MARCH 2012
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Saturday 31
March 2012 |
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Uttoxeter: Godsmejudge (Alan King/Choc) won
the Handicap Hurdle [3 miles] (8 ran); Choc’s 46th winner of the season. J Gospel
Preacher (Alan King/Choc) pulled up in the Handicap Hurdle [2 miles 4½
furlongs] (8 ran). Golden
Electra (Alan King/Choc) finished 7th in the Mares’ Standard Open NH Flat
Race (18 ran). Management
(Alan King/Choc) finished last in the Handicap Chase (9 ran). Stratford: Teshali (Martin
Keighley/Aidan Coleman) finished 3rd in the Handicap Hurdle (14 ran). Three
runners of interest at Ascot tomorrow: 14:20 Forresters Folly (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) & Kings
Bayonet (Alan King/Choc) – Maiden Hurdle 17:15 Balzaccio (Alan King/Peter Hatton) – Conditional Jockeys’
Handicap Hurdle Although
the ‘fuel panic’ has eased for the
time being, I decided to fill up my tank this morning ... at 06:45! There were no queues at the Sainsburys petrol station, but a number of their pumps
were out of action and most of the remaining ones were occupied when I got
there, despite the early hour! My older
brother, Nick, almost ran out of fuel this week. He was working over in Welwyn, he’s a
builder, and tried to fill up his van but the first petrol station he tried had
totally run out of fuel and a second one had too long a queue. He just managed to reach home, almost
running on fumes, but fortunately a tanker had just arrived to make a
delivery to the local petrol station at the end of his road so he was able to
fill up after all. A close shave. I also cleaned my car today; there being a hose pipe
ban coming into operation in my area tomorrow. And I’ve completed my Newbury diary. Click
here to
read. |
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Friday 30 March
2012 |
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One runner
of interest yesterday, at Ffos Las: One More
Cookie (Martin Keighley/Danny Hiskett) finished 7th
in the Handicap Hurdle (9 ran). And there
was one runner of interest today, at Wetherby: Ishikawa
(Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) finished 11th in the Handicap Hurdle (14 ran). A number
of runners of interest tomorrow: Uttoxeter: 16:10 Godsmejudge (Alan King/Choc) – Handicap Hurdle [3 miles] 16:45
Gospel Preacher (Alan King/Choc) – Handicap Hurdle [2 miles 4½ furlongs] 17:15
Golden Electra (Alan King/Choc) – Mares’ Standard Open NH Flat Race 17:45
Management (Alan King/Choc) – Handicap Chase Stratford: 15:55 Teshali (Martin Keighley/Aidan Coleman) – Handicap Hurdle The good
news is that Choc will be at Ascot on Sunday, but the bad news is that he
will have just one ride; so a quiet weekend at home for me. I’m not
sure whether I will be going to the Lambourn Open
Day after all; with the current uncertainty regarding fuel supplies caused by
the misplaced panic over a strike which may never happen. Typical.
And this year’s afternoon entertainment is due to feature camel racing
... why do I always miss the camel racing? I enjoyed
my day yesterday; a trip to Birmingham culminating with an Osmonds concert at the Birmingham Symphony Hall. I drove to my friend Lesley’s home, left my
car there and we went in her car to Milton Keynes to catch a train. I’ve got a good sense of direction but the
roads in Milton Keynes all look the same to me, hence the change of driver. We caught the 11:10 train to Birmingham New
Street; although technically, it was the train to Northampton, which
separated into two, the front four carriages heading for Crewe and the
remaining four carriages for Birmingham.
Someone lost the plot though as, at Coventry,
a passenger alighted from the train and complained to staff that the train
wasn’t going to Stafford ... no, that’s because he’d sat in the wrong half of
the train! The train
stopped at a number of smaller stations too, so we arrived in Birmingham at
13:10. We then headed for the Bullring
Shopping Centre, where we bought a drink and a snack in Starbucks, before
looking around the shops. I wasn’t
that impressed, it was very similar to many large shopping centres. We had lunch at the Handmade Burger Co at
around 16:00; after which I dropped into the local branch of the company I
work for, for a quick chat. So I’ve
visited our Cheltenham branch when in Cheltenham and now the Birmingham
branch when in Birmingham; I’m becoming a bit of a globetrotter. As
mentioned earlier, the concert took place at the Symphony Hall, which is part
of the ICC; I had actually visited the centre a number of years ago, when my
employer held their annual conference there.
As it was early, around 18:00, we paid a visit to the Starbucks outlet
within the centre, before waiting for the doors of the concert hall to open
at 19:00. The
concert began at 19:30; there was a supporting act ‘The Dropouts’, consisting of the musicians who accompanied the Osmonds later in the evening; they performed four or five
songs before the interval. Finally it
was time for the main event – Merrill, Jay and Jimmy Osmond commenced their
act, as always, with Crazy Horses.
Unfortunately, Wayne Osmond has been unable to participate in this
tour as intended, as he’s recently suffered a stroke and was unable to travel
by plane due to the drugs he is prescribed.
Poor Jimmy, who will be 49 next month, still has to perform Long
Haired Lover From Liverpool! The best
recent concert I attended was at Wembley only three or four years ago, when
the whole family performed – Donny, Marie, Jimmy, Wayne, Merrill, and
Jay. Even Alan made a brief appearance
too; he suffers from MS. Sorry, it
takes me back to my childhood! Mind
you, Lesley and I were only 7 or 8 rows from the stage on that occasion and I
had a migraine headache the next day due to the noise affecting me
badly! The concert finished just before 22:00; we rushed
back to New Street Station ... but we just missed the penultimate
London-bound train of the evening. We
had to wait an hour for the final train available. It was a Virgin train, and stopped at only
a few stations. We arrived back in
Milton Keynes at 00:10; drove back to Lesley’s house where I picked up my car
to return to Hertfordshire. I got home
at 01:10; and today was a work day.
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz |
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Wednesday 28
March 2012 |
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One runner
of interest tomorrow, at Ffos Las: 14:50 One
More Cookie (Martin Keighley/Danny Hiskett) –
Handicap Hurdle Tomorrow
evening I’ll be attending an Osmonds concert in
Birmingham and, as Lesley and I will be going by train from Milton Keynes, I
don’t expect to get home until around 01:00 on Friday morning! With the
imminent threat of a petrol tanker strike, I’m now worried that I won’t be
able to buy enough petrol to reach Aintree, let alone get back home again
too. That’s just great. My car is supposed to do around 400 miles
on one tank of petrol, if driving sensibly!
It’s a 400 mile round trip to the racecourse, and I need to fill up
whilst away too, as my hotel for Friday night is approximately 17 miles away
from the course. Damn. Do I make contingency plans to go by train? Watford Junction being my nearest station
on the northwest line. Plans to go to the Lambourn
Open Day may have to be shelved this year too. Unfortunately, I can always get to work,
regardless of any fuel shortages which may arise ... as I run on Weetabix fuel at that time of the morning! |
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Tuesday 27 March
2012 |
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Here are
today’s results: Hereford: Tuscan
Gold (Alan King/Choc) finished 2nd in the Novices’ Hurdle (7 ran). Trade On
(Alan King/Ciaran McKee) finished 6th in the
Novices’ Handicap Hurdle (11 ran). Market Rasen: Midnight
Sail (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) finished 2nd in the Handicap Chase (6 ran). Dunraven Prince (Alan
King/Wayne Hutchinson) finished 5th in the Novices’ Hurdle (7 ran). I’ve
totally lost it ... my head is so full of work related things that I forgot
to change my satellite channel from RUK to ATR today, so I failed to tape Choc’s race at Hereford!
I’m a numbty! Racing at
Taunton and Ludlow tomorrow, but no riding engagements for Choc. And he’s got an enforced holiday on
Thursday and Friday ... not that he was likely to ride anyway, with Newcastle
and Ffos Las on Thursday and Newcastle and Wetherby on Friday. Choc has
tweeted another picture of young William, this time playing with a digger
truck: http://twitter.com/#!/Choc_Thornton/status/184594572524003328/photo/1 Shock news today that Graham Lee is switching
codes and will become a full-time flat race jockey! More I’m going to start adding the race comments to
the draft of my Newbury diary this evening.
So far, without those comments having been added, I’ve written over
3,000 words. I worked over 9 hours without a break today ...
but things appear to be under control again ... at least for the time
being! Had I not re-arranged by sinus
operation to take place on 19 April, tomorrow would have been the day! |
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Monday 26 March
2012 |
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A number
of runners of interest tomorrow: Hereford: 14:10
Tuscan Gold (Alan King/Choc) – Novices’ Hurdle 15:40
Trade On (Alan King/Ciaran McKee) – Novices’
Handicap Hurdle Market Rasen: 15:20
Midnight Sail (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) – Handicap Chase 16:50 Dunraven Prince (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) – Novices’
Hurdle I notice,
from Twitter, that Choc is looking after William this evening, and overnight,
so presume that is why he’s going to Hereford tomorrow, rather than
travelling all the way to Market Rasen. It will allow him to spend more time with
his son; which is just as it should be.
Click here
to view a photograph of William enjoying his tea, which Choc posted on
twitter this evening: http://twitter.com/#!/Choc_Thornton/status/184343834749190144/photo/1 Another nightmare day at work ... we used to have
7 people plus a manager but, over the past 3 years, it’s been reduced down to
just two people plus a manager and it’s frequently a struggle to meet
deadlines with the amount of work coming in.
Despite missing my lunch-break today, I’ve failed to meet the
requested turnaround time on a task because I was given insufficient notice;
I will have to finish it in the morning.
Oh well, I’m not a miracle worker!
|
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Sunday 25 March
2012 |
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Today Choc
had one riding engagement at Wincanton: Rustarix (Alan King) finished
2nd in the Handicap Chase (4 ran). No riding
engagements for Choc at Towcester tomorrow. Alan King has warned that he may not have
many runners this week due to the forecast for continuing dry weather. And Choc will be serving a 2-day ban this
coming Thursday and Friday, having been punished following his ride aboard Medermit at the Festival. I know I’m
going to have a quiet Easter, with the only day out being a trip to the Lambourn Open Day on Good Friday. But, needless to say, all of my Cheltenham
diaries need to be completed, so I won’t be at a loss for something to
do. Thursday was my favourite day of
the Festival this year, so I plan to start with that day. I’ve uploaded the photographs I took at Newbury
yesterday. I enjoyed my day out; the
weather was beautiful, although I did get a little burnt; I took a trip to
the start of race 5, the 3 miles 2½ furlong Handicap Chase; and, of course,
Choc rode a winner. I also
congratulated him personally on his win.
An excellent day. Click
here to view
photographs. |
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Saturday 24
March 2012 |
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A photo-call for the winner of the Mares’ National Hunt Novices’
Hurdle Race Finale: Choc and Tante Sissi Today Choc
was at Newbury ... and he won the
feature race of the day J However,
there was a ‘sting in the tail’, as
he was awarded a 4-day ban for careless riding L
:- Saturday 7th, Easter Sunday 8th, Bank Holiday Monday 9th and Sunday
15th April (the bans side-step Aintree due to the grade 1 races at the fixture).
There are no National Hunt fixtures on Tuesday 10th or Wednesday 11th April;
hence 3 days before and 1 day after the Festival. The full
results are as follows: Way Back
When (Alan King/Charlie Huxley) finished 5th in the EBF/TBA Mares’ Novices’
Chase Finale (Listed Handicap) (6 ran). Tante Sissi (Alan King/Choc) won
& Night Rose (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) finished 5th in the EBF Mares’
National Hunt Novices’ Hurdle Finale (Limited Handicap – Listed Race); Choc’s 45th winner of the season. More Quotica De Poyans (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) was pulled up in the
Handicap Chase [3 miles 2½ furlongs] (10 ran). Mister
Stickler (Alan King/Choc) finished 5th in the Handicap Chase [2 miles 1
furlong] (7 ran). High Ball
Roller (NJ Vaughan/Choc) finished 12th in the ‘Junior’ Bumper Standard Open Flat Race (13 ran). Stratford: Mister Chancer (Alan King/Peter Hatton) finished 3rd in the
Handicap Hurdle (8 ran). Tomorrow
Choc will be at Wincanton, where he has one
riding engagement: 15:25 Rustarix (Alan
King) – Handicap Chase I seem to have arrived back from Newbury with a
décolleté almost as bright pink as the top I was wearing. Fortunately I did remember to put sun-block
on my face! And, of course, we lose an hour tonight ... so I
guess I ought to get to bed in good time. |
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Friday 23 March
2012 |
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Today Choc
had 2 riding engagements at Newbury, and this
is how he fared: Desert Joe
(Alan King) finished 7th in the Handicap Hurdle [3 miles and half a furlong]
(10 ran). Romulus D’Artaix (Alan King) finished 3rd in the Novices’
Handicap Chase (7 ran). Tomorrow,
again there is racing at Newbury: 14:05 Way
Back When (Alan King/Charlie Huxley) – EBF/TBA Mares’ Novices’ Chase Finale
(Listed Handicap) 14:40 Tante Sissi (Alan King/Choc)
& Night Rose (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) - EBF Mares’ National Hunt
Novices’ Hurdle Finale (Limited Handicap – Listed Race) 15:40 Quotica De Poyans (Alan
King/Wayne Hutchinson) - Handicap Chase [3 miles 2½ furlongs]; with Quotica’s recent track record, I’m pleased Wayne is
taking this possibly risky ride ... 10 stone 2 lbs generally being too light
for Choc to ride. 16:15
Mister Stickler (Alan King/Choc) – Handicap Chase [2 miles 1 furlong] 16:50 High
Ball Roller (NJ Vaughan/Choc) – ‘Junior’
Bumper Standard Open Flat Race Stratford: 17:25
Mister Chancer (Alan King/Peter Hatton) – Handicap
Hurdle As beautiful weather is forecast this weekend, I
hope to take a trip to Newbury tomorrow.
That’s provided I feel okay in the morning; I was feeling a little
dizzy earlier this evening. I’m
putting it down to a very stressful week at work ... my department has been
in temporary offices this week; the workload has been extremely heavy; we’ve
been living out of crates, so it’s been a nightmare to find anything; not to
mention the numerous trips up and down the stairs to fetch bulk print items
from the photocopier. Arrrggghhh! I can never remember feeling as frustrated at
work as I’ve felt this week. Hopefully
it will settle down on Monday when we move into our newly decorated
office. Oh how I wish I could win the
lottery and retire!!! And it would
give me so much more time to devote to my website and hobbies. There aren’t that many more fixtures/events that
I can attend between now and the end of the season – Newbury tomorrow, Ascot
Sunday week, the Lambourn Open Day on Good Friday,
2 days at Aintree (Friday and Saturday) and Sandown Park at the end of next
month. My friend Denise will be coming
along to the Lambourn Open Day this year; it’s
always nice to have company. And I’ve finished and uploaded my Kempton Park
diary. Click
here to
read. |
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Thursday 22
March 2012 |
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Today’s
results from Chepstow are as
follows: Golden
Firebird (Alan King/Choc) finished 6th in the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle (13
ran). Mauricetheathlete (Martin Keighley/Mr N
Slatter) won the Handicap Hurdle (16 ran); Martin’s
34th winner of the season. Congratulations to the team. Tomorrow,
Choc has 2 riding engagements at Newbury: 15:15
Desert Joe (Alan King) – Handicap Hurdle [3 miles and half a furlong] 15:50
Romulus D’Artaix (Alan King) – Novices’ Handicap
Chase I’m hoping
to complete my Kempton Park diary this evening; it’s just a ‘short-version’ one, without the
detailed race descriptions but, nevertheless, there will be around 1,400
words. Choc’s latest column has
appeared in Horse and Hound
published today, his sole topic being the Cheltenham Festival. Choc
writes that it was just one of those weeks when Alan King’s stable was out of
luck. None of the horses ran badly,
but they didn’t run quite well enough to win.
Seven of his 12 rides were placed, and by the end of the week he was
pretty fed up with standing beside the third place marker in the Winners’
Enclosure! He says
that Tuesday set the tone for the week, with Montbazon
not jumping as fluently as he can and finishing a close fourth. Vendor ran well in the Fred Winter to
finish 3rd, it being somewhat of a lottery with 24 novice horses running in
the race. Medermit ‘ran a cracker’ in the Ryanair. Choc writes that his mount came off the
bridle down the back straight, but he always tries hard and Choc thought he
might win going to the last fence.
Choc thinks he’s proved that he needs 3 miles and should run well at
Aintree. Everything
went to plan in the World Hurdle, with Smad Place ‘running out of his skin’ to finish
3rd. It was one of his easiest rides
of the Festival. Choc
writes that it would have been easier to stomach his third place in the
Triumph Hurdle aboard Grumeti had his mount been
beaten by one of the fancied horses, such as Baby Mix or Saddler’s Risk. But Countrywide Flame was a 33-1 shot who
had been beaten by the Alan King trained Secret Edge back in October! Raya Star
ran ‘flat’ after a long season; Kumbeshwar ran his heart out to finished 3rd in the Grand
Annual. Lovcen
also did well to finish 4th in the Albert Bartlett; both he and Smad Place will be exciting novice chasers next season. The equine
performance of the week was Sprinter Sacre’s win in
the Arkle; Choc writes that he was breathtaking to
watch and made very good horses ‘look
like trees’! Choc’s choice for the best
jockey performance was Noel Fehily’s victory aboard
Rock On Ruby in the Champion Hurdle.
Although being a top class jockey for years, he’s inexplicably
remained somewhat on the fringe. He’s
a good judge, good tactically, excellent over an obstacle and strong in a
finish; nearly always in the right place at the right time too. Noel is very tough and has had his fair
share of injuries; especially when he hurt his wrist shortly after having
gained second jockey status aboard Paul Nicholls’ horses in Ruby’s
absence. Choc says his Champion Hurdle
win was good compensation. However,
Choc was underwhelmed by the Gold Cup; and Long Run has lost his
sparkle. He thinks that no-one was
surprised when Kauto Star was pulled up; Choc hopes
they will retire him now. However,
Choc admires the way that Paul Nicholls was totally up-front with regards to Kauto’s fall and subsequent training; a lot of the
criticism was totally unfair. Choc had
only ever once heard a horse being applauded when he pulled up, and that was Istabraq in his fourth Champion Hurdle attempt. He says it’s a measure of their greatness
and the esteem with which National Hunt champions are held. But that
shouldn’t take anything away from AP McCoy’s win; it just shows how great a
jockey he is to keep producing rides like that. Having won the Midlands and Welsh Grand
National, Synchronised demonstrated that it takes a proper stayer to win a Gold Cup. Choc congratulates Cheltenham’s Clerk of the
Course and Racing Director Simon Claisse and his
team for doing a fantastic job with the going. He says they have the manpower and money,
but it is still very hard to get consistency in watered ground, especially
with the undulations at Cheltenham, but they achieved it. Choc was able to ride on the ground with
complete confidence all week. |
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Wednesday 21
March 2012 |
|
Here are
today’s results of interest: Hereford: Monturgeon (Alan King/Choc)
finished 2nd in the Novices’ Hurdle (9 ran). Soir D’Estruval
(Alan King/Choc) was a non-runner in the Handicap Chase. Franklin Roosevelt (Warren Greatrex/Choc) won the Handicap Hurdle [2 miles 4
furlongs] (10 ran). Choc’s 44th winner of the season. J Haydock: Jetnova (Alan King/Wayne
Hutchinson) finished 3rd in the Handicap Hurdle (11 ran). Warwick: Gold Ingot
(Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) finished 5th in the Standard Open National Hunt
Flat Race (9 ran). Choc has
one riding engagement tomorrow, at Chepstow: 14:10
Golden Firebird (Alan King/Choc) – Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle 16:20 Mauricetheathlete (Martin Keighley/Mr N Slatter) – Handicap Hurdle I was
doing some research for my Cheltenham diaries and discovered that Choc has
received a 2-day ban following his ride aboard Medermit
in last Thursday’s Ryanair Chase ... Oooops: The Stewards held an enquiry into the use of the
whip by Robert Thornton, the rider of MEDERMIT (FR), placed third, on the run
in. Having heard his evidence and viewed recordings of the race, they found
him in breach of Schedule (B)6 Part 2 in that he had used his whip in an
incorrect place. The Stewards suspended Thornton for 2 days as follows:
Thursday 29 and Friday 30 March 2012. On ATR’s website there is an article outlining
Martin Keighley’s hopes for the future regarding his stable star Champion
Court, who ran so brilliantly in the Jewson’s Novices’ Chase at the Festival. More |
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Tuesday 20 March
2012 |
|
News today
that, following a disappointing run at Cheltenham, Hold On Julio is one of a
number of defectors from the field of next month’s Grand National. More That currently leaves
Choc without a mount in the big race, as Wayne Hutchison has been promised the
ride aboard West End Rocker. Tomorrow
there are a number of runners of interest: Hereford: 15:40 Monturgeon (Alan King/Choc) – Novices’ Hurdle 16:45 Soir D’Estruval (Alan
King/Choc) – Handicap Chase 17:15
Franklin Roosevelt (Warren Greatrex/Choc) – Handicap
Hurdle [2 miles 4 furlongs] Haydock: 14:40 Jetnova (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) – Handicap Hurdle After
which, the jockey will ton it down the M6 and around Birmingham to reach Warwick: 17:35 Gold Ingot (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) –
Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race |
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Monday 19 March
2012 |
|
National
Hunt racing takes place at Exeter tomorrow, but Choc has no riding
engagements. More
information from Paul Nicholls regarding Kauto
Star’s future. More It’s a
mega-shame that the BBC has lost all its broadcasting rights for horseracing;
I don’t mind the Channel 4 coverage in general, but the adverts drive me
mad! The Grand National won’t be quite
the same again. More I’ve just
discovered that the Olympic Torch relay will go directly past my home on
Sunday 08 July ... how wicked is that? I’ve
uploaded the photographs I took at the Cheltenham Festival: I now have to draft my five outstanding diaries
... starting this evening! |
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Sunday 18 March
2012 |
|
News that Medermit may be stepped up in trip before the end of the
season, with a tilt at the Aintree Bowl. More National
Hunt racing takes place at Southwell tomorrow, but
no riding engagements for Choc. Back to
work tomorrow; time has flown, especially as I’ve spent only 2 days at home
during the past 9 days! I went to see Strictly’s Anton and Erin in ‘Let’s Do It’ last Sunday, then spent 4 days at the Cheltenham Festival,
followed by Saturday at Kempton Park and today I took my mother to visit my
younger brother and his family for Mothers’ Day. No wonder I woke up with terrible bags
under my eyes this morning!!! Despite
this, early this morning I uploaded the photographs I took at Kempton Park
yesterday. Click
here to view. And, hopefully, I’ll have time to upload my
Cheltenham Festival photographs before I turn in tonight. That leaves me with a mere five diaries to
write ... and with the prospect of around half a dozen more before the end of
the National Hunt season ... aaarrrggghhh! Never mind, most years it takes me until
mid-June to catch up with the backlog. |
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Saturday 17
March 2012 |
|
As hoped,
I went to Kempton Park today. Having
suffered from ‘thirditis’
and ‘fourthitis’
at Cheltenham; Choc now has ‘seconditis’ ... I can’t wait for him to catch ‘firstitis’! I missed a
couple of runners (Balzaccio and Indiana Oscar)
when checking the cards last evening, so I’ve added these to the list too ...
well, it was late and, having driven 800 miles during the past 4 days, I was
(and still am) the worse for wear!: Kempton Park Ulys Du Charmil (Alan King/Choc) finished 6th in the Novices’
Hurdle [2 miles] (12 ran). Forresters Folly (Alan
King/Wayne Hutchinson) finished 7th & Hindon Road
(Alan King/Choc) finished 2nd in the Novices’ Hurdle [2 miles 5 furlongs] (8
ran). Pantxoa (Alan King/Choc)
finished 2nd & Balzaccio (Alan King/Ciaran McKee) finished 11th in the Handicap Hurdle (16
ran). Unforgettable
(Robin Dickin/Choc) finished 2nd in the Novices’
Handicap Chase (5 ran). Suburban
Bay (Alan King/Choc) finished 2nd in the Handicap Chase (9 ran). Soixante Six (Alan King/Choc)
finished 4th & Shady Lane (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) finished 6th &
Indiana Oscar (Martin Keighley/Alain Cawley)
finished 8th in the Maiden Open NH Flat Race (10 ran). I was so
engrossed with Choc’s progress aboard Suburban Bay
that I didn’t realise that Canni Thinkaar was a fatality, having been pulled up injured
after the third last fence. RIP. Uttoxeter Willoughby
Hedge (Alan King/Gerard Tumelty) finished 4th in
the Standard Open NH Flat Race (16 ran). Ffos Las Fitandproperjob (Martin Keighley/Dave
Crosse) finished 7th in the Standard Open NH Flat Race (11 ran). No runners
of interest tomorrow, at Newton Abbot or Carlisle. I took lots of photos today ... the light wasn’t
great, but there are a number of nice ones I can upload and I will endeavour
to do so shortly. |
|
Friday 16 March
2012 |
|
Synchronised and AP McCoy triumph in the Gold Cup The ‘Winners’ on Day Four: JCB
Triumph Hurdle (Grade 1) : Countrywide Flame / JJ Quinn / Dougie
Costello Vincent O’Brien
County Hurdle : Alderwood / T Mullins / AP McCoy Albert
Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1) : Brindisi
Breeze / Lucinda Russell / Campbell Gillies Cheltenham
Gold Cup (Grade 1) : Synchronised / Jonjo O’Neill /
AP McCoy Christie’s
Foxhunter Chase Challenge Cup : Salsify / R Sweeney
/ Mr CJ Sweeney Martin
Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle : Attaglance
/ Malcolm Jefferson / Harry Haynes Johnny
Henderson Grand Annual Challenge Cup : Bellvano /
Nicky Henderson / Paul Carberry And the Choc
/ Martin Keighley related runners at Cheltenham fared as
follows: Balder Succes (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) fell at the 4th
flight & Grumeti (Alan King/Choc) finished 3rd
in the JCB Triumph Hurdle (Grade 1) [2 miles 1 furlong] (20 ran). Raya Star
(Alan King/Choc) finished 13th & Court In Session (Martin Keighley/Alain Cawley) finished 23rd in the County Hurdle (Grade 3) [2
miles 1 furlong] (26 ran). Hard To
Swallow (Martin King/Alain Cawley) finished 17th
& Lovcen (Alan King/Choc) finished 4th in the Albert
Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1) [3 miles] (20 ran). Wolf Moon
(Martin Keighley/Charlie Huxley) finished 16th in the Martin Pipe Conditional
Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle [2 miles 4½ furlongs] (24 ran). Kumbeshwar (Alan King/Choc)
finished 3rd in the Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Chase Challenge Cup (Grade
3 Handicap) [2 miles ½ furlong] (21 ran). Choc’s 2012 Festival ends in
disappointment for him; no winners. I
hope he is not too despondent. Perhaps
Aintree will be better, I certainly hope so.
I’ve just
looked at tomorrow’s cards and have discovered that Choc has 6 rides at
Kempton Park ... so it appears that I may have plans for tomorrow and my
Cheltenham photos and diary drafts will have to wait for a while! Kempton Park 13.45 Ulys Du Charmil (Alan
King/Choc) – Novices’ Hurdle [2 miles] 14:50 Forresters Folly (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) & Hindon Road (Alan King/Choc) - Novices’ Hurdle [2 miles 5
furlongs] 15:25 Pantxoa (Alan King/Choc) – Handicap Hurdle 16:00
Unforgettable (Robin Dickin/Choc) – Novices’
Handicap Chase 16:35
Suburban Bay (Alan King/Choc) – Handicap Chase 17:05 Soixante Six (Alan King/Choc) & Shady Lane (Alan
King/Wayne Hutchinson) – Maiden Open NH Flat Race Uttoxeter 17:30
Willoughby Hedge (Alan King/Gerard Tumelty) –
Standard Open NH Flat Race Ffos Las 17:40 Fitandproperjob (Martin Keighley/Dave Crosse) – Standard
Open NH Flat Race I had a Cheltenham-related ‘experience’ as I was driving home. Approaching Oxford there is a set of
traffic lights, followed by a roundabout and then another set of traffic
lights; the red light was showing on the latter set, so I pulled up behind
the vehicle in front of me, an Audi.
My headlights illuminated a name and sponsorship on the car – Dougie Costello, NH Hunt Jockey; sponsored by Maxilead Metals.
How strange is that? |
|
Thursday 15
March 2012 |
|
The most
beautiful mane at the Festival! Choc is
interviewed by Rishi Persad The ‘Winners’ on Day Three: Jewson
Novices’ Chase (Grade 2) : Sir Des Champs / Willie Mullins / Davy Russell Pertemps Final (Listed
Handicap Hurdle) : Cape Tribulation / Malcolm Jefferson / Denis O’Regan Ryanair Chase (Grade 1) :
Riverside Theatre / Nicky Henderson / Barry Geraghty Ladbrokes
World Hurdle : Big Buck’s / Paul Nicholls / Ruby Walsh Byrne Group
Plate (Grade 3 Handicap Hurdle) : Salut Flo / David
Pipe / Tom Scudamore Fulke Walwyn
Kim Muir Challenge Cup Handicap Chase (Amateur Riders) – Sunnyhillboy
/ Jonjo O’Neill / Mr Alan Berry And the
Choc / Martin Keighley related results: Cheltenham Champion
Court (Martin Keighley/Alain Cawley) finished 2nd
in the Jewson Novices’ Chase (Grade 2) [2 miles 4 furlongs] (10 ran). Champion Court ran brilliantly and jumped
like a stag; it’s a shame he found one better. Medermit (Alan King/Choc)
finished a close 3rd in the Ryanair Chase (Grade 1)
[2 miles 5 furlongs] (12 ran). Choc’s mount performed extremely well; he deserves a big
race victory soon. Smad Place (Alan
King/Choc) finished an excellent 3rd in the World Hurdle (Grade 1) [3 miles]
(11 ran). Midnight
Appeal (Alan King/Mr RG Henderson) fell at the last & Benbane
Head (Martin Keighley/Matt O’Connor) finished 9th in the Fulke
Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup (Amateur Riders) [3
miles 1½ furlongs] (23 ran). Towcester Awesome
Bella (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) finished 2nd & One More Cookie (Martin
Keighley/Danny Hiskett) finished 3rd in the Mares’
Novices’ Hurdle (10 ran). The
runners of interest tomorrow, at Cheltenham, are as follows: 13:30
Balder Succes (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) & Grumeti (Alan King/Choc) – JCB Triumph Hurdle (Grade 1) [
2 miles 1 furlong] 14:05 Raya
Star (Alan King/Choc) & Court In Session (Martin Keighley/Alain Cawley) – County Hurdle (Grade 3) [2 miles 1 furlong] 14:40 Hard
To Swallow (Martin King/Alain Cawley) & Lovcen (Alan King/Choc) - Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle
(Grade 1) [3 miles] 16:40 Wolf
Moon (Martin Keighley/Charlie Huxley) – Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’
Handicap Hurdle [2 miles 4½ furlongs] 17:15 Kumbeshwar (Alan King/Choc) – Johnny Henderson Grand
Annual Chase Challenge Cup (Grade 3 Handicap) [2 miles ½ furlong] As it’s a nightmare to escape from Cheltenham on
the final day of the Festival, in previous years I’ve not even tried to leave
the racecourse until around 19:00. So,
as it takes around 2½ hours to get home, I may not write a blog tomorrow
evening. Besides, I’ll probably be
shattered! |
|
Wednesday 14
March 2012 |
|
Choc, following an interview
with RUK’s Alex Steedman The ‘Winners’ on Day Two: Diamond
Jubilee National Hunt Chase (Amateur Riders’ Novices Chase) : Teaforthree / Rebecca Curtis / Mr JT McNamara Neptune
Investment Management Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1) : Simonsig
/ Nicky Henderson / Barry Geraghty RSA Chase
(Grade 1) : Bobs Worth / Nicky Henderson / Barry Geraghty Queen
Mother Champion Chase (Grade 1) : Finian’s Rainbow
/ Nicky Henderson / Barry Geraghty Coral Cup
Handicap Hurdle (Grade 3) : Son Of Flicka / Donald
McCain Jnr / Jason Maguire Fred
Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle (Grade 3) : Une
Artiste / Nicky Henderson / Jeremiah McGrath – the jockey’s first Festival winner
... and Nicky Henderson’s 44th, the winning most Festival trainer in history Weatherbys Champion Bumper
(Grade 1 Standard Open NH Flat Race) – Champagne Fever / Willie Mullins / Mr
PW Mullins And the
Choc related results, etc: Cheltenham Iron Chancellor
(Alan King/Mr RG Henderson) unseated during the Diamond Jubilee NH Chase [4
miles] (19 ran). Batonnier was a non-runner, so
Choc swapped to Secret Edge (Alan King) and finished 12th in the Neptune
Investment Management Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1) [2 miles 5 furlongs] (17
ran). Walkon (Alan King/Choc) ran
well and finished 5th in the RSA Chase (Grade 1) [3 miles ½ a furlong] (9
ran). Vendor
(Alan King/Choc) finished 3rd & Ardlui (Alan
King/Wayne Hutchinson) finished 15th in the Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap
Hurdle (Grade 3) [2 miles ½ a furlong] (24 ran). Another
bad day for fatalities; Abergavenny died as a
result of a fall, and Featherbed Lane broke a leg on the flat, both during
the Coral Cup. Huntingdon Kings
Bayonet (Alan King/Charlie Huxley) finished 3rd in the Maiden Hurdle (16
ran). Rivermouth (Alan King/Charlie
Huxley) won the Handicap Chase (9 ran). Next Man
In (Alan King/Gerard Tumelty) was pulled up in the
Handicap Hurdle [2 miles 5½ furlongs] (10 ran). Always Bold (Martin Keighley/Alain Cawley) was pulled up in the Handicap Hurdle [3 miles 2
furlongs] (11 ran). Tomorrow’s
runners of particular interest are as follows: Cheltenham 13:30
Champion Court (Martin Keighley/Alain Cawley) –
Jewson Novices’ Chase (Grade 2) [2 miles 4 furlongs] 14:40 Medermit (Alan King/Choc) – Ryanair
Chase (Grade 1) [ 2 miles 5 furlongs] 15:20 Smad Place (Alan King/Choc) – World Hurdle (Grade 1) [3
miles] 16:40
Midnight Appeal (Alan King/Mr RG Henderson) & Benbane
Head (Martin Keighley/Matt O’Connor) – Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup (Amateur Riders) [3 miles
1½ furlongs] Towcester 13:55
Awesome Bella (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) & One More Cookie (Martin
Keighley/Danny Hiskett) – Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle And you have
to laugh ... I arrived at the Parade Ring at around 11:00 and didn’t realise
that RUK’s Alex Steedman was interviewing Choc in
the Winners’ Enclosure whilst I was just a few metres away! Obviously I spotted Choc as he walked back
towards the Weighing Room. To hide my
embarrassment, I can’t even deny I was there, because I could be clearly seen
in the background when they showed the interview on TV, re-arranging my scarf
and rummaging in my handbag! I’ve
totally lost it! It was
unspeakably awful trying to escape from Cheltenham this evening ... it took
me 40 minutes, because the traffic police had blocked my usual route, so I
couldn’t reach my short-cut to miss all the traffic. |
|
Tuesday 13 March
2012 |
|
Choc aboard Montbazon Here are
the ‘Choc’ related results from Cheltenham: Montbazon (Alan King) finished
4th in the William Hill Supreme Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1) [
2 miles ½ a furlong] (19 ran). Hold On
Julio (Alan King) finished 10th in the JLT Specialty Handicap Chase (Grade 3)
[3 miles ½ a furlong] (19 ran). Bless The
Wings (Alan King) finished 10th in the Pulteney
Land Investments Novices’ Handicap Chase (Listed) [ 2
miles 4 furlongs] (20 ran). The ‘Winners’ on Day One: Supreme
Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1) : Cinders and Ashes / Donald McCain Jnr / Jason Maguire Arkle Challenge Trophy
Chase : Sprinter Sacre / Nicky Henderson / Barry Geraghty JLT
Specialty Handicap Chase : Alfie Sherrin / Jonjo O’Neill /
Richie McLernon – the jockey’s first Festival
winner Champion Hurdle : Rock On Ruby / Paul Nicholls / Noel Fehily – the trainer’s first Champion Hurdle victory! Cross
Country Handicap Chase : Balthazar King / Philip Hobbs / Richard Johnson David
Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle : Quevega / Willie Mullins
/ Ruby Walsh Pulteney Land Investments
Novices’ Handicap Chase : Hunt Ball / Keiran Burke / Nick Scholfield
– the trainer’s and jockey’s first Festival winner (although, of course, Keiran rode a winner last year).
Hunt Ball wins the Pulteney Land Investments Novices’ Handicap Chase Unfortunately
there is often a sad postscript to major racing fixtures, and today was no
exception. Commiserations to the
connections of old stagers Garde Champetre and Scotsirish who
both suffered fatal injuries during the Cross Country Chase; and Educated
Evans who went wrong during the final race of the day. Tomorrow’s
runners of interest are as follows: Cheltenham 13:30 Iron
Chancellor (Alan King/Mr RG Henderson) – Diamond Jubilee NH Chase [4 miles] 14:05 Batonnier (Alan King/Choc) & Secret Edge (Alan King/Wayne
Hutchinson) – Neptune Investment Management Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1) [2
miles 5 furlongs] 14:40 Walkon (Alan King/Choc) – RSA Chase (Grade 1) [3 miles ½
a furlong] 16:40
Vendor (Alan King/Choc) & Ardlui (Alan
King/Wayne Hutchinson) - Fred Winter
Juvenile Handicap Hurdle (Grade 3) [2 miles ½ a furlong] Huntingdon 14:20
Kings Bayonet (Alan King/Charlie Huxley) – Maiden Hurdle 14:55 Rivermouth (Alan King/Charlie Huxley) – Handicap Chase 15:35 Next
Man In (Alan King/Gerard Tumelty) – Handicap Hurdle
[2 miles 5½ furlongs] 16:15 Always Bold (Martin Keighley/Alain Cawley) – Handicap Hurdle [3 miles 2 furlongs] Having begun my journey home at 17:50 today, I
was gutted that it took me 30 minutes to ‘escape’
from Cheltenham, much of the time having been stuck in the queue to leave the
car park! I arrived home at 20:35,
having travelled back via the A40, M40 and M25. Montbazon ran well, but I was a
little disappointed with the showing of Choc’s
other two rides today; although I must remember that it’s very difficult to
win a race at Cheltenham. But
hopefully he will have better luck tomorrow. |
|
Monday 12 March
2012 |
|
Taunton Miss
Exhibitionist (Alan King/Choc) pulled too hard ‘early doors’ and finished 5th in the Fillies’ Juvenile Hurdle (6
ran). Plumpton Diamond
Sweeper (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) won the NH Novices’ Hurdle (14
ran). In his
post-race interview, Wayne mentioned that Choc rode both Grumeti
and Balder Succes this morning and, although Choc
has not made a definite decision as to his ride in the Triumph, Wayne feels
that he is favouring Grumeti. Tomorrow,
surprise, surprise, Choc will be at the Cheltenham Festival, where he has 3 riding engagements: 13:30 Montbazon (Alan King) - William Hill Supreme Novices’
Hurdle (Grade 1) [ 2 miles ½ a furlong] 14:40 Hold
On Julio (Alan King) - JLT Specialty Handicap Chase (Grade 3) [3 miles ½ a
furlong] 17:15
Bless The Wings (Alan King) – Pulteney Land
Investments Novices’ Handicap Chase (Listed) [ 2 miles 4 furlongs] A decision
has been made and Grands Crus
heads for Wednesday’s RSA Chase, rather than the Gold Cup. More And Kauto Star has been given the final go-ahead and will
line up in Friday’s Gold Cup. More I can feel
the nervous excitement starting to build, but I guess that is what it’s all
about! Today has
been ‘final preparations’ day. I walked down to the local supermarket at
08:00 this morning to buy a copy of today’s Racing Post, after which I
cleaned my car. I’m not quite sure
whether the latter is an error of judgment as, last year, my car got
extremely dusty on Day 2 of the Festival; so I washed it down before setting
off on Day 3, only for it to be plastered with dust and filth from the
Cheltenham car park on Day 4! I have
never in my life been so embarrassed at the state of
my car as I was when I filled it up with petrol upon arriving back home on
the Friday evening! At 09:30 I
drove down to my local M & S superstore, as I wanted to buy a pair of
patterned navy blue tights, just in case I wear my new navy blue skirt this
week. At noon I walked to the dentist,
as I had booked my quarterly dental hygienist appointment for today. I have extremely good teeth, but my gums aren’t very good; gum disease being hereditary! However, I’ve still got 28 teeth ... 4
having been removed when I had them straightened many moons ago. And I’ve still got those 4 missing teeth;
they are stored in a small trinket pot which I’ve placed on my
bookshelf! If they all fall out, then
I can always make them into a necklace!!!
Just a few jobs left; I’ve set up Sky Plus and
just need to set up the VCR to record the Channel 4 coverage, and to set my
alarm clock for a 04:30 wake-up call. Cheltenham here I come!!! Good Luck Choc I hope you have a wonderful, and
safe, Festival. |
|
Sunday 11 March
2012 |
|
Today,
Choc was at Warwick, and this is how he
fared: Chilli Rose
(Alan King/Choc) finished 2nd in the Mares’ Novices’ Chase (3 ran); only to
be expected, as the race was won by Pepite Rose who
has now won three consecutive races since 29 February. I gather the connections needed to run Pepite Rose 3 times over jumps in order to qualify for
the EBF Mares’ Final which takes place at Newbury at the end of this month. Dunraven Prince (Alan
King/Choc) finished 6th in the Novices’ Hurdle (14 ran). Trigger The
Light (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson), who is a Warwick specialist, won the
Handicap Chase (8 ran). There are
3 National Hunt fixtures tomorrow and runners of interest at two of these: Taunton 14:20 Miss
Exhibitionist (Alan King/Choc) – Fillies’ Juvenile Hurdle Plumpton 14:30
Diamond Sweeper (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) – NH Novices’ Hurdle Here is a
link to an article regarding Alan King’s hopes for the Supreme Novices’
Hurdle. More Also, news
that Medermit is almost certain to run in
Thursday’s Ryanair Chase, as opposed to the Gold
Cup. More I enjoyed
my afternoon out at the Colosseum in Watford; and
my 16 minute journey aboard the ‘Abbey
Flyer’ to Watford Junction. I
caught the 12:28 train. Normally fares
are collected on board the train but, due to a shortage of staff today, fares
were paid at the barrier at the end of my journey; it cost just £4.50
return. The ‘Let’s Do It’ show starring Strictly’s Anton du Beke and
Erin Boag began at 15:00, so this gave me plenty of
time to look around the shops before meeting up with my friend Lesley, her
dad and his friend June. Needless to
say I didn’t escape from M & S empty-handed, purchasing a navy blue skirt
with hem detail. I’m not sure yet
whether it will get an outing at Cheltenham, if not, then definitely
Aintree! The show
lasted for 2 hours and, in addition to the ballroom dancing, we were treated
to a live orchestra, and a number of songs performed by Lance Ellington, who
sings on Strictly, too. The dresses
Erin wore were beautiful – she reckons she has around 540 available for the
current tour! There were a number of
humorous ‘interludes’ too, with
Erin and Anton answering questions put forward by the audience. The touring show is well worth attending if
you have the opportunity. Having caught to 18:07 back to St Albans, I
walked home the remainder of the way ... 2 miles, which included climbing the
steepest hill in the city, Holywell Hill. But I feel fit, if a little tired! The Osmonds are
appearing at the Colosseum this coming Wednesday
evening ... but, of course, I’ll be travelling back from Cheltenham so can’t
make it. That’s why Lesley and I will
be going all the way to Birmingham to see them on 29 March! I finished the second Rico scarf before turning
in last night; and I’ve felt a whole lot better today, so hopefully I’ve not
picked up any bugs which are going around.
|
|
Saturday 10
March 2012 |
|
Today,
Choc was at Sandown Park and this is how he
fared: Torphichen (Alan King/Wayne
Hutchinson) finished 10th & Devil To Pay (Alan King/Choc) finished 7th in
the Imperial Cup Handicap Hurdle (Listed).
The race was won by the Charlie Longsdon
trained Paintball. It was odd, because I saw horse No.15 cantering to the
start and thought ‘that looks like a
nice horse’ ... it was the 20-1 shot Paintball! (24 ran). More Call Me A Star (Alan King/Choc) won
& The Wicked Kipper (Martin Keighley/Danny Hiskett)
finished a creditable 6th in the Mares’ Standard Open NH Flat Race Final
(Listed) (17 ran); Choc’s 43rd winner of the season.
More Tomorrow,
Choc will be at Warwick: 14:35
Chilli Rose (Alan King/Choc) – Mares’ Novices’ Chase 15:05 Dunraven Prince (Alan King/Choc) – Novices’ Hurdle 16:05
Trigger The Light (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) – Handicap Chase You’ll
love this youtube video, which was re-tweeted by Choc’s friend, ex-jockey and BHEST’s Racing to School’s
Lead Education Officer, Ollie McPhail. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h57yh2AarNw I’ve knitted one Rico Loopy scarf today ... and
started a second one too! I’ve not
been feeling 100% though; there’s a virus going around with symptoms of a
sore throat and nausea. But I’m hoping
this is a ‘blip’ and solely related
to my ongoing sinus problems. I can’t
afford to feel under the weather now, with only two days to go until the
Festival; especially as it’s one of just two proper holiday breaks I have per
year, the other being two days away in Liverpool for the Grand National. I don’t ‘do’
lying on a beach type holidays. Tomorrow afternoon I’m going to see Strictly Come
Dancing’s ‘Anton & Erin’ at the
Colosseum in Watford. It’s going to be a bit of an adventure, as
I’ve decided to go by train from St Albans Abbey Station to Watford Junction;
I’ve never actually travelled on this route before, although it takes just 16
minutes! The show starts at 15:00 and
lasts for around 2 hours, so travelling by public transport shouldn’t be an
issue. |
|
Friday 09 March
2012 |
|
Choc was
at Wincanton this afternoon, and
this is how he fared: Night Rose
(Alan King) finished 4th in the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle (8 ran). Denali
Highway (Alan King) finished 5th in the Novices’ Hurdle (11 ran). Tomorrow,
Choc will be at Sandown
Park: 15:15 Torphichen (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) & Devil To
Pay (Alan King/Choc) - Imperial Cup Handicap Hurdle (Listed) 15:50 Call
Me A Star (Alan King/Choc) & The Wicked Kipper (Martin Keighley/Danny Hiskett) – Mares’ Standard Open NH Flat Race Final
(Listed) News today
that Invictus is a definite non-runner in next
Wednesday’s RSA Chase. More Kauto Star undertook a racecourse
gallop at Wincanton today; Paul Nicholls is pleased with his progress. More Here is a
link to Martin Keighley’s weekly column in the Gloucestershire Press. Click here to read. A reminder
that Martin’s yard will appear in the regular ‘Dark Horses’ feature on Channel 4’s Morning Line tomorrow. And a link
to Wayne Hutchinson’s column on the Sporting Life website too. More During the Festival,
Wayne will write a daily column for the Sporting Life. This link
arrived in my mailbox yesterday: As things currently stand, I’m going to give
Sandown a miss tomorrow ... I love Sandown Park BUT, with the Cheltenham
Festival looming, I don’t think I can cope with a day out tomorrow, an outing
to see Strictly Come Dancing’s ‘Anton
& Erin’ on Sunday, then one day’s leave before 4 days at Cheltenham
... with me driving to and from the course every day!!! I’ll be like a zombie by this time next
week. |
|
Thursday 08
March 2012 |
|
Today
there is good news and bad news regarding a couple of Alan King’s intended
Festival runners. Firstly,
the good news is that Triumph Hurdle hope, Grumeti,
is back on track following slight lameness earlier this week. More The bad
news, however, is that Invictus is a doubtful
runner in the RSA Chase, having suffered a set-back. More Choc’s pre-Festival column
has appeared in this week’s Horse and Hound, and he writes that the horse he
was most looking forward to riding, above all others, was Invictus;
so that’s a great shame. Anyway,
here is an overview of his column: Choc is
being very positive about the forthcoming Festival, and he believes he has
his best book of rides for several years.
He can’t wait for the tapes to go up on the first day. Tuesday: Montbazon will be his ride in
the first race of the day, the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle. The yard has been delighted with the
horse’s progress since Christmas; he’s an easy horse to ride and, with a bit
of luck, could go close. In the
third race of the day, the JLT Specialty Chase, Choc will be aboard Hold On Julio; this is the race Choc
won last year aboard Bensalem. He
writes that they are two totally different types of horse, Bensalem travels
well during a race, whereas Julio will gallop all day and the further he
goes, the better he goes. Choc says
the handicapper has given him a nice racing weight, and he hopes he will
still have a little bit in hand! If he
runs well, he will then go to the Grand National. At the
time of writing, Choc’s only other ride of the day
may be aboard Bless The Wings in
the 2½ mile Novices’ Handicap Chase (he also holds an entry in Thursday’s
Byrne Plate). The horse has surpassed
all expectations and Choc hopes the handicapper has not been too harsh. Wednesday: Batonnier is running in the
Neptune Investments. He won on Festival
Trials day, and is a chaser in the making who will probably act over 3 miles
in the future. A good each-way shot
with a chance of winning. Invictus, prior to the
set-back reported earlier, was due to run in the RSA Chase. Choc said that a lot depended on whether Grands Crus goes for this race
or the Gold Cup, but he was delighted with Invictus’
recent Ascot success and, if he could only ride one horse at Cheltenham, this
would be it. Vendor is the favourite for the Fred Winter Novices’ Hurdle. Alan King is extremely keen on this horse;
he runs off a handicap mark of 129.
Choc thinks Vendor may be his best chance at the Festival. Stable-mates, Firefighter and Ardlui also run in this race. Thursday: Medermit may run in
the Ryanair Chase or wait for the Gold Cup on
Friday. It will all depend on the
ground – quick and he’ll run in the Gold Cup, slow and Medermit
will run in the Ryanair. Choc says he’d like to ride a Grade One
winner for the owners, as they were very good to him during his recent
marital problems. Smad Place goes in
the World Hurdle. The horse had run
two solid races this year, winning the first and being second in the other
when giving lots of weight away. Choc
is realistic with Big Buck’s in the race, knowing they will be going for a
place, but Smad Place is a good horse and should
finish in the first four. Friday: The
Triumph Hurdle, in which Grumeti and Balder Succes compete.
Grumeti reminds Choc of Penzance, the
stable’s 2005 Triumph Hurdle winner; Balder Succes
is still developing. Choc says both
have a good chance, and he doesn’t know which one he will ride yet. Raya Star will be running in the County Hurdle. Choc says you need luck in this race but
the horse travels and is quick and neat over his hurdles. He worked brilliantly last Saturday and Choc
thinks he’s an each-way shot or better. Lovcen is a horse
Choc likes; he’s engaged in both the Albert Bartlett and the conditional
jockeys’ race later in the afternoon.
Obviously Choc hopes he will run in the former, so that he gets the
ride. The horse stays every yard of 3
miles. Finally,
in the last race of the Festival, Kumbeshwar would
be his ride. Choc says he’s a ‘cracking servant’; he stays and
gallops and jumps, but may be at the mercy of the handicapper. Choc hopes the horse will wear blinkers,
which might just give him enough improvement. And last,
but not least, Choc mentions Blazing Bailey who was retired after pulling up
at Newbury last Saturday. It’s sad to
see him retire but Choc is happy that the horse is healthy and presumes he
may go hunting or something similar.
He says that it’s been a joy to be associated with him and he will
never forget his Grade One win at Punchestown, his Cleeve Hurdle win or his Liverpool Hurdle win in 2008. Choc is a
little confused ... he thought Blazing Bailey’s latter win was in 2009 when
it helped him to be top jockey at Aintree.
It was Walkon, Oh Crick and Voy Por Ustedes
who won at Aintree in 2009, helping him to the top jockey title. Oops ... but I do have the benefit of being
able to look back at my blog for April 2009 and at Blazing Bailey’s form
guide on the ATR website. Choc will
be at Wincanton tomorrow, where he
has two riding engagements: 14:00
Night Rose (Alan King) – Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle 15:45
Denali Highway (Alan King) – Novices’ Hurdle Steve Millar, who presents ATR’s Stateside
coverage, said that the long-range weather forecast for the Festival is sunny
and 13 degrees on Tuesday; a little cloudier on Wednesday, again 13 degrees; colder
on Thursday, a mere 4 degrees; and then ‘nice’
again for Gold Cup day! And dry
throughout. Perhaps I should wear my
long black skirt, with leggings underneath, on Thursday. As I’m on holiday next week, I have to pack up my
work things tomorrow, as my department is being moved to a different office
within the building whilst I’m on leave.
It’s not the first time I’ve undergone an office move; in fact it’s my
third office move and the seventh desk move!
But I have been there over 15 years!!! |
|
Wednesday 07
March 2012 |
|
Choc was
at Fontwell Park this
afternoon, where he had one riding engagement: Hurricane Milly (Alan King) was pulled up in the Maiden Hurdle (14
ran). No runners
of particular interest tomorrow; Choc has no riding engagements. There’s
positive news today, regarding Grumeti. More Niche Market and Massini’s
Maguire will not run in the Grand National. More I was sad to read on the Racing Forum Memorial
page that Rougham, Drybrook
Bedouin and Will Scarlett all lost their lives earlier this week. Will Scarlett finished a tailed off 4th in
the Pendil Novices’ Chase during my visit to
Kempton Park at the end of last month; Rougham and Drybrook Bedouin were stalwarts of the National Hunt
circuit. |
|
Tuesday 06 March
2012 |
|
Martin
Keighley had a couple of runners at Exeter today,
and this is how they fared: Hail
Tiberius (Alain Cawley) finished 7th in the
Handicap Hurdle (13 ran). Always
Bold (Alain Cawley) was pulled up in the Devon
National Handicap Chase (12 ran). Tomorrow,
Choc will be at Fontwell Park, where he has one
riding engagement: 14:00
Hurricane Milly (Alan King) – Maiden Hurdle Grumeti has had a slight
setback, having spread the plate from his off-fore hoof; the toe-clip went
into his foot and made him lame.
Fortunately, Alan King expects him to recover within a couple of
days. The toe-clip is the ‘riser’
located on the outside edge of the horseshoe which fits against the hoof
wall. More News today that Peddlers Cross will side-step a
clash with Sprinter Sacre and run in the Jewson
Novices’ Chase instead. More As mentioned previously, Choc attended the Adlestrop Club’s Cheltenham Festival Preview yesterday
evening. Here is a link to trainer
Richard Phillips’ blog entry, complete with a photograph of the panel. http://www.richardphillipsracing.com/Blog.html Having worked intensively on my Newbury diary, I
was able to upload it yesterday evening.
Click
here to read. I can’t believe it’s less than 7 days until the
start of the Festival ... and I’ve got only 3 more working days left until
I’m on leave; and I’m not returning to work until 19 March!!! |
|
Monday 05 March
2012 |
|
Today,
Choc was at Hereford, where he had 2
riding engagements: Medinas (Alan King) won the
NH Novices’ Hurdle (15 ran); Choc’s 42nd winner of the season. J Frizzo (Alan King) finished
3rd in the Handicap Hurdle (10 ran). Choc has no
riding engagements tomorrow; but Martin Keighley has a couple of runners at Exeter: 15:00 Hail
Tiberius (Alain Cawley) – Handicap Hurdle 15:30
Always Bold (Alain Cawley) – Devon National
Handicap Chase As mentioned yesterday, Choc is attending the Adlestrop Festival Preview this evening, as a member of
the panel; as is Andrew Tinkler. |
|
Sunday 04 March
2012 |
|
A number
of runners of interest at Huntingdon today; the weather
was foul, with sleet and snow, and fast deteriorating ground. This is how the horses fared: Junior Jack (Martin
Keighley/Alain Cawley) won the Handicap Chase [2
miles 4½ furlongs] (6 ran); Martin’s 33rd
winner of the
season. Cold
Knight (Alan King/Choc) was pulled up in the Handicap Hurdle (9 ran). De
Forgotten Man (Martin Keighley/Alain Cawley) fell
at the last when booked for 4th in the Handicap Chase [3 miles]; he was
exhausted. RUK reported that he got up
okay, after ‘resting’ for a
while. I hope De Forgotten Man has a
change of luck soon, he certainly deserves it. (7 ran) Desert
Robe (Alan King/Charlie Huxley) finished 2nd in the Standard NH Flat Race
(Conditionals/Amateurs) (7 ran). Tomorrow,
Choc will be at Hereford, where he has 2
riding engagements: 14:15 Medinas (Alan King) – NH Novices’ Hurdle 15:45 Frizzo (Alan King) – Handicap Hurdle I forgot
to check the Doncaster results for
Friday! I’m going a little senile in
my old age ... or perhaps I was just very excited to report that Choc rode 2
unexpected winners at Newbury that day!!!
Anyway, here are those belated results: Lidar (Alan King/Wayne
Hutchinson) finished 3rd in the Novices’ Chase (4 ran). Tante Sissi
(Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) won the Mares’ NH Novices’ Hurdle (5 ran). Midnight
Sail (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) finished 2nd in the Handicap Chase (5 ran). There’s a
tribute to the now retired Blazing Bailey on Alan King’s website today: http://www.alankingracing.co.uk/news/news1.php At The Races
also picked up the Blazing Bailey story.
More We stayed after racing at Newbury to watch the
first few lots go through the sale ring of the DBS Auctions yesterday. We saw a horse sold for £120,000; and
thought that was a lot of money to pay for a National Hunt racehorse ... but
shortly after we left, a horse called Classical Twist sold for £220,000; a record
amount at the Newbury bloodstock sales!
I’ve been watching Racing UK and today’s Prix Agitato at Auteuil was a farce; firstly one of the
jockeys took the wrong course, then the would-be winning jockey looked over
the wrong shoulder as he approached the line, dropped his hands and was
caught for first place. What a rubbish
ride ... I’d be livid if I was a punter.
As has been the custom in recent seasons, Choc
will be a member of the Adlestrop Club’s Cheltenham
Festival preview panel tomorrow evening.
I’d love to be able to attend one day; tickets sell-out a few weeks
before the event. I’ve uploaded the photographs I took at Newbury
yesterday. Click
here to view. And, last but not least, I’ve completed the first
draft of my Newbury diary. |
|
Saturday 03
March 2012 |
|
Happy
retirement Blazing Bailey! Today,
Choc was at Newbury and this is how he
fared: Godsmejudge (Alan King/Choc)
finished 7th in the Greatwood Handicap Hurdle [3 miles
½ a furlong] (14 ran). Blazing
Bailey (Alan King/Choc) was pulled up in the Veterans’ Handicap Chase (10
ran); having been a very good servant to the yard, Blazing Bailey has now
been retired. I wish him well and hope
he has a long and happy retirement. Araldur (Alan King/Choc) was
pulled up in the Greatwood Gold Cup Handicap Chase
(12 ran). Teshali (Martin
Keighley/Alain Cawley) finished 8th; Gospel
Preacher (Alan King/Choc) finished 6th; Ruling Party fell (Alan King/Charlie
Huxley) in the Greatwood Handicap Hurdle [2 miles 5
furlongs] (15 ran). Valdez
(Alan King/Choc) finished 4th; Turn Over Sivola
(Alan King/Charlie Huxley) finished 6th; Kenai Peninsula (Alan King/Ciaran McKee) finished 7th in the DBS Spring Sales Bumper
(Standard Open NH Flat Race) (15 ran). I don’t
know what it is about Newbury, but I’ve been there on 12 occasions and I’ve
seen Choc ride a winner just once during all those visits. Could it be a gypsy curse? As that damn gypsy was back selling her heather
in the car park and being a nuisance to race-goers again today! Doncaster Sir Harry Ormesher (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) finished 5th in the
Handicap Hurdle [3 miles ½ furlong] (7 ran). As
expected, West End Rocker (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) was a non-runner in
the Grimthorpe Chase (Handicap). A number
of runners of interest at Huntingdon tomorrow: 14:40
Junior Jack (Martin Keighley/Alain Cawley) –
Handicap Chase [2 miles 4½ furlongs] 15:10 Cold
Knight (Alan King/Choc) – Handicap Hurdle 15:40 De
Forgotten Man (Martin Keighley/Alain Cawley) –
Handicap Chase [3 miles] 17:10
Desert Robe (Alan King/Charlie Huxley) – Standard NH Flat Race
(Conditionals/Amateurs) It was
good to meet up with my friend Lesley today and I very much enjoyed her company
at the races; however I do feel a little disappointed now, because Choc
didn’t ride a winner today. But I
guess it’s going to be an anti-climax after the excellent day’s racing at
Ascot a fortnight ago and Choc’s winner at Kempton
Park last Saturday. I’m planning to have a quiet day at home
tomorrow, spent updating my website to include today’s trip to the
races. |
|
Friday 02 March
2012 |
|
As hoped,
Choc had much better luck at Newbury today: J J Romulus D’Artaix (Alan King) won the Novices’
Handicap Chase (10 ran); Choc’s 40th winner of the season. Henry San
(Alan King) finished 8th in the Novices’ Handicap Hurdle (11 ran). Tickity Bleue (Alan King) won the
Mares’ Standard Open NH Flat Race (14 ran); Choc’s 41st winner of the season. Choc was
particularly strong in his finishes today; and has been since the whip rules
changed last year! Both of today’s
winners looked like they were struggling turning into the home straight, but Choc’s perseverance gained the day. In fact, Choc admitted on Twitter that he
fancied neither of his winners before their respective races ... he thought
Henry San was going to be his best ride of the day!!! Tomorrow,
Choc will be at Newbury once more: 14:05 Godsmejudge (Alan King/Choc) – Greatwood
Handicap Hurdle [3 miles ½ a furlong] 14:40
Blazing Bailey (Alan King/Choc) - Veterans’ Handicap Chase 15:10 Araldur (Alan King/Choc) – Greatwood
Gold Cup Handicap Chase 16:20 Teshali (Martin Keighley/Alain Cawley);
Gospel Preacher (Alan King/Choc); Ruling Party (Alan King/Charlie Huxley) – Greatwood Handicap Hurdle [2 miles 5 furlongs] 17:30
Valdez (Alan King/Choc); Turn Over Sivola (Alan
King/Charlie Huxley); Kenai Peninsula (Alan King/Ciaran
McKee) – DBS Spring Sales Bumper (Standard Open NH Flat Race) Doncaster 14:20 Sir
Harry Ormesher (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) –
Handicap Hurdle [3 miles ½ furlong] 15:25 West
End Rocker (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) – Grimthorpe
Chase (Handicap). The horse’s
participation is very much ground dependent. Grand
National winner Ballabriggs makes his seasonal
reappearance in the Premier Chase at Kelso tomorrow. Here is a
link to Martin Keighley’s latest column in the Gloucestershire press. More I’m planning to go to Newbury tomorrow; my friend
Lesley is coming along too. It will be
nice to have company at the races, as sometimes my trips can be a little
lonely. I’ve been trying to find an
outfit to wear ... and I’m gutted that my jeans are all straining at the
seams!!! |
|
Thursday 01
March 2012 |
|
Today,
Choc was riding at Taunton: Bygones in
Brid (Alan King/Choc) took a fatal fall at the
first flight in the Novices’ Hurdle (11 ran). Very sad. But I am very relieved that Choc is
okay. Soleil D’Avril (Alan King/Choc) finished 6th in the Handicap
Hurdle (11 ran). Hopefully
better luck for Choc tomorrow, at Newbury: 15:30
Romulus D’Artaix (Alan King) – Novices’ Handicap
Chase 16:00 Henry
San (Alan King) – Novices’ Handicap Hurdle 17:10 Tickity Bleue (Alan King) –
Mares’ Standard Open NH Flat Race Doncaster: 15:05 Lidar (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) – Novices’ Chase 15:40 Tante Sissi (Alan King/Wayne
Hutchinson) – Mares’ NH Novices’ Hurdle 16:50
Midnight Sail (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) – Handicap Chase The big
news story today is that Kauto Star in only 50-50
for the Gold Cup having suffered a bad fall when schooling last Friday. Story 1 and Story 2 As Kauto
is a ‘National Treasure’ I
personally don’t think he should be risked, having suffered a setback at this
late stage. West End
Rocker is likely to go straight to Aintree, with the ground at both Newbury
and Doncaster likely to be too fast this weekend. More There are
a number of stories relating to Alan King’s Cheltenham Festival runners: Article 1 – King’s Men Primed for Battle Article 2 – King ponders Medermit
Festival Aim Article 3 – Thornton Facing Triumph Conundrum And, last
but not least, here is an overview of Choc’s latest
Horse and Hound column which was published today: Choc
writes that he couldn’t be more pleased with his comeback, having ridden six
winners in 10 days; and his arm feels ‘as
good as gold’. He realises that he
is very lucky to have a job as a stable jockey, which means he can restrict himself
to riding for the yard and thus look after his arm. It would be far tougher to be a freelance
jockey. Choc gives
much credit to the team at Oaksey House who have
helped him during his recovery, and recommends them to anybody in racing who
suffers a bad injury. He writes
about the fantastic feeling he had when riding Montbazon
to victory at Newbury, his first winner since his return. And about Invictus’
win at Ascot the following day – he says that the horse’s jumping ability comes
pretty close to that of My Way De Solzen, who he
won the Arkle aboard in 2007. Choc talks
about Balder Succes and Grumeti,
the former who also won at Ascot; the latter winning at Kempton Park last
weekend. They are both really nice
horses, but totally different types of animal. Grumeti is
stronger physically for a 4-year-old, whereas Balder Succes
is rangier and still has some developing to do. Both will line up in the Triumph Hurdle. He says
that Medermit tried his heart out when finishing
second in the Ascot Chase; every day they change their minds as to whether he
will run in the 3¼ mile Gold Cup or the 2½ mile Ryanair
Chase. If the ground is soft, Medermit will almost certainly run in the Ryanair, where he would renew rivalry with Riverside Theatre;
but, if a horse has a live ‘each way’
chance in the Gold Cup, then Choc thinks he should go for it. They will continue to deliberate until the
Festival. Choc is
pleased that the whip rules have been relaxed again ... although, with ‘discretion’ now being used, it will
mean different things to different people. And,
finally, he mentions the ‘infamous’
Racing For Change article, regarding the perils of being a jump jockey, which
was subsequently high-jacked by the National press. Choc says he didn’t know he had 24 ribs ...
and certainly hasn’t broken all of them as written by the newspapers. It was stated that he’d had 367 falls from
around 8,000 rides, which is 5% (1 in 20); not the accepted average of 10%
falls from rides (1 in 10). He specifically mentions the Daily Mail website
who asked ‘Is this Britain’s unluckiest
jockey?’ Certainly not; and they failed to mention that he’s ridden over
1,000 career winners and 16 Cheltenham Festival winners too. He reckons that Racing For Change need to
get their facts right if they wish jockeys to co-operate with their ideas for
promoting racing. |
