JUNE 2012
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Saturday 30 June
2012 |
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Choc with Alice Plunkett I spent a
lovely day out at the Barbury International Horse
Trials, featuring not only many of the world’s best event riders but also my
favourite jockey taking part in the hit-air Pro Bull Rider Series. Needless to say, that was the highlight of
my day!!! It was a pleasure to have
the company of my friend Denise for the day too. And you
know how it never seems that you are in the right place at the right time without
a lot of effort ... well today was completely the opposite and I just couldn’t
believe my luck!!! Having watched the CIC3*
show-jumping, the hit-air Challenge, looked around the Wiltshire Show area,
explored the cross-country course, returned to watch a demonstration in the
Festival of Food tent, we decided it was time to depart. We began the walk along the ‘corridor’ towards the entry/exit tent
when who should be heading in the opposite direction but Choc! I’m always
pleased to meet and greet him, and especially on this occasion as I’d taken a
birthday card with me hoping to get the opportunity to present it to him. I made the card in 2010, but missed that
year because Choc suffered his serious knee injury just days before his birthday
and was out of ‘circulation’; then last
year I was very unwell during July and grounded due to my sinus problems. And, until I saw him heading towards me, I
thought I’d missed my chance for the third year running. Also, as he was alone, I had a lovely
little chat with him too. Wicked!!! He is so lovely and so cute ... Choc won’t be appearing at the Trials tomorrow;
he will be heading straight to Uttoxeter. I shall, therefore, spend the day selecting
my favourite photographs to upload and, hopefully, drafting a diary of my
day. |
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Friday 29 June
2012 |
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I’m so
pleased my working week is over ... it’s been a nightmare for the past eight
working days with far too many tasks to fit into my standard working
day. So much so, that I’ve had to work
13 hours unpaid overtime during this period.
And I still feel my workload is barely under control, as I still have
tasks to complete from yesterday and Wednesday. No
National Hunt racing tomorrow, but there are runners of interest at Uttoxeter on Sunday: 14:25
Midnight Myth (Martin Keighley/Alain Cawley) –
Maiden Hurdle Div I 15:30
Pilgrims Lane (Martin Keighley/Richard Johnson) – Summer Cup Listed Handicap
Steeplechase (I presume this race replaces the Summer National) 16:35 Sky
Calling (Martin Keighley/Danny Hiskett) – Handicap
Hurdle 17:10 Titeuf De Tierce (Alan King/Choc) – Handicap Chase I presume
Choc will be at the Barbury Horse Trials tomorrow,
to take part in the Hit-Air Pro Bull Rider Series Jockeys vs. Eventers Challenge at noon. He’s the jockeys’ Team Captain. And, I guess, as he’s not due to ride at Uttoxeter until 17:10 on Sunday, he’ll be able to attend
the Challenge on Sunday too; it takes less than three hours to drive from
Marlborough to the Staffordshire course.
Strangely enough, I’ve arranged to go to the Barbury Horse Trials tomorrow with my friend Denise ...
and I can’t rule out the possibility that I will go back on Sunday too!!! It’s charity cricket match season. A 20-20 cricket match took place today at
the Kenilworth Cricket Club between the Pacific Islanders Rugby XI and
Richard Johnson’s Jockeys XI: https://twitter.com/Choc_Thornton/status/218752454722985985/photo/1 And this one, uploaded by Tom Messenger, is really cute: https://twitter.com/thmessenger/status/218796528976920576/photo/1 The Scotsman has published further information
regarding the death of Campbell Gillies earlier
this week. More |
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Wednesday 27
June 2012 |
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Two runners
of interest this afternoon, at Worcester: Sky
Calling (Martin Keighley/Danny Hiskett) finished
4th in the Handicap Hurdle [2 miles] (12 ran). Mister Chancer (Alan
King/Choc) finished 11th in the Handicap Hurdle [2 miles 7 furlongs] (12
ran). No National Hunt racing tomorrow. |
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Tuesday 26 June
2012 |
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RIP Campbell Gillies 27 June 1990 to 26 June 2012 I was
shocked to learn of the death of young Campbell Gillies
in a holiday accident. He seemed like
such a nice young lad, always cheerful, and it is so tragic that he should be
taken from us before he could fulfil his great potential. I’d like to take this opportunity to offer
my condolences to all his friends and family.
RIP Campbell and Brindisi Breeze. Here is a
link to the Racing Post’s website. More And tributes on Lucinda
Russell’s website too. * * *
* * * * The new
format Atttheraces begins tomorrow, when they start
broadcasting from their new offices in Milton Keynes. Two
runners of interest tomorrow, at Worcester: 15:40 Sky
Calling (Martin Keighley/Danny Hiskett) – Handicap
Hurdle [2 miles] 17:45 Mister Chancer
(Alan King/Choc) – Handicap Hurdle [2 miles 7 furlongs] I must remember to set up my video to tape the
races; I’ve become far too accustomed to there being no racing to tape with
Choc having so few rides this summer. |
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Monday 25 June
2012 |
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It’s very
quiet on the horse racing front, with no runners of interest at the weekend,
today or tomorrow. I’ve been
researching the Hit-Air Pro Bull Challenge, which is due to take place at the
Barbury Horse Trials next weekend. Here is a
link to the Horse Trials website: http://www.barburyhorsetrials.co.uk/ And a link
to the Hit-Air website: http://www.hitairuk.co.uk/ Plus an
article in ‘This is Wiltshire’ I have a ticket for Sunday ... but it appears
that the Pro Bull challenge is taking place on both Saturday and Sunday. I shall have to tweet Choc to ask him if
he’s going to be there on both days, as I don’t wish to miss anything, albeit
a 190 mile round trip per day! |
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Friday 22 June
2012 |
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Just one
runner of interest at Market Rasen today: Lake Legend (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) finished
a head second in the Handicap Chase (9 ran). No runners
of interest this weekend ... I think Sunday is forecast to be a washout ...
just for a change! I’ve
finished and uploaded my diary relating to the Heythrop
Summer Fair. Click here to read. No plans this weekend but perhaps Barbury Castle Horse Trials next weekend to watch the
Hit-air Jockeys vs Event Riders event! |
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Thursday 21 June
2012 |
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Choc had a
wicked evening at a very soggy Fontwell Park, with
both his rides winning! JJ Fontwell Park: Double Chocolate (David
Bridgwater/Choc) won the Handicap Chase (7 ran). Dirty Bertie (David
Bridgwater/Choc) won the Novices’ Handicap Hurdle (13 ran). They were Choc’s 4th and 5th
winners of the
season. Choc was
brilliant tonight; the ride descriptions were as follows: Double Chocolate: tracked leader, bumped 1st, not fluent 6th or 10th,
led 12th, clear when not fluent 3 out, mistake 2 out, ridden out Dirty Bertie: prominent, led after 1st, headed 4th, ridden to
lead again after 3 out, headed approaching next, rallied to lead again flat,
very game Ffos Las: Pilgrims Lane (Martin Keighley/Richard Johnson)
was a non-runner in the Handicap Hurdle One runner
of interest at Market Rasen tomorrow: 16:10 Lake Legend (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) –
Handicap Chase I’ve drafted my Summer Fair diary and hope to
upload it in the next day or two. |
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Wednesday 20
June 2012 |
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Three
runners of interest at Worcester today: Monty’s
Revenge (Martin Keighley/Danny Hiskett) was pulled
up in the Handicap Chase [2 miles 7 furlongs] (12 ran). Midnight
Myth (Martin Keighley/Alain Cawley) finished 5th in
the Maiden Hurdle Div II (12 ran). The Fox’s
Decree (Martin Keighley/Alain Cawley) finished 9th
in the Handicap Hurdle (13 ran). Tomorrow
there are three runners of interest: Fontwell Park: 19:25
Double Chocolate (David Bridgwater/Choc) – Handicap Chase 19:55
Dirty Bertie (David Bridgwater/Choc) – Novices’
Handicap Hurdle Ffos Las: 19:45 Pilgrims Lane (Martin Keighley/Richard
Johnson) – Handicap Hurdle So that’s my Thursday evening TV viewing sorted! |
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Tuesday 19 June
2012 |
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Three
runners of interest at Worcester tomorrow: 14:45
Monty’s Revenge (Martin Keighley/Danny Hiskett) –
Handicap Chase [2 miles 7 furlongs] 17:10
Midnight Myth (Martin Keighley/Alain Cawley) –
Maiden Hurdle Div II 18:15 The
Fox’s Decree (Martin Keighley/Alain Cawley) –
Handicap Hurdle Another
photograph of young William today, this time perched upon Archie Bellamy’s
horse. Archie is the youngest son of
ex-jockey and Towcester’s Clerk of the Course,
Robert Bellamy. http://twitter.com/Choc_Thornton/status/215154881638580224/photo/1/large And if
you’d like to view a video of the trainers’ heat of Sunday’s Donkey Derby, click
the link below. Taking part were
Fergal O’Brien, Richard Phillips, Charlie Longsdon
and Martin Keighley: I gather
superhorse Frankel won at Ascot today, the unbeaten colt extending his
winning sequence to eleven. More I had a
lovely day out in Eastbourne today with my friends Lesley, Fay, Angy and her 3-year old daughter Rebecca. Angy and her
hubby Alex are expecting their second child in October.
Rebecca, Angy and Fay on Eastbourne pier The
weather was great too but, as usual, the top of my boobies caught the
sunshine and are a bit red! I put
sun-block on my face and a little on my décolleté too ... but obviously not
low enough on the latter! |
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Monday 18 June
2012 |
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I’ve
uploaded the photographs I took at the Heythrop
Country Fair and Donkey Derby yesterday.
Click Here to view Catriona Bissett,
who is Assistant to trainer Richard Phillips, has tweeted
a piccie of the photo-finish between Denis O’Regan (far side) and Fergal O’Brien in the final. Denis having got the verdict. http://twitter.com/CatchBissett/status/214399016392335360/photo/1 Choc has retweeted a lovely picture of himself with a young fan
taken at Towcester a few weeks ago: http://twitter.com/mrsclemo11/status/214687873776099328/photo/1 No runners of interest at Newton Abbot tomorrow,
but I am hopeful that Choc may have rides this coming Thursday and/or Friday. Another day out tomorrow. I’ve booked the day off work to travel down
to Eastbourne with my friends Lesley and Fay to see our friend Angy and her young daughter Rebecca. I forgot it was the ladies International
Tennis Tournament at Devonshire Park in Eastbourne this week too, but
hopefully the area won’t be too busy with spectators. |
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Sunday 17 June
2012 |
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Not much occurring
in the world of National Hunt at present or at least not as far as Choc is
concerned unfortunately ... so I took a trip down to the Cotwolds
today to attend the Heythrop Country Fair and
Donkey Derby in search of my favourite jockey! And, as you can see, I found him. J
Choc competes in the
‘driven’ donkey heat 2. It was a
relief to have a respite from the recent rain and the day proved fine and
often sunny, although breezy. I left
home at just after 09:00, arriving at around 11:00 having taken the scenic
route to Cocklebarrow Farm. We were
treated to hound racing, a display by the Cotswold Falconry Centre, a
demonstration by the Cotswold Polocrosse Club
(although no horses were involved due to the underfoot conditions), terrier
racing and, of course the Donkey Derby; the latter consisted of four heats,
with the winners progressing to the final.
Choc
finished second in his heat, the winner being Denis O’Regan. In fact the same donkey won each of the 4
heats, but narrowly lost in the final, which Denis O’Regan
also won. The
highlight of my day was saying hello to Choc ... and meeting William too! I shall
write a diary and upload further photos later in the week.
Having completed his heat,
Choc is passing on tips to Martin Keighley ahead of the latter’s race. On the right is William,
being held by Choc’s friend Patrick Sheehan. Choc has tweeted
a photograph of William on the mini-bouncy castle: http://twitter.com/Choc_Thornton/status/214377902085640194/photo/1 And he’s retweeted a couple of pictures taken during the race too: http://twitter.com/martinkeighley7/status/214354263097348096/photo/1 http://twitter.com/Archiebells13/status/214387807333007362/photo/1 And a
photo from last week when Choc went to school a horse at Robin Dickin’s yard called Bally Lagen: http://twitter.com/#!/Daveocracy/media/slideshow?url=http%3A%2F%2Flockerz.com%2Fs%2F216708110 No National Hunt racing tomorrow; the next
fixture being an evening one at Newton Abbot on Tuesday. |
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Thursday 14 June
2012 |
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Three
runners of interest at Hereford this evening and a
winner for Choc too J Compton Blue (Alan King/Choc) won
the Novices’ Hurdle by a head (8 ran).
Choc’s 3rd
winner of the
season. Sky
Calling (Martin Keighley/Danny Hiskett) finished
3rd in the Handicap Chase (7 ran). Hilfiger
(Ian Williams/Choc) finished 4th in the Handicap Hurdle [2 miles 1 furlong]
(11 ran). It was a promising return to
action, as the second, third and fourth horses finished closely grouped. There is National Hunt action at Aintree
tomorrow, but no riding engagements for Choc. If you watched the racing from Southwell on Tuesday you will know that a couple of
horses were pulled up due to injury.
However, reports on the Racing Forum suggest that Braddock Island was
okay and walking soundly again later in the evening. His gait had been very strange when halted
and contributors were wondering if it was caused by a nerve problem in his
back. Veteran Gallik
Dawn was also reported to have been well enough to return home. Unfortunately not such good news about Cydonia who suffered a suspected heart attack after his
race and is no longer with us. Further news regarding the Heythrop
Summer Fair. Martin Keighley has been
recruited to ride in the Donkey Derby as part of the trainers’ team. I do hope the weather is okay on Sunday for
them. It’s not beyond the realms of
possibility that I could make an excursion to the Fair, to see Choc ride as
part of the jockeys’ team. My one
worry would be for my poor Ford Fiesta to be towed out of a muddy field ...
although it would not be the first time it had happened. But at least I know the whereabouts of the
tow bar accessory; it’s in the glove compartment now! The route to the event would not be a
problem. Just head for Cheltenham but,
shortly after leaving Burford, turn left onto the Bibury Road, then right into Aldsworth
and take the Eastington Road. Simples!!! |
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Wednesday 13
June 2012 |
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Yippee, we
have three runners of interest at Hereford tomorrow; including
two ridden by Choc. 18:10 Compton
Blue (Alan King/Choc) – Novices’ Hurdle 19:40 Sky
Calling (Martin Keighley/Danny Hiskett) – Handicap
Chase 20:10
Hilfiger (Ian Williams/Choc) – Handicap Hurdle [2 miles 1 furlong] That’s my
TV viewing for tomorrow evening settled then!
And I have
a photograph taken exactly two years ago today, of Choc and Hilfiger in the
Winners’ Enclosure at Stratford having won the Novices’ Hurdle; it was the
horse’s last run, as he’s been out of action for two years due to injury.
We’ve
finally had a dry day in St Albans and, even though it’s not been
particularly warm or sunny, it’s been wonderful!!! But I gather the weather for the next few
days is due to be pretty dire again.
And, being in the Veolia Water Central area, we still have a hosepipe
ban. The workmen finally arrived this evening to patch
up the road outside my home. It is
being repaired in sections and it’s our turn this week. The road isn’t in too bad a condition as
the foundations and surface were completely replaced within the past ten
years or so. However, having been
patched from time to time, on this occasion the edges of the new repairs are
being sealed so as to prolong their life.
I presume the road is being repaired because the Olympic torch relay
will pass along it early next month.
It’s a pity they hadn’t filled in one of the dips further up the road
a little earlier ... as I wouldn’t have got so wet when a lorry drove by when
I was walking to work! |
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Monday 11 June
2012 |
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Just one
runner of interest today, at Newton
Abbot, and this
is how he fared: R Craig
(Martin Keighley/Alain Cawley) finished 2nd in the
Handicap Hurdle (9 ran). The race was
won by Wilde Ruby ridden by Andrew Thornton; so I guess it was recompense for
the unseating incident at Fontwell Park 8 days ago. No runners
of interest at Southwell tomorrow evening, so still
nothing for Choc. Here is a
link to details for the Heythrop Country Fair
taking place next Sunday 17 June; where Choc is due to ride in the Donkey
Derby. |
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Sunday 10 June
2012 |
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Just one
runner of interest tomorrow, at Newton
Abbot: 17:00 R
Craig (Martin Keighley/Alain Cawley) – Handicap
Hurdle Choc
currently has provisional riding engagements on Thursday, at either Hereford
or Uttoxeter. More
photographs of young William on Twitter today: http://twitter.com/Choc_Thornton/status/211759747999858688/photo/1 http://twitter.com/Choc_Thornton/status/211764932230905856/photo/1 The Willie
Mullins trained Thousand Stars won the French ‘Champion Hurdle’ at Auteuil
today. He won the race last year too. The men’s
French Open title has yet to be decided; with Rafael Nadal
leading Novak Djokovic by two sets to one before
ran stopped play early in the fourth set.
Play will resume tomorrow. I
hope the former wins. The grass court
season starts tomorrow, with the commencement of the tournament at the
Queen’s Club in West London. I fear
their playing schedule will be severely disrupted by rain this week ... but,
then again, it usually is!!! The wall to wall football coverage is driving me
mad ... thank goodness for extensive horse racing coverage. Although, last evening, I was reduced to
watching back to back episodes of Cowboy Builders! I’m watching an old episode of Midsomer Murders as I write this blog entry. It’s one of my favourites, Beyond The
Grave; although I have seen it numerous times. One of the locations featured in this
particular story is Chenies Manor in
Buckinghamshire. |
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Saturday 09 June
2012 |
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Just one
result today; Consult finished last in the Beginners’ Chase at Worcester (8 ran). That’s disappointing, as he’s one of my
favourites; a sweet natured horse. Choc has
posted another photograph today: http://twitter.com/Choc_Thornton/status/211367724180451328/photo/1 Someone complained
on Twitter that all Choc does is post pictures of William ... what do they
expect? William is the most important
person in Choc’s life, so he’s bound to upload
photographs of his beautiful little boy.
If they don’t like it, why don’t they just unfollow
him? As I don’t
have a smartphone (yet!) I can only follow Choc’s tweets when I log onto my laptop ... and it’s the
first page I look at each evening. And
I always look forward in anticipation of seeing new photos of William each
time I do. There have
noticeably been a number of unpleasant tweets aimed at a variety of jockeys
by irate punters in recent days ... and especially after poor old Andrew
Thornton fell off his mount at Fontwell Park last
Sunday when the saddle slipped. I
really don’t think these punters have any understanding of how perilous it
can be to ride a horse, let alone at speed.
Horses can be so unpredictable, especially highly strung
thoroughbreds. Andrew’s saddle
actually slipped backwards; with the girth no longer in the correct place and
now irritating the mare’s belly, it was no wonder that she jinked and
deposited her jockey on the ground. It makes
me sound like a scaredy-cat when it comes to horses
... but I did ride from the age of 9 until 17, and again for a few months at
the age of 33. I have recollections of
a few falls and being bolted with too.
I recall an incident when Lollipop jumped a cavaletti
then promptly tripped over a drain cover in the outdoor school and tipped me
over his shoulder. I remember doing a
brilliant roll! During one riding
lesson all the horses bolted across Harpenden Common and along one of the
very smart residential roads! Once
again I was aboard Lollipop and I did manage to pull him up before he got as
far as some of my companions; they ended up in a field on the outskirts of
the town! Maxwell bolted with me at
least twice, he was a 15 hand dark brown horse, very narrow I recall. And Sherbet, a 13.2 chestnut mare, I hated
riding her ... she was slow and used to get tailed off from the other horses,
breaking into a canter along the lane in order to catch up when they
disappeared from view. And she used to
buck too, if given the chance. My worst falls were when I took up riding again,
aged 33. When I was attending the
University of Hertfordshire, Wednesday afternoons were put aside for sporting
pursuits ... I choose horseriding. And, because one of the students lived in
Stilton and knew the area, we drove a minibus to an equestrian establishment
near Rutland Water to go riding ... ridiculous really! I remember falling off of a horse called
Monty when he refused at a jump in the floodlit outdoor school; I landed on
the poles and suffered quite bad bruising to my back and thighs. And then there was Sidney, a grey, whose
mouth was far more sensitive on the right than the left. So, when cantering in a clockwise direction
I slipped out of the saddle and ended up hanging around his neck before
lowering my legs to the ground! But
the worst and final fall was from a horse called Joe, who bolted across Knebworth Park before suddenly putting on the brakes and
firing me out of the saddle. I led him
back to the stables, then drove home ... but later that evening I began to feel
nauseous. I think it was
concussion. I was advised to go to
hospital if I’d been physically sick, but fortunately it didn’t come to
that. I was ‘crocked’ for a few days too.
I’ve not ridden a horse since.
|
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Friday 08 June
2012 |
|
Just one
runner of interest this weekend, at Worcester tomorrow: 14:45
Consult (Martin Keighley/Alain Cawley) – Beginners’
Chase The
weather is very un-drought like, but Choc is definitely suffering a drought
as far as riding engagements go. Choc has
tweeted two new photos of William, this time he’s blowing a hunting horn! https://twitter.com/Choc_Thornton/status/211055480754290688/photo/1 https://twitter.com/Choc_Thornton/status/211055602569453568/photo/1 I survived today quite well, having been a ‘team of one’ at work. I worked from 08:20 until gone 17:30
without a break, but feel satisfied that my workload is under control heading
into Monday. Fortunately one of my
colleagues will be back from leave by then, so we should be okay moving
forward. I’ve no plans for the weekend, again. But I am having my hair trimmed on
Sunday. |
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Thursday 07 June
2012 |
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Uttoxeter was very soggy this
evening, so Sky Calling was a non-runner. No runners
of specific interest at Market Rasen tomorrow. The
nightmare which is the European Football Championships starts tomorrow ... I
can’t believe there will be no BBC1 One Shows broadcast until after the
tournament has finished. What about
the people who hate football, like me?
Oh well, there’s always horse racing, even if it’s flat racing ... Not looking forward to work tomorrow. Normally there are three people in my team
and often it’s difficult to cope with the workload and deadlines ...
tomorrow, due to holidays, there’s just one ... ME! Arrrrgggghhhhhhhhhhhhh! |
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Wednesday 06
June 2012 |
|
No runners
of specific interest today and just one tomorrow at Uttoxeter: 20:05 Sky
Calling (Martin Keighley/Danny Hiskett) – Mares’
Handicap Hurdle However,
Martin has warned in his blog that if it rains further she will not run. Having sold a number of horses at Doncaster last
week, it was mentioned on Alan King’s website that a couple of horses had
been purchased at the recent Cheltenham sales. So I investigated further and have
discovered these were Two Rockers purchased for £80,000 and Pirates Cay
bought for £62,000; both in conjunction with Highflyer Bloodstock. Sorry that my blogs are very short at the moment,
but there’s not a lot of action going on at the races or at home either!!! |
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Monday 04 June
2012 |
|
Another quiet
day tomorrow, with no runners of interest. Today Choc
has posted a photograph of William aboard a palomino pony, led by William’s
mum Meally. http://twitter.com/Choc_Thornton/status/209626161997815811/photo/1 |
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Sunday 03 June
2012 |
|
Just one
runner of interest at Uttoxeter today, as Suburban Bay was a non-runner: Miss
Exhibitionist (Alan King/Choc) finished 3rd in the Mares’ Maiden Hurdle (13
ran). Despite it
being unremarkable summer jumping cards at Uttoxeter
and Fontwell Park today, the races weren’t without
their fair share of incident. King Fingal was carried out by a loose horse after the last in
the Selling Hurdle at Uttoxeter when he might well
have won. Whilst at Fontwell Park, Andrew Thornton ended up on the deck after
the last flight when Wilde Ruby’s saddle slipped; he was well clear of the
field at the time. No runners
of interest at either Towcester or Cartmel tomorrow. The weather seems to have been wet almost
everywhere today; I stayed indoors and have been continuing my cross stitch
project for most of the day.
Tomorrow’s forecast is now for mainly fine weather in the southeast,
with just a few scattered showers, although still cold. |
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Saturday 02 June
2012 |
|
One runner
of interest at Stratford this evening: Pilgrims Lane (Martin
Keighley/Aidan Coleman) won the Handicap Chase (7 ran). Congratulations to the team; their 5th winner of the season.
Aidan gave the horse an excellent ride. There was
a long run-in during the hurdle races at Stratford this evening, with just
one flight after the final bend before the winning post; they’d moved the
other flight beyond the lollipop. Two
runners of interest at Uttoxeter tomorrow: 14:10 Miss
Exhibitionist (Alan King/Choc) – Mares’ Maiden Hurdle 16:40
Suburban Bay (Alan King/Choc) – Handicap Chase Choc has
posted another photograph of William on Twitter today: http://twitter.com/Choc_Thornton/status/208957351334641665/photo/1 Woke up to
drizzle then rain this morning which delayed plans a little. Fortunately it had stopped by 10:30 so I
walked down to the local garden centre to purchase garden vouchers; a
distance of 1½ miles away. And walked
back of course, although I could have caught a bus. But I just love walking! This afternoon I watched coverage of the Epsom
Derby fixture. I had planned to do
some cross stitching today, but didn’t get around to it. Never mind, I’ve still got three more days,
which are expected to be wet, so no doubt my cross stitch project will be on
my agenda at some point. |
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Friday 01 June
2012 |
|
Just one
runner of interest at Stratford this evening: After a
slow start, Tower (Martin Keighley/Alain Cawley)
finished 10th in the Handicap Hurdle (15 ran). One runner
of interest at Stratford tomorrow too: 19:30 Pilgrims
Lane (Martin Keighley/Aidan Coleman) – Handicap Chase Choc will
be at Uttoxeter on Sunday, more details tomorrow. Choc has
posted a photograph of William playing with his toy tractors ... and he sure
likes tractors! http://twitter.com/Choc_Thornton/status/208422724886986753/photo/1 The
applications on my laptop are becoming more and more temperamental, so I fear
it will soon be time to buy a new one! The
weather forecast for the southeast for the weekend and Bank Holidays has
deteriorated even further ... rain is now expected every day, including
tomorrow. No special plans for the next four days ...
although tomorrow I’ll probably walk down to one of the local garden centres
to buy a gardening voucher for my friend Denise for her birthday, which is
next week. |
