medermit
Medermit has been retired; he finished lame at the end of
Saturday’s race at Doncaster having sustained a bad suspensory
injury. However, he will return to
his owner’s stud and, although it will take time and lots of TLC, he will be
fine and hopefully enjoy a long retirement.
He won 8 of his 33 starts and rarely ran a disappointing race. Organiser
Claire Lomas has uploaded a video of Saturday night’s Pogo Challenge – Choc
is included (the second competitor) and can also be seen in the background
having sat at Table 16 at the far end of the pogo ‘course’: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJVAw1dJuuQ&app=desktop The
ex-Alan King trained Jetnova won the AGA Novice
Riders’ race at Cocklebarrow Point-to-Point on
Sunday. News that Triolo D’Alene is unlikely to run in the Grand National
as he is suffering from a knee problem.
More There’s
National Hunt racing from Newcastle and Leicester tomorrow but no runners of
interest. |
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Monday 26 January 2015 |
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Here are
today’s results from Ludlow: Bravo Bravo (Martin Keighley/Archie Bellamy) finished 10th and Kyles Faith (Martin Keighley/Harley Cornock)
finished 14th in the Amateur Riders’ Handicap Hurdle (17 ran). No runners
of interest tomorrow; there’s racing at Taunton, and Lingfield
has been abandoned. Following
his run on Saturday, Smad Place is a definite entry
for the Cheltenham Gold Cup. And Ordo Ab Chao is to be entered
for both the Neptune and the Albert Bartlett. Sire De Grugy took part in his first schooling session since his
injury, and trainer Gary Moore was delighted with his charge. More Saturday’s
Pogo Pandemonium raised over £7000 for the Nicholls Spinal Injury
Foundation. I forgot
to mention that Choc is going for the ‘stubbly
look’ at the moment! My dental
check-up and hygienist appointment cost £90 today. And I have to return on 09 February to have
the filling in one of my upper right molars replaced; it’s an old one –
silver not white! Isn’t it
typical? Just when I want to print
something, the cartridges run dry. My
printer is temperamental at the best of times; sometimes it works, sometimes
it doesn’t. I use it in wireless mode
and sometimes the signal just doesn’t get through. And, often, it works better from another
room than in the same room!
Crazy. I’m
procrastinating with regard to my Cheltenham Trials Day diary and photos ...
as I have a feeling my next visit to the races will be for Day One of the
Cheltenham Festival. So that gives me
42 days in which to complete the outstanding tasks. |
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Sunday 25 January 2015 |
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Annacotty returns to the Winners’ Enclosure having won the Grade 3 Handicap Trophy Chase |
Ordo Ab
Chao and connections pose for photos following victory in the Grade 2 Neptune Investment Management Novices’ Hurdle |
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Sorry
there was no blog yesterday ... but I didn’t arrive home until 00:45 this
morning and I went straight to bed! I enjoyed
my trip to Cheltenham. I arrived later
than I had planned, although 11:15 was still an hour and twenty-five minutes
before the first race! I set off twice
in fact, the first time I couldn’t remember whether I’d taken my acid reflux
medication, so drove around the block (and it was a large block!) to return
home. I hadn’t, so at least it wasn’t
a wasted return home! Anyway,
here are the results, with a winner for both Alan King and the Keighleys; excellent. Cheltenham: Karazak (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) finished 2nd in the
Triumph Hurdle Trial (6 ran). Ned Stark
(Alan King/Barry Geraghty) was a non-runner in the
Novices’ Handicap Chase. Smad Place (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) finished 2nd
in the BetBright Cup Chase (Group 2) (6 ran). Annacotty (Martin
Keighley/Gavin Sheehan) won and Walkon (Alan
King/Wayne Hutchinson) was pulled up in the Trophy Chase (Grade 3 Handicap)
(10 ran); Martin’s 14th winner of the season, well
done to the team. Ordo Ab Chao (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) won the Novices’ Hurdle (Group 2) (9
ran); Wayne 24th winner of the
season. Doncaster: Dalavar (Alan King/Tom Bellamy) was a non-runner in the
Handicap Hurdle [2 miles 3½ furlongs] Nyanza
(Alan King/Richard Johnson) finished 4th in the Mares’ Hurdle (Grade 2) (7
ran). Medermit (Alan King/Tom Bellamy) finished 6th and Godsmejudge (Alan King/Jamie Moore) was pulled up in the Skybet Chase [Listed] (14 ran). Uttoxeter: Seymour
Star (Martin Keighley/Christopher Ward) finished 8th and The Wexfordian (Martin Keighley/Conor
Shoemark) finished 3rd in the Conditional Jockeys’
Maiden Hurdle (10 ran). Bar A Mine
(Alan King/Paul Moloney) fell in the Novices’ Handicap
Chase (11 ran). The Kvilleken (Martin Keighley/Andrew Tinkler)
finished 4th in the Handicap Hurdle [2 miles 4½ furlongs] (8 ran). Many
Clouds triumphed in the Betbright Cup Chase, which
was a trial for the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
More Saphir Du Rheu snatched
victory from the ever-game Reve De Sivola in the Cleeve Hurdle. More And Peace
And Co won the Triumph Hurdle trial. More Happy Retirement
Walkon #MyFavourite
It came as
no surprise that Walkon has been retired today,
having pulled up during his race at Cheltenham yesterday. I’m pleased that he has reached the end of
his career in one piece and will hopefully spend many more years as an
ex-racehorse, just chilling out. He
came within an inch of his life following his second Grade One victory which
took place at Aintree back in 2009, having struck into himself very badly
during the race. He missed 2010 as a
result; disappearing with an extremely moth-eaten tail, only to reappear with
a luscious one when returning at Ascot in 2011! Evidently he had a habit of rubbing his
tail against the stable wall when young. Here is a
picture of Walkon on the gallops, tweeted by the
Racing Post: https://twitter.com/RacingPost/status/559343631249993728/photo/1 It was
quite an adventure setting out from Cheltenham to drive to Newbury racecourse
... in the dark ... without satnav too! It took me 30 minutes to escape from the
former – my regular route, which is always traffic free, was choc-a-bloc yesterday.
If everyone has discovered it, then my 2015 Festival escapes will not
be fun. Damn. I decided
to drive to the roundabout on the A40, where the Stow-on-the-Wold to
Cirencester road crosses before heading southwards to the latter. Talk about a switch-back road, I should have
known better, because the northern section from Stow has exactly the same
profile! After a while I managed to
catch up with a bus, so could follow its tail-lights. Just
before Cirencester I joined the A417/A419 dual carriageway and counted down
the miles to the M4. It seemed like I
was on the motorway for ages, I forgot it was the second junction I
needed. I left the motorway at
Junction 13 and followed the signposts for Thatcham;
because I know the route in from that direction. However,
my first problem was that the main entrance was closed; I know there are
three entrances, but I’ve only ever used two of them. I drove around the block, again a big
block, to try again. What to do? I tried the industrial estate route, but
that was flooded beneath the railway bridge!
Okay, panic was setting in by now.
I drove back to the main entrance, where someone else had discovered
the same problem. With quick
thinking by me, I gave way to allow the driver to pull out in front of me,
and I followed him. There was a left
turning further along, which we took, although I did lose him due to the
necessity of giving way to oncoming vehicles on the narrow road. However, I kept a lookout to my left and
soon found the racecourse turning, which also serves as an access road to the
new racecourse-based housing developments.
I hadn’t
actually been in a rush to leave Cheltenham, because I had an hour and fifty
minutes to get to Newbury by 19:00. In
the event, due to the problems in Cheltenham and getting lost in Newbury, I
didn’t arrive until around 19:20! The
venue was the Hennessy suite on the top floor of the Hampshire Stand, so I
took the stairs, along with another couple, to reach it. But I was
in plenty of time for the meal and had been seated on table 13; Choc was
scheduled to sit at table 16, just a stone’s throw away. Mick Fitzgerald, Sam Thomas, Jimmy Derham and Dominic Elsworth
would join him; Mick arrived first, the others arrived a little later. As the
jockeys hadn’t practiced riding a pogo-stick before, they took a number
downstairs to the first floor to practice out of sight of their rivals! Once the
meal was finished, the pogo-stick/space-hopper challenge began. Choc hadn’t noticed me until I brought
myself to his attention as he was walking by.
He invited me to give him a kiss on both cheeks this time, not just
one as usual. I noticed this is his
standard greeting for female friends.
I asked him how he was, and he’s okay.
Anyway, although still seated, I gave him a little hug around the
shoulders at the end, along with a third peck on the cheek, saying that I
hoped to see him again soon. It hadn’t
crossed my mind that it would be impossible to photograph someone bouncing on
a pogo-stick, followed by bouncing on a space-hopper, so my photos are very
poor. Reminds me of a dark and rainy
day at the races! But, anyway here he
is, centre frame, at the end of his timed run.
The semi-finals
were a little different, with pogo-sticks one way, followed by the
competitors using Claire’s wheelchair on the way back. Here are
the official results. As you can see,
Choc finished 11th out of 14; he’s carrying a little bit of overweight having
been on the sidelines for so long! https://twitter.com/claire80lomas/status/559362766339719168/photo/1 And here
is the video of the final on youtube, the winning
finalist being Sam Thomas ... although he did bring down his opponent! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1YGiRtkCn4&feature=youtu.be I’ve had a
raging headache for most of today; first thoughts were perhaps dehydration
from not having drunk enough yesterday.
But, having taken liquid on board today, I’ve still got it – which
suggests my cervical spondylosis is playing me up
again – I can hear my neck creaking and grinding every time I move it. There are
two National Hunt fixtures tomorrow, at Plumpton
and Ludlow, with runners of interest at the latter: 15:20
Bravo Bravo (Martin Keighley/Archie Bellamy) & Kyles Faith (Martin Keighley/Harley Cornock)
– Amateur Riders’ Handicap Hurdle Back to
work tomorrow and a dental check-up plus hygienist during my lunch-break
too. Although the most painful part
about that will be the bill! It’s a
private dental practice. |
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Friday 23 January 2015 |
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No result
to report today as Huntingdon was lost due to frost; on the other hand
Doncaster went ahead. A
temperature of minus 9 was recorded in Upper Lambourn
last night ... Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. So the minus 3 recorded in my car at 07:15
this morning was positively balmy in comparison. I popped out to fill the petrol tank before
the petrol station got busy; I’ve decided to go to Cheltenham Trials day
tomorrow after all! Tickets for the
main enclosure are £30 on the day and gates open at 10:30. With this
in mind, there are runners of interest at all three National Hunt fixtures
tomorrow: Cheltenham: 12:40 Karazak (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) – Triumph Hurdle
Trial 13:15 Ned
Stark (Alan King/Barry Geraghty) – Novices’
Handicap Chase; Denis O’Regan, having been engaged
to ride the owners’ horses for a period of time would normally have ridden
the horse, but he’s still serving the ban awarded earlier this month. 13:50 Smad Place (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) – BetBright Cup Chase (Group 2); he has 5 rivals. More 14:25 Annacotty (Martin Keighley/Gavin Sheehan) & Walkon Y (Alan King/Wayne
Hutchinson) – Trophy Chase (Grade 3 Handicap). More 15:00 Ordo Ab Chao (Alan King/Wayne
Hutchinson) – Novices’ Hurdle (Group 2) Doncaster: 12:25 Dalavar (Alan King/Tom Bellamy) – Handicap Hurdle [2
miles 3½ furlongs] 14:05
Nyanza (Alan King/Richard Johnson) – Mares’ Hurdle (Grade 2) 15:05 Medermit (Alan King/Tom Bellamy) & Godsmejudge (Alan King/Jamie Moore) – Skybet
Chase [Listed]. More Uttoxeter: 13:05
Seymour Star (Martin Keighley/Christopher Ward) & The Wexfordian
(Martin Keighley/Conor Shoemark)
– Conditional Jockeys’ Maiden Hurdle 13:40 Bar
A Mine (Alan King/Paul Moloney) – Novices’ Handicap
Chase 16:00 The Kvilleken (Martin Keighley/Andrew Tinkler)
– Handicap Hurdle [2 miles 4½ furlongs] There’s to
be a precautionary inspection of Uttoxeter at 08:00
tomorrow morning. More Sunday’s Fontwell Park fixture has already been abandoned due to
water-logging. More I’ve also
made last minute arrangements to attend Pogo Pandemonium at Newbury
Racecourse tomorrow evening! Well, it
just has to be done, as I’ve not seen Choc since Grand National Day. And, with a Brightwells
bloodstock HIT (Horses in Training) and Point-to-Pointers sale taking place
after racing at Cheltenham, he might even be looking at a few horses
too! More It’s now
time to go sort out my two outfits for tomorrow ... a multi-layered ensemble
for a cold day at Cheltenham and a smart casual outfit for the evening. And I need to re-check my route from
Cheltenham to Newbury too; it takes around 75 minutes and the event begins at
19:00, with pogo stick racing from 20:45.
So,
fingers now firmly crossed, that everything goes to plan tomorrow. |
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Thursday 22 January 2015 |
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Here are
today’s results for my runners of interest at Warwick: Spanish
Arch (Martin Keighley/Tom Bellamy) finished 4th in the Handicap Chase [3
miles 2 furlongs] (8 ran). The Tourard Man (Alan King/Wayne
Hutchinson) won the Handicap Hurdle [3 miles 2 furlongs]; Wayne’s 23rd
winner of the
season. Chance
Taken (Noel Williams/James Banks) finished 5th in the Mares’ NH Novices’
Hurdle (14 ran). Bettatogether (Alan King/Wayne
Hutchinson) finished 9th in the Intermediate Open NH Flat Race (10 ran). National
Hunt racing takes place at Ayr, Doncaster and Huntingdon tomorrow, with one
runner of interest at the latter: 12:55 Pattara (Noel Williams/Gerard Tumelty)
– NH Novices’ Handicap Hurdle Both
Doncaster and Huntingdon are subject to an 08:00
inspection. Having
talked myself out of weekend excursions earlier in the week, I’m now making
tentative plans ... watch this space!
Although I will be going it alone ... but I am a grown-up after all
... well most of the time! I am shy
and retiring by nature but sometimes you just have to DO IT! No regrets ... |
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Wednesday 21 January 2015 |
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Two
results from Catterick today: Sutton Mac
(Martin Keighley/Conor Shoemark)
was pulled up in the Novices’ Hurdle (4 ran). Always
Bold (Martin Keighley/Conor Smith) finished 2nd in
the Handicap Chase [3 miles 1½ furlongs] (8 ran). There’s
jumps racing at Fakenham and Warwick tomorrow, again
subject to the almost compulsory inspections at this time of the year, with
runners of interest
at the latter: 14:20
Spanish Arch (Martin Keighley/Tom Bellamy) – Handicap Chase [3 miles 2 furlongs] 14:50 The Tourard Man (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) – Handicap
Hurdle [3 miles 2 furlongs] 15:20
Chance Taken (Noel Williams/James Banks) – Mares’ NH Novices’ Hurdle 16:20 Bettatogether (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) – Intermediate
Open NH Flat Race; Alan is hoping the horse behaves himself tomorrow, having
lashed out in the Parade Ring and made contact with his jockey that day, Tom
Bellamy, on his first appearance.
Evidently the horse was taken to Kempton Park last week to solely walk
around the paddock and he behaved himself on that occasion. Tomorrow
is my last working day this week, as I’m using up my 2014 annual leave on
Friday ... or at least I should say it’s one of my five remaining 2014
days! It’s crazy really, as my main holiday
season runs from October to April; I rarely take any holiday during May to
September. |
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Tuesday 20 January 2015 |
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Leicester
was lost to the weather, although racing did go ahead at Wetherby. There’s
National Hunt racing at Ayr and Catterick tomorrow, again both
subject to early morning inspections, with two runners of interest at the
latter. 13:00
Sutton Mac (Martin Keighley/Conor Shoemark) – Novices’ Hurdle 13:35
Always Bold (Martin Keighley/Conor Smith) –
Handicap Chase [3 miles 1½ furlongs] Lambs are
beginning to arrive at the local Agricultural/Further Education College. Oaklands will be
holding their lambing weekend on 14/15 March this year; the weekend after the
Cheltenham Festival, as opposed to last year when it took place the weekend
before. But I will still endeavour to
attend ... I love little lambs ... and that’s not with mint sauce I hasten to
add! The
Cheltenham Festival begins seven weeks today!!! |
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Monday 19 January 2015 |
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Bangor was
abandoned today, but Exeter passed their
inspection ... at the third attempt! Our Phylli Vera (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) finished 3rd in
the Mares’ Handicap Hurdle (12 ran). There’s
National Hunt racing at Wetherby and Leicester
tomorrow, both subject to an 08:00 inspection. More If Leicester passes, then there are
two runners of interest: 13:15
Seymour Star (Martin Keighley/Conor Shoemark) – Novices’ Hurdle 13:50
Bravo Bravo (Martin Keighley/Nico
de Boinville) – Handicap Hurdle [2 miles 4½
furlongs] Medermit is top-weight for Saturday’s Skybet
Chase at Doncaster; Godsmejudge is also still
amongst the entries. More Hennessy
winner Many Clouds is due to take part in the BetBright Cup Chase at
Cheltenham on Saturday; but Coneygree has suffered a minor setback so won’t
make an appearance. More The snow
originally forecast for yesterday afternoon did not materialise, but it was
jolly cold last night. But I was so
warm and snug in bed that I didn’t want to get up this morning! However, the current forecast for St Albans
for Wednesday is light snow all day!
So I may yet have to get out my thermal boots; they need an
outing. As proof
of the cold weather, the backs of my hands are feeling itchy this
evening. Always a bad sign; a lot
later in the season than usual, but confirming the fact that it’s been so
mild up until quite recently. Where’s
my hand cream? |
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Sunday 18 January 2015 |
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There are
two National Hunt fixtures tomorrow, at Bangor and Exeter. Both are subject to early morning
inspections, as it is forecast to be the coldest night so far of the winter! If racing
goes ahead at Exeter, there is one runner
of interest: 14:50 Our Phylli Vera (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) – Mares’
Handicap Hurdle There was
no explanation, as yet, for Carraig Mor’s disappointing effort at Haydock
yesterday: Race 5 - 2:40pm THE
888sport GRADUATION STEEPLE CHASE (CLASS 2) Nicky Henderson reports
that Sprinter Sacre is fine following yesterday’s
race, despite a small trace of blood being found in the horse’s nostrils
following the race. More But Long Run won’t run
this season. More The
charity fundraising event Pogo Pandemonium is taking place next Saturday
evening at Newbury racecourse. Choc is
due to take part as a member of the jockeys’ team, alongside AP McCoy, Andrew
Tinkler, Dominic Elsworth,
Mick Fitzgerald, Mark Bradburne and Sam
Thomas. https://www.facebook.com/events/321849657985937/?ref=44&unit_ref=related_events Seeing
Choc on a pogo stick is my kind of thing, come to think of it seeing Choc
full stop is my kind of thing; but an evening out with dinner, a live band,
etc, is not. Or at least not unless in
the company of any party animal friends I might have been able to find
... |
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Saturday 17 January 2015 |
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Here are
the results for my two runners of interest at Haydock Park today: Araldur (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) finished 4th in the
Handicap Hurdle [3 miles] (8 ran). Carraig Mor (Alan King/Wayne
Hutchinson) was pulled up before the last in the Graduation Chase [2 miles 5
furlongs] (6 ran). From travelling
well prior to the final bend, the horse went out like a light; there must
have been something wrong. That’s the
sort of thing that happens when a horse bursts a blood vessel. Dodging
Bullets won the Grade 1 Clarence House Chase, with Sprinter Sacre finishing as runner-up having got tired during the
closing stages of the race. But
everyone seems happy. More I think it
will make the Festival’s Champion Chase a far more interesting race, with at
least three live contenders in Sprinter Sacre, Sire
De Grugy and Dodging Bullets if they all make it to
the starting gate. Bitofapuzzle, who finished a very game runner-up to The
Pirate’s Queen at Haydock on her last run, won
Ascot’s Grade 2 Mares’ Hurdle event. I
like her, a lot. More Sadly the
veteran King Edmund died as a result of a fall during today’s big handicap
chase at Ascot. RIP old boy. L The New
One struggled to win the Champion Hurdle Trial at Haydock
Park; but he still triumphed despite conditions and the tactics deployed by
his rivals. Isn’t it supposed to be
the sign of a good horse that he can win regardless of what goes wrong? More There’s no
National Hunt racing in the UK tomorrow, Fontwell
Park having been abandoned earlier this week. After a
bright start to the day in Hertfordshire, the skies clouded over mid-morning
and there were a few snow showers. But
nothing settled, as the sun came out again before lunch. I wonder what tomorrow will bring in the
way of snow ... |
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Friday 16 January 2015 |
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There are
three National Hunt fixtures tomorrow, weather permitting – Ascot, Haydock Park and Taunton.
But just
two runners of interest, both at Haydock Park, which subject to a
precautionary inspection at 08:00: 12:20 Araldur (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) – Handicap Hurdle [3
miles] 14:40 Carraig Mor (Alan King/Wayne
Hutchinson) – Graduation Chase [2 miles 5 furlongs] The main
attraction at Haydock Park is The New One, who runs
in the Champion Hurdle Trial. More Meanwhile,
Sprinter Sacre is scheduled to run in the Clarence
House Chase at Ascot; he has four rivals, Dodging Bullets, Grey Gold,
Somersby, and Irish raider Twinlight. More The frost
covers are already being deployed at Cheltenham ahead of next Saturday’s
Festival Trials Day. More Choc has
been on a visit to Keeneland in Kentucky; he
departed last Saturday but is now home again.
I gather his outward trip was a bit of a nightmare, as he missed his
connection at Washington Dulles airport.
There’s
excellent news today that my oldest niece, Kim, has accepted a job offer with
Unilever as a Biomedical Scientist.
She doesn’t actually commence until September 2016 but, evidently, she
feels that the role very much reflects her degree course studies, even more
so than her envisaged career in embryology.
In the meantime she has one part-time job and also a voluntary
administration role in the maternity unit at Luton and Dunstable
Hospital. Did you
know what Unilever is the world’s biggest ice cream manufacturer? Brands include Wall’s, Magnum, Cornetto and Carte D’Or.
Other brands include Marmite, Persil, Dove, PG Tips, Simple, TRESommé and Radox. I’ve no
plans for the weekend. It’s going to
be cold, with maybe some snow in the southeast on Sunday. I’m not hopeful that the weather will be
conducive to walking, if the pavements are icy. I did actually go for a walk last Sunday
morning, around three miles in distance.
I feel so much better for a walk.
And I saw another red kite last Sunday too – it might well have been
the same one I saw two or three weeks ago.
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Thursday 15 January 2015 |
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Here are
today’s results for my runners of interest at Ludlow: Darnitnev (Martin Keighley/Conor
Shoemark) finished 9th and McCabe Creek (Alan
King/Wayne Hutchinson) finished 2nd in the Novices’ Hurdle (13 ran). Monksgold (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) finished 4th in the
Maiden Hurdle (12 ran). Marley Joe
(Martin Keighley/Conor Smith) finished 8th in the
Intermediate NH Flat Race (Conditional & Amateur Jockeys) (9 ran). Forgotten
Gold finished 4th in the Amateur Riders’ Handicap Chase at Ludlow. Tomorrow’s
fixture at Chepstow has been abandoned due to water-logging, and Sunday’s
meeting at Fontwell Park has been lost also because
of water-logging. There is a National
Hunt fixture at Musselburgh tomorrow, subject to a precautionary 06:45
inspection. A possible
crack at the World Hurdle is on the cards for Saphir
Du Rheu following his less than impressive record
as a novice over the larger obstacles; in the meantime he’s been entered for
the Cleeve Hurdle on Festival Trials Day. And, of course, he’s owned by Andy Stewart,
just like Big Buck’s. More I notice Midsomer Murders is back for a new series on Wednesday 28
January. J And The Musketeers series two continues
tomorrow evening ... who cares about the sword fights ... I enjoy it for the
eye candy!!! |
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Wednesday 14 January 2015 |
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There was
no snow in Hertfordshire overnight. But it was
a totally different story on Martin Keighley’s gallops this morning: https://twitter.com/belindakeighley/status/555406924972589057/photo/1 Newcastle
was abandoned today, but Newbury did go
ahead: Gabriella
Rose (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) finished 2nd in the Mares’ NH Novices’
Hurdle (8 ran). King Kayf (Noel Williams/James Banks) finished 2nd in the
Standard Open NH Flat Race (6 ran); another second place for Noel, how
frustrating. National
Hunt racing at Market Rasen, Wincanton and Ludlow tomorrow,
with runners of interest at the latter: 13:20 Darnitnev (Martin Keighley/Conor
Shoemark) & McCabe Creek (Alan King/Wayne
Hutchinson) – Novices’ Hurdle 15:30 Monksgold (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) – Maiden Hurdle 16:00
Marley Joe (Martin Keighley/Conor Smith) –
Intermediate NH Flat Race (Conditional & Amateur Jockeys) It
transpires that the Mares’ Hurdle is likely to be the target for Annie Power
at the Cheltenham Festival. That’s
annoying for everyone who has a good mare, with Quevega
winning it for ‘donkey’s years’ ...
okay it was 6 years ... and now Annie Power attempting to claim the prize
too. More Charlie
Swan has decided to give up training due to financial reasons. More I’ve been
watching the Horizon programme this week about dieting ... they’ve found
three categories of people who overeat – the Emotional Eater, the Constant
Craver, and the Feaster. I’m a ‘Feaster’! Evidently Feasters produce less of the gut
hormone GLP-1 which sends signals to the brain to tell us we are full; as a
result we are able to cram in more calories before the brain says
enough. Feasters need to eat food
which takes longer to digest – such as chicken, fish, pasta, eggs, nuts and
pulses. And eat fewer sugary foods,
potatoes, bread or pastry ... all of which I love! And everyone needs to slow down the rate at
which they eat; as the faster you eat, the less full you will feel. I’m not
obese but I am overweight. In 2008 I
lost a stone without conscious dieting or taking any extra exercise but put
it all back on again in 2011 and 2012 when I had some health issues. |
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Tuesday 13 January 2015 |
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It’s been
very quiet, with no runners of interest since Saturday. The weather has got the better of a couple
of fixtures too, with yesterday’s Ayr fixture abandoned due to storm damage,
and today’s Ffos Las fixture lost due to
flooding. However,
if Newbury passes
its 08:00 inspection, there are two runners of interest tomorrow: 15:25
Gabriella Rose (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) – Mares’ NH Novices’ Hurdle 16:00 King
Kayf (Noel Williams/James Banks) – Standard Open NH
Flat Race I’m not
sure if I’m very keen on continuing my early mornings and late evenings at
work. Evidently, one of the guys in
the office reckons he’s seen spirits in the building; ghosts not alcohol that
is! Either he’s gifted or crazy, but
I’m in no hurry to be the first in or the last out from now on!!! I’m now on
standby to see if Hertfordshire gets a little bit of snow overnight. I’m definitely fed up with the rain; I got
soaked walking home from work yesterday, didn’t go out at lunchtime today
because of heavy rain with thunder, and it was wet again when I came home
this evening. |
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Saturday 10 January 2015 |
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Here are
today’s results for my runners of interest.
Kempton Park: Daydreamer
(Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) was pulled up before two out having tailed off
during the Juvenile Hurdle (8 ran). Balder Succes (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) won the Listed
Chase [2 miles 4½ furlongs] (3 ran); proving that his optimum distance is two
and a half miles. Wayne’s 22nd
winner of the
season. More Midnight
Appeal (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) blundered and unseated at the first in
the Handicap Chase [3 miles] (9 ran). First
Mohican (Alan King/Denis O’Regan) finished 3rd in
the Handicap Hurdle [2 miles] (8 ran). Tea For
Two ridden by Lizzie Kelly won the Lanzarote
Hurdle. More And,
perhaps, someone should have told Wayne Hutchinson that Midnight Appeal has
recently made a habit during his races of making an error at the first
fence! Warwick: Sego Success (Alan King/Tom
Cannon) won the Novices’ Chase (Listed) (7 ran). Handazan (Alan King/Tom Bellamy) finished 5th in the
Handicap Hurdle (Qualifier) [3 miles 2 furlongs] (11 ran). West End
Rocker (Alan King/Tom Bellamy) was pulled up after the 18th fence and Benbane Head (Martin Keighley/Conor
Shoemark) was also pulled up after the same fence
in the Classic Chase (Grade 3 Handicap) [3 miles 5 furlongs] (14 ran). Big Chief
Benny (Alan King/Tom Bellamy) finished 2nd and Real Gone Kid (Martin
Keighley/Conor Shoemark)
finished 3rd in the ‘Newcomers’
Standard Open NH Flat Race The
Classic Chase was won by the Paul Nicholls-trained, Sam Twiston-Davies
ridden, Hawkes Point. Normally I’d prefer the trainer not to ‘farm’ all the big races but, in this
instance, the win was not coming out of turn for the horse, having been
narrowly touched off by Mountainous in the 2013 Welsh Grand National. I understand it was Paul’s only runner of
the day; he’s currently on his annual holiday in Barbados. More Wetherby: Creepy
(Martin Keighley/Jason Maguire) finished 4th in the Handicap Chase [2 miles]
(6 ran); two horses having departed at the last when in with a chance of
victory. Spanish
Arch (Martin Keighley/Jason Maguire) was pulled up in the Handicap Chase [2
miles 4½ furlongs] (8 ran). I have to
say the ‘whistling wind’ on the Wetherby TV coverage was rather grim! It’s been windy down south but, looking at
all the problems the storms have been causing further up the country, we’ve
been very lucky. ATR’s Matt
Chapman mentioned Choc in his Sun Favourite’s column today: Jockeys can get forgotten
quickly when suspended, but if one is injured for a long time then the
situation can get exaggerated. So, I just wanted to remind
everyone that one of Britain’s top jumps riders, Robert ‘Choc’ Thornton, is
alive and kicking. Thornton has been absent
since the spring, when a fall at Chepstow resulted in him
fracturing a vertebra in his back.
That healed, but then another problem was discovered in the jockey’s
neck after he had resumed riding out. The time away has allowed
Thornton to spend plenty of treasured time with his young son William, but it
can only be frustrating for the man who was top jockey at the 2007 Cheltenham
Festival. Thornton tells me loyal
owners and the Injured Jockeys’ Fund have been a tremendous support but let’s
hope he is back soon. We miss you, Choc! And, no, I
don’t make a habit of reading The Sun; Matt tweeted yesterday evening to say
he’d mention Choc today ... so I thought I’d better buy a copy! As
mentioned yesterday, the sole National Hunt fixture tomorrow is at Kelso and
that’s subject to an early morning inspection due to the risk of snow. All-weather racing returns to Chelmsford
City (Great Leighs) tomorrow. |
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Friday 09 January 2015 |
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Two
runners of interest at Huntingdon today and
this is how they fared; it wasn’t very pleasant
conditions – soft ground and windy too. Bravo Bravo (Martin Keighley/Conor
Smith) finished 8th in the Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle (12 ran). Presenting
Lisa (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) finished 4th in the Mares’ Maiden Hurdle
(11 ran). There’s
National Hunt racing at Kempton Park, Warwick and Wetherby
tomorrow, and runners of interest at all three fixtures: Kempton Park: 12:25
Daydreamer (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) – Juvenile Hurdle 14:10
Balder Succes (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) – Listed
Chase [2 miles 4½ furlongs]; two rivals – Fox Appeal & Hunt Ball. More 15:15
Midnight Appeal (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) – Handicap Chase [3 miles] 15:45
First Mohican (Alan King/Denis O’Regan) – Handicap
Hurdle [2 miles] Warwick: 13:55 Sego
Success (Alan King/Tom Cannon) – Novices’ Chase (Listed) 14:25 Handazan (Alan King/Tom Bellamy) – Handicap Hurdle
(Qualifier) [3 miles 2 furlongs] 15:35 West
End Rocker (Alan King/Tom Bellamy) & Benbane
Head (Martin Keighley/Conor Shoemark)
– Classic Chase (Grade 3 Handicap) [3 miles 5 furlongs] 16:05 Big
Chief Benny (Alan King/Tom Bellamy) & Real Gone Kid (Martin Keighley/Conor Shoemark) – ‘Newcomers’ Standard Open NH Flat Race Wetherby: 14:15
Creepy (Martin Keighley/Jason Maguire) – Handicap Chase [2 miles] 15:25
Spanish Arch (Martin Keighley/Jason Maguire) – Handicap Chase [2 miles 4½
furlongs] So that’s
all three fixtures on RUK tomorrow. All-weather
racing action returns to Chelmsford City on Sunday; in other words Great Leighs! The sole
National Hunt fixture being Kelso, there are no runners of interest. I managed
to catch-up with my workload today, have a fifteen minute lunch-break and
leave on time too. Wonders will never
cease! Mind you, having said that, I
did start work just before 08:00 this morning, so have done 1.75 hours unpaid
overtime regardless. |
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Thursday 08 January 2015 |
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Just one
runner of interest today, at Leicester: Salmanazar (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) skewed awkwardly at
the first fence and fell as a result, in the Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase
(7 ran); then, when loose, he trashed at least one set of plastic guide
rails. In fact he proved to be quite a
menace to the other runners! But, at
least, he appeared to be perfectly fine at the end of his rider-less
adventure! There are
two National Hunt fixtures tomorrow, at Doncaster and Huntingdon, with two runners of
interest at the latter: 12:45
Bravo Bravo (Martin Keighley/Conor
Smith) – Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle 14:30
Presenting Lisa (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) – Mares’ Maiden Hurdle News today
that Simonsig is set to miss the entire 2014/2015
season. More Mad Moose
has been ‘officially’ retired
today, following a BHA ruling. More Trainer
David Bridgwater has found himself in trouble, also with the BHA, following
the reporting of careless remarks after yesterday’s incident at Ludlow. More I’m
looking forward to the weekend ... not because I’m doing anything special ...
but because I need a rest following a very hectic first full week of January
at work! |
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Wednesday 07 January 2015 |
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Here are today’s
results for my runners of interest: Ludlow: Always Bold (Martin Keighley/Conor Smith) won the Hands and Heels Handicap Chase
(Conditionals/Amateurs) by a short-head ... but that was not the whole
story! (7 ran); Martin’s 13th winner (National Hunt)
of the
season. Morning
Herald (Martin Keighley/Conor Shoemark)
finished 4th in the Mares’ Standard Open NH Flat Race (10 ran). Taunton: Castle
Cheetah (Martin Keighley/Andrew Tinkler) finished
2nd in the Maiden Hurdle (7 ran). Money For
Nothing (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) finished 2nd and Kyles
Faith (Martin Keighley/Tom Siddall) finished 5th in
the Handicap Chase [2 miles & ½ a furlong] (6 ran). The Kvilleken (Martin Keighley/Richard Johnson) was pulled up
in the Handicap Hurdle [3 miles & ½ a furlong] (7 ran). There was
an unfortunate incident at the end of Ludlow’s Hands and Heels Handicap
Chase; but you win some, you lose some and the prize has gone to a deserving
home – Always Bold is owned by Belinda Keighley! More Just one
runner of interest tomorrow, at Leicester: 13:30 Salmanazar (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) – Novices’
Limited Handicap Chase News that Coneygree is likely to run in the Argento
Chase on Cheltenham Trials Day. More I am a fan of the
horse. Alan King
has confirmed in his Weekender column that Medinas
has suffered a tendon strain and is out for the remainder of the season. Godsmejudge is almost ready for his seasonal reappearance,
and will run before the end of this month.
Uxizandre is having a break and may go straight to
Cheltenham. L’Unique has returned from her mid-season break and is
being aimed at the David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival
as per last year. She may or may not
have a run before that; if the ground is too heavy between now and March she
won’t have a prep run. And
Midnight Prayer is going to remain on the easy list for at least a month;
after which a decision will be made as to his future. He was withdrawn on the day of the Welsh
National because Alan King wasn’t happy with him; although I don’t think at
the time the trainer could put a finger on exactly what was wrong with the
horse. He was just not himself I
guess. |
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Tuesday 06 January 2015 |
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There are
a number of runners of interest tomorrow: Ludlow: 15:30
Always Bold (Martin Keighley/Conor Smith) – Hands
and Heels Handicap Chase (Conditionals/Amateurs) 16:00
Morning Herald (Martin Keighley/Conor Shoemark) – Mares’ Standard Open NH Flat Race Taunton: 13:40
Castle Cheetah (Martin Keighley/Andrew Tinkler) –
Maiden Hurdle 14:40
Money For Nothing (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) & Kyles
Faith (Martin Keighley/Tom Siddall) – Handicap
Chase [2 miles & ½ a furlong] 16:10 The Kvilleken (Martin Keighley/Richard Johnson) – Handicap
Hurdle [3 miles & ½ a furlong] Denis O’Regan received a 10-day ban when deemed a non-trier at Bangor On Dee today: The Stewards held an enquiry into the running and riding of DELVIN
ROAD (IRE), ridden by Denis O’Regan and trained by
A J Martin, which finished fourth beaten approximately 19 lengths having
appeared to be tenderly ridden in the last half mile. They interviewed the
rider and the trainer's representative. They also received a report from the
Veterinary Officer who stated that the gelding was lame at the trot on
examination after the race. They also had observations from the Handicapper.
The rider stated his instructions were to get DELVIN ROAD (IRE) settled,
creep into the race and do his best. He added that the gelding ran freely in
the early stages, was left in fourth place at the end of the back straight
when the front runners quickened away and had no more to give from that
point. The trainer's representative confirmed the instructions and added that
DELVIN ROAD (IRE) is a hard ride, tends to run keenly and therefore wears a
tongue strap. Having heard their evidence and viewed recordings of the race
the Stewards found the rider in breach of Rule (B)59.4
and guilty of failing to take all reasonable and permissible measures to
obtain the best possible placing. They suspended him for 10 days as follows:
Tuesday 20 January to Thursday 29 January 2015. That rules
him out on Cheltenham Trials Day. |
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Monday 05 January 2015 |
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I wonder
how Choc got on today, with his scan ... I did tweet him this morning to wish
him luck. And he tweeted back to thank
me. J There were
three runners of interest today at Lingfield Park and this is how they
fared: Krackatoa King (Noel Williams/James Banks) finished 2nd in
the Novices’ Hurdle (9 ran). King Louis
(Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) finished 5th and Menace (Noel Williams/James
Banks) finished 6th in the Standard Open NH Flat Race (All-weather) (11 ran). There’s
National Hunt racing from Sedgefield and Bangor-On-Dee tomorrow but no
runners of interest. However, the
latter card has six races with 61 runners declared; so horse entries are
improving for the racecourse after the dire numbers towards the end of last
year. I’ve been
overdosing on The Musketeers this weekend so tonight I think I will try Broadchurch Series 2, as I didn’t watch the first series
but have heard so much about it. |
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Sunday 04 January 2015 |
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It was
almost a clean sweep for my runners of interest at Plumpton this afternoon: Pain Au Chocolat (Alan King/Wayne
Hutchinson) won the Novices’ Hurdle (13 ran); Wayne’s 20th
winner of the
season Grumeti (Alan King/Wayne
Hutchinson) won the Novices’ Chase (4 ran); Wayne’s 21st
winner of the
season. Friendly
Society (Noel Williams/James Banks) finished 2nd in the Handicap Hurdle [2
miles 5 furlongs] (9 ran). The Sussex
National was won by the Linda Jewell-trained Itoldyou. More There are
three runners of interest tomorrow at Lingfield Park: 13:10 Krackatoa King (Noel Williams/James Banks) – Novices’
Hurdle 15:40 King
Louis (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) & Menace (Noel Williams/James Banks) –
Standard Open NH Flat Race (All-weather) I had one
spare hour this morning and had intended to take a short walk. However having gone around 100 metres and
slipped on the pavement twice, I decided that I wasn’t prepared to risk
injury so turned around and came home again.
It’s a
very important day tomorrow, as Choc undergoes another scan on his injured C7
and T1 vertebrae. Fingers and
everything crossed for him. |
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Saturday 03 January 2015 |
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Here are
today’s results for my runners of interest: Springboks
(Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) finished 6th in the Novices’ Hurdle (11 ran). Roberto Pegusus (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) was a non-runner in
the Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase Ronaldinho (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) finished 6th and
Pride In Battle (Alan King/Denis O’Regan) finished
5th in the Handicap Hurdle [2 miles 4 furlongs] (9 ran). And here
is a recap of tomorrow’s runners of interest at Plumpton: 12:50 Pain
Au Chocolat (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) – Novices’
Hurdle 13:20 Grumeti (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) – Novices’ Chase 14:20
Friendly Society (Noel Williams/James Banks) – Handicap Hurdle [2 miles 5
furlongs] Noel Fehily’s little boy, born on 30 December, has been named
Michael Christopher. I hate
damp, miserable days ... I’ve spent the afternoon watching the racing from
Sandown and Wincanton on TV. If it
had been nice weather I’d have gone for a walk this morning, as exercise
always makes me feel better. Instead
I’ve been sitting wrapped up under a blanket in an armchair with a hot water
bottle to help ease the discomfort of my achy and creaky neck and back. Following
the racing, I’ve been watching Series One of The Musketeers on DVD and I’ve
completed and uploaded my Kempton Park diary too. Click here to read. |
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Friday 02 January 2015 |
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There are
three National Hunt fixtures tomorrow, at Newcastle, Sandown Park and Wincanton, with
runners of interest at the latter: 12:55
Springboks (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) – Novices’ Hurdle 14:05
Roberto Pegusus (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) –
Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase 14:40 Ronaldinho (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) & Pride In
Battle (Alan King/Denis O’Regan) – Handicap Hurdle
[2 miles 4 furlongs] Balder Succes is likely to step up in distance for his next
assignment, namely the Betfair Ascot Chase. More The field
sizes for a number of events at the Cheltenham Festival are to be slightly
reduced; prize money increased and some races extended by half a furlong
because starting gates were moved at the beginning of the season. More Meanwhile,
on Sunday, there are 3 runners of interest at Plumpton: 12:50 Pain
Au Chocolat (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) – Novices’
Hurdle 13:20 Grumeti (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) – Novices’ Chase 14:20
Friendly Society (Noel Williams/James Banks) – Handicap Hurdle [2 miles 5
furlongs] |
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Thursday 01 January 2015 |
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Happy New Year Cheltenham: Ned Stark
(Alan King/Denis O’Regan) finished 4th in the
Dipper Novices’ Chase (Grade 2) (7 ran). Champion
Court (Martin Keighley/Conor Shoemark)
finished 10th in the Handicap Chase [2 miles 5 furlongs] (13 ran). Ulzana’s Raid (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) finished 5th
in the Handicap Hurdle [3 miles] (10 ran). Elkstone (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) finished 8th and Laughingalltheway (Martin Keighley/Andrew Tinkler) finished 13th in the Standard Open NH Flat Race
(15 ran). Exeter: Altesse De Guye (Martin
Keighley/Tom Bellamy) finished 4th in the NH Novices’ Hurdle (11 ran). Shadarpour (Alan King/Tom Bellamy) was pulled up and Hindon Road (Alan King/Daryl Jacob) finished 3rd in the
Handicap Hurdle [2 miles 3 furlongs] (18 ran). Flementime (Martin Keighley/Tom Bellamy) finished 5th in
the Beginners’ Chase (7 ran); a hot race where Whisper was the odds-on
favourite but he was beaten by the Paul Nicholls-trained Ceasar
Milan. Ballochmyle (Alan King/Jack Doyle) finished 9th in the
Maiden Standard Open Flat Race (16 ran). Rock On
Ruby won the feature hurdle at Cheltenham, which turned out to be the
highlight of today. More Following
today’s victory for Rock On Ruby, Darren Bird has drawn a cartoon depicting
the horse and the trainer’s baby daughter Ruby. Harry Fry, his wife and daughter were all
at the races today: https://twitter.com/DarrenBirdie/status/550694896185929728/photo/1 Noel Fehily’s wife gave birth to their second child, a son, on
30 December; so he shares his birthday with William. Dave Crosse tweeted
double congratulations after today’s win, mentioning the baby has been named
Ruby Christopher; he is a joker so I’m unsure whether to believe him! Ruby Walsh is Rupert Walsh ... so I’m not
sure about the validity of calling all children Ruby regardless of their
sex! It’s quite a common name now; my
cousin’s son Trevor has a young daughter named Ruby. Choc tweeted a photo of the family having fun at a Pantomine in Birmingham yesterday. Left to right are girlfriend Jennie, his
mum Sally, the lovely Choc, his nephew Connor, and his dad Martin. William was hiding! https://twitter.com/Choc_Thornton/status/550473656288436224/photo/1 There’s
bad news today that One In A Milan, who fell in last Saturday’s Welsh Grand
National, broke a bone in his knee and won’t race again. At the present time the Evan Williams
stable are endeavouring to save his life; fingers crossed for the horse. More There’s
National Hunt racing at Ayr and Ffos Las tomorrow
but no runners of interest. I’d like
to say that I’ve had a relaxing day today but my back, shoulders and neck
have been playing me up something rotten.
It’s not so much the general discomfort that gets me down, it’s the
dull ache which can last for hours; it often makes me feel nauseous too. I think my New Year’s resolution has to be
not to carry any more heavy boxes containing paper whilst at work – I have to
do so much printing and carrying of the resultant boxes up and down stairs
that it’s just not realistic now that I’ve been diagnosed with borderline
osteoporosis in my spine and cervical spondylosis
in my neck. My colleagues will just
have to help me out from now on. My
colleague Sue has refused to carry anything heavy ever since she began work
in the department over 17 years ago; I shall have to take a leaf out of her
book. However I
have managed to finish the final draft of my Kempton Park diary today; I’ll
aim to proof-read and upload it at the weekend. I’m working a full day tomorrow. |
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